Noisy neighbours with wooden/laminate flooring.

[Londonchar]

Two years ago my upstairs neighbours got wooden or laminate flooring installed. I have not slept a full night since they put it in. The noise is ridiculous. I can never relax with all the banging. Especially when they walk around with shoes and are constantly dropping banging stuff on the floor. I have made a petition in the hope of it helping all the people that suffer with this problem. Because the flat above me is privately rented apparently there is nothing the council can do. here is the link to the petition. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/200970 Please sign and share it.

I just came across your post. I feel for you as we have suffered constant noise because of laminate flooring for seven years. We are in a 2 bed council flat but the flat above is owned and has been made into a 3 bed. We haven't had any peace since we moved in. Non stop intrusive thumping, banging and stomping all day every day for seven years. Even when I escape into the garden in the summer, I can still hear them stampeding across the floor. We've tried everything to get out but we can't afford to private rent and no one wants to exchange. Only fellow sufferers understand what it's like to live with it on a daily basis. You can't relax, you can't watch TV, you can't sit and chat, read or concentrate on anything. I am wearing earplugs now and can still hear them crashing over my head. Some councils and housing associations don't allow laminate flooring above ground level but unfortunately, nothing can be done about those who have it down already. The only thing you can do is ask nicely if they could put a few rugs down although our neighbour refused saying she couldn't afford it, yeah right! Hope things improve for you. I signed the petition anyway and shared it.

Have you checked your paperwork? Many leases, including ex council properties only allow carpets in flats.

You do wonder about people that walk like elephants and keep dropping heavy objects. And then install laminate!!

This is stated in my tenancy agreement but I'm on the ground floor:-
'You must obtain our written permission before laying any hardwood/laminate flooring in your home. Careful consideration will be given to each request but, other than in exceptional circumstances, permission is unlikely to be given if the premises are off the ground floor'.

The only thing I found in a leaseholders agreement which they would have is this: -
'We do not consider everything that is reported to us as ASB. For example, we would not count the following as ASB:
walking across a wooden or laminate floor while wearing shoes'.

So a council tenant can't put laminate flooring down above ground level but a homeowner can? So it's okay for us lowly council tenants to suffer under homeowners but not other council tenants! Not very fair!

Years ago, when looking to buy a flat (converted house), conditions binding on both flats were carpeting and underlay in halls, bed/livingrooms/stairs.