Purpose built flat mid floor noise

[MartinaD]

We have finally found a flat we love and have put an offer in and our mortgage application has been submitted. It is in a purpose built on the mid floor from the 70s- we have neighbours upstairs and downstairs. We returned for a viewing yesterday with a builder, a Saturday morning, and we could hear child stamping upstairs. We asked the current tentante how the sound travels and they said other than the noise from upstairs it's pretty quiet. They said upstairs they have a little kid and sometimes can hear him in the night. We couldn't hear any voices or other sounds other than the child running around. The estate agent was present and we stupidly didn't ask more questions about it! Now I'm getting worried that we may be making a very expansive mistakes if we went ahead. We are also expecting a baby and our life is not going to be quiet Saturday mornings anymore so maybe we won't be that bothered as we'd have our own child making noises. We have a surveyor visiting Tuesday and we wanted to ask him to keep an ear out and maybe to pass us onto the tenants to cheekily ask them some more questions. We have emailed the estate agents with some more questions from the tenants as well about the frequency of the noise, whether it wakes them up at night etc but I doubt we'll get sufficient info from the estate agent! The tenants have lived there for 4 years, that's a good sign I guess.
I need some advice on how I can investigate the noise pollution into the day further before we commit to this flat.

[YYURYYUCICYYUR4ME]

Definitely no from me and constant noise or the fear of making any, is no way to live. Had a flat years ago and the nightmare of constant thumping, feet, music, was dire!

[KitFizz]

He didn't move in the end, after all that, he decided to pull out and stay in his house! Cost him a bit in solicitors fees etc, but it didn't feel right for him. That is the second time in two years he has done this, as he went for another flat a couple of years ago and the pulled out. He now says he won't go for anymore flats! 😁

[Ginmonkeyagain]

I think it depends on a lot of things. We are mid floor in a purposs built block - 1930s. We have pretty solid concrete floors which have to be covered with carpet in the halls and bedroom.

We rarely hear neighbour noise from above or below (TBF our upstairs neighbour is currently a single older lady). Noise does travel oddly sometimes - for example we can get noise travel up from the ground floor flat via the chimney breast in the living room, but it tends just to be low level chatting if they have people round.

I would say often purpose built blocks can be better as , unlike conversions, rooms of the same purpose are stacked together - eg bedrooms on top of bedrooms, living rooms on top of living rooms.

The biggest recent noise issue in our block recently was where some new owners decised to make their living room in to a bedroom (the livig rooms have lovely big windows and french doors that open on to large balconies) then they were annoyed with the people above using their living room later at night (for normal stuff like watching TV or chatting)

[Muddle2000]

A flat is a flat Less problems overall with a house though not guaranteed

[Pollyannamex]

@KitFizz

Have a similar issue.
My partner is looking at buying a flat on the top floor (there are just two floors below) The building was built in the 1980's, it doesn't have concrete floors. He thought he would be less likely to hear noise from the flat below, so better for him, but he is now worrying whether the people in the flat below will hear him. His hobby is listening to his music, he has a big collection, and this is his main enjoyment/relaxation. Thing is, he does play it rather loud, often for a few hours solid every day, but never late at night. But the last thing he wants to do is upset the neighbours, as if they complain, he would be upset and then keep the music quieter, but he would then be wary about playing it, if there is the risk of it disturbing people. The people in the flat below are retired (but not hard of hearing) and are home a lot of the time. It is really weighing on his mind and worrying him, to the point where he has thought about soundproofing the floor with special underlay, which is quite expensive and no guarantee it would be particularly effective. He keeps trying to convince himself it will be ok, but wonder if he should pull out of the sale, incase he regrets it. Any thoughts please? 🙂

Yes they will hear him and hate it. If he wants to play ‘rather loud’ music he needs to get some headphones or a detached house.

[EmpressaurusOfCats]

@KitFizz

Have a similar issue.
My partner is looking at buying a flat on the top floor (there are just two floors below) The building was built in the 1980's, it doesn't have concrete floors. He thought he would be less likely to hear noise from the flat below, so better for him, but he is now worrying whether the people in the flat below will hear him. His hobby is listening to his music, he has a big collection, and this is his main enjoyment/relaxation. Thing is, he does play it rather loud, often for a few hours solid every day, but never late at night. But the last thing he wants to do is upset the neighbours, as if they complain, he would be upset and then keep the music quieter, but he would then be wary about playing it, if there is the risk of it disturbing people. The people in the flat below are retired (but not hard of hearing) and are home a lot of the time. It is really weighing on his mind and worrying him, to the point where he has thought about soundproofing the floor with special underlay, which is quite expensive and no guarantee it would be particularly effective. He keeps trying to convince himself it will be ok, but wonder if he should pull out of the sale, incase he regrets it. Any thoughts please? 🙂

Depending on what he plays the music on, can he not use headphones?

[Dalhoussie]

My advice is to get to know and like your neighbours. IME there is no way to stop noise from children travelling in flats. (Spoken as a happy flat dweller)

[Paul1974]

I'd write up a list of questions to ask the surveyor, maybe email them to the surveyor beforehand. Meet the surveyor at the property and speak to the surveyor directly when he does the survey. Its likely the surveyor's report will raise some more questions.

A property built in the 1970s is highly likely to have some asbestos unless its been professionally removed. The communal areas may also have asbestos. Its possible the asbestos has been boarded over / encapsulated. It can still be a problem, but less hazardous.

A property built in the 1970s will not be built to modern building standards. i.e. probably cheaply built.

Ask for copies of the fire risk assessment, electrical safety and asbestos survey.

[KitFizz]

Have a similar issue.
My partner is looking at buying a flat on the top floor (there are just two floors below) The building was built in the 1980's, it doesn't have concrete floors. He thought he would be less likely to hear noise from the flat below, so better for him, but he is now worrying whether the people in the flat below will hear him. His hobby is listening to his music, he has a big collection, and this is his main enjoyment/relaxation. Thing is, he does play it rather loud, often for a few hours solid every day, but never late at night. But the last thing he wants to do is upset the neighbours, as if they complain, he would be upset and then keep the music quieter, but he would then be wary about playing it, if there is the risk of it disturbing people. The people in the flat below are retired (but not hard of hearing) and are home a lot of the time. It is really weighing on his mind and worrying him, to the point where he has thought about soundproofing the floor with special underlay, which is quite expensive and no guarantee it would be particularly effective. He keeps trying to convince himself it will be ok, but wonder if he should pull out of the sale, incase he regrets it. Any thoughts please? 🙂

[mamaison]

What if the upstairs occupants change and it’s childless people who are up late socialising and playing music while you try to get your young DC to sleep?

[crosstalk]

Yes, check the lease. If the people upstairs have installed laminate or wood floors when it's forbidden in the lease (which will also be in yours) then you can demand it's sorted out before buying and face neighbour confrontation or just leave it alone. It's not just kids - it can be loud music/tv, people scraping chairs along the floors, loud arguments.

[Fisherstevens]

You could check the lease and see if there's any mention of laminate floors etc being prohibited. Ideally you need carpets and good underlay above to muffle the sound transfer. Why don't you introduce yourself and ask the neighbours above about noise more generally - and use it as an opportunity to take a look at what flooring they have!

If you are noise sensitive then you may be best to walk away now, you already know that you can hear footfall and that there's a child upstairs. I wouldn't take the risk.

[C4tastrophe]

The 1970’s were not the heyday of construction.
If it’s wooden or laminate floors upstairs then you’ll hear everything.
Ask the surveyor to identify the floor construction.

[SquashPenguin]

I lived on a first floor flat with a family upstairs. They drove me completely insane. I left because of the noise they made. The kid used to run up and down and up and down over and over and OVER. It used to bang on the radiators as well. The seller is never going to admit to high noise levels. I was very wary of noise made in my flat and would panic if I dropped anything in case I disturbed downstairs.

[user1471538283]

I honestly wouldn't if I were you. I'm currently living underneath a child who runs around the apartment all day and it's horrible. I'm in a modern soundproofed apartment.

Also as you are having your own baby soon might a ground floor be better for you? Lugging a baby, groceries, a stroller etc a couple of times a day soon gets old.