Tips when buying a flat and you are noise sensitive

[user19934]

DH and I are planning to buy our first property soon, our budget will only afford a flat.

I'm quite noise sensitive but absolutely accept I will be able to hear more noise in a flat and I am prepared for this. And I know that it will depend on a lot of factors, including neighbours!

But do you have any tips on what sort of flat you would recommend? New build, older? Ground, upper floor?

This might be a pointless question so sorry if so but just thought I may as well ask!

Thank you

I don’t think flats are great if you are super noise sensitive since you can end up surrounded on all sides. A top floor flat will spare you the sound of other people thundering overhead - other than that you don’t really have any control over who is next door or underneath. I live in a Haussmann apartment in Paris where noise from neighbours is pretty much par for the course - we have concert pianist, a violinist and an opera singer in our building. The best advice I was given was to try and be friends with your neighbours - or at least be on good terms with them - because then you won’t be focusing on every bump and squeak, it will just be a signal that your friends are home. My DD actually finds it very reassuring to hear other people moving around in the building - she’s more freaked out by the complete silence when no one is home.

Definitely top floor as people walking around above you will drive you mad. I’d look for a flat in a converted house so it’s one flat per floor, so no neighbours at sides either. So only people below. Front door slamming used to drive me mad!

I live on the top floor and the seagulls storm about and scream their heads off. Noisy neighbours, just not human ones.

Concrete floors.

You think you are prepared for it.

My last 3 semi detached house neighbours drove me mad. Even with earplugs in I couldn’t sleep because I could hear their TV’s (along with toilet flush, alarm clock, sex, arguments, doors shutting) The 3rd house people weren’t even loud loud just watching normal TV loud but I knew what program they had on. It made me ill in the end.
The only attached property I haven’t heard people in was an old Victorian villa, converted into flats decades ago, and a stone terrace built in the 1900’s.

23 years of property ownership & we have now totally overstretched ourselves for a detached house for the sake of my health.

Make sure you view at all times of the day when neighbours are in so you get an idea of how much the sound travels. Good luck!

I live in a first floor flat , we have one floor above us. I was worried about the noise but it is not too bad seems fairly solid block.

I mainly hear people on the communal landing especially if its quiet eg at night. But this is not every night and only short bursts.

Sometimes I hear the people below us if the little girl has a tantrum.

I used to hear more noise through the walls when we lived in a terraced house.

My flat is on the end of a row of four on my floor. I think that helps.

I know the people on the ground floor near the service door have a lot of banging door and thumping feet on the stairs noise.

Hope that helps

I lived in a top floor flat that was at the end of the block once. It was 2 flats per floor for each entrance door.

The flats didn't have a lift so no noise from the lift going up and down.

Look for a lease (even if you have share of freehold you have a lease) that states you can only have hard flooring in kitchens and bathrooms as your neighbours will have similar.

Top floor conversion with high ceilings in the flat below, one flat per floor as pp said.
Or an old mansion block (1900s or 1930s Deco) - top floor, and in these you don't tend to hear the flats to the side of you much - but you would in a semi-detached house conversion where there are two flats per floor.
Also I would avoid a conversion with a garden below as people owning the garden may be very noisy / paties and this would be right below you). It may be fine depending who owns it (like a nice single or a quite couple) but there is always a rissk some loud group/sharers move in.
But definitely stick to top floor above all, unless it's a maisonette with bedrooms downstairs with a garden that you own. The stomping above is the worst! also leaks and general noise / you may get a drum kit owner!

You will always get noise in a flat no matter what. We had a lovely quiet flat until the neighbour from hell moved in and I was on the verge of a breakdown from her behaviour. We have now moved. If you are that noise sensitive be very careful what you buy or carry on saving for longer to buy a house. If you really can only get a flat try and get a purpose built flat with concrete floors on all levels.

@Wombat64

Concrete floors.

My whole building is 60s concrete. Can still hear downstairs' toilet.

I actually think very new builds might have the best noise insulation...

Corner flats on the top floor in a low rise are good, as Rose says - if you do go for a block.
Def avoid lifts - not even for the noise so much but for the horrendous service charges attached!

As someone upthread said look for ones with concrete floors between levels, they are much quieter. I’ve found the worst for sound insulation are maisonettes which weren’t built like that originally. Victorian mansion blocks are also ime pretty noisy.

If you really are very noise sensitive, I think it's a huge mistake to buy a flat. There is absolutely no escaping the noise.

But yes top floor, on the end if you can. I prefer bedrooms on the ajoining wall both sides as a TV hung on the wall is fairly hell.

We used to live in a ground floor flat for a bit. I could hear the heating (economy 7) but never our neighbours. I never saw them (there were 2 entrances). Our kitchen had a very solid fire door, so I could use my food processor and DD was still asleep. Then we lived in semi- detached house and it’s quite the opposite.

Worth looking for something with two floors as well, then at least one floor between you and other people in one part of the flat.

Top floor Victorian mansion block, if possible. That’s quite specific, though!

Purpose built usually better than conversions. Older purpose built usually better than newer.

Smaller blocks usually better than larger, etc.

It varies so much building to building, it's so hard OP. Do viewings in the evening when people will be in and you can hear what it'll be like.

I've had a Victorian flat where I could hear nothing, another where I could hear everything, a new build nothing, older concrete building can hear everything.

I also thought concrete floors were a winner. Not so!

@NoSquirrels

Top floor Victorian mansion block, if possible. That’s quite specific, though!

Purpose built usually better than conversions. Older purpose built usually better than newer.

Smaller blocks usually better than larger, etc.

Agree with all this.

Purpose-made flats (ie not a converted house).

Get the top floor - ALL the noise i ever heard was from above.

The best flat i had was a small block (3 storey, 4 flats on each floor), where each flat stuck out in a different direction like a cross, so no noise contamination from either side.

Concrete floors, low rise, 1980s, ideally ex-council. If you can find one on the top floor, at the end, even better (although it will be colder than middle of the block).

I actually think very new builds might have the best noise insulation...

New build flats tend to be build with more flats per block/entrance door.

Also in two I've stayed in built in the late 00s along the walls that adjoined another flat where the rooms were bedrooms they had fitted wardrobes and an ensuite bathroom along that wall.

Oh and you can hear babies/toddlers if they are crying or singing loudly out of the window regardless.

(Incidentally in the top floor flat I lived in I could hear light switches being turned on and off when it was quiet even though the floors were concrete and you had to have carpet. )

And yes, maybe just properly interrogate yourself about whether living in a flat is for you. Where do you live currently?

I’m not noise sensitive, lived in several city-centre flats for more than a decade (owned 1) and the difference between respectful neighbours and shitty neighbours is massive and cannot ever be controlled, only accepted. You can have great neighbours then hellish ones when people move on and it changes everything. So if you’re already noise sensitive and think you might struggle, maybe you’re better changing other criteria: area (moving further out), budget (waiting longer to buy, saving aggressively) etc.

Not to be pessimistic, just realistic.

You will hate it but do not consider ANYTHING other than top floor.

Pick a converted house so there is less corridor traffic and budget to put down decent underlay and carpet.

I had a flat that was one of 4 in a house (one was basement enrrance so the main corridor was only used by 3 flats total)

I had no noise from the sides at all.

I also made sure i met the neighbours (childless couple in late 40s and little old nanna) you cant bank on them staying but you do tip the odds in your favour.

My best advice is dont spend too much and save hard for a house!!! (Sorry!)

I lived in a new build, built 2006, and it was the best sound insulation of anywhere I've ever lived. I never heard next door and occasionally heard downstairs if the kids were roller skating and slamming doors! No noise from the lift. But obviously noise from outside.

I would agree with the advice from @LillianGish to make friends with your neighbours as much as you can, it makes a huge difference. When I've disliked my neighbours, any noise puts me into a rage. When I like them, I just think "oh Laura is home / having fun / playing her favourite music" and it doesn't bother me anywhere near as much, even if they are noisier!