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Please, please, PLEASE help me with my upstairs neighbours and their builders. the builders are brutes, they spit on our stairs, flick fag ash everywhere, the whole hallway is a PIT and they utterly, utterly REFUSE to close the door of the flat upsta...

183 replies

Aitch · 18/08/2008 20:39

we've spoken to our neighbours about it (as have the people upstairs to them) and the builder has basically said that if they 'pander' to us then they won't finish the job on time. PANDER?! they are revolting, disgusting, the scum of the earth, i hate them. but our neighbours can't control them, no-one can...

and of course the noise and dust are bad, really bad, but somehow it would be easier to bear if they weren't being such utter cunts at the same time.

the work, by the way, is pulling down pretty much every internal wall of a massive victorian flat, moving kitchens, bathrooms, wetrooms etc. it's a massive job and we're the ones suffering the most because it's happening above us. (in fact, they've cracked our ceilings and WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH OUR INSURANCE cos they're refusing liability. we have photos, though).

we hear the noise above us and then a couple of milliseconds later we hear it amplified back through the hallway, like a big acoustic guitar. it's torture.

we can't live like this, it's impossible, me and dh both work from home and can't make a phone call during the day and dd is shaking every time the drilling starts. we've had to put her into nursery more so it's costing us money for them to do their work, never mind lost earnings.

i phoned the council and they've yet to phone me back... it's been a few days. does anyone have any experience of this? are there people i should be speaking to? please help, i'm going a bit mad with this. it's been three weeks and it's going to be at least another five, apparently.

OP posts:
KerryMum · 18/08/2008 22:07

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expatinscotland · 18/08/2008 22:08

it's also entirely possible that they can make a claim on their insurance for your damages and compensation and only pay their excess.

Aitch · 18/08/2008 22:08

they've been there for a couple of years. they are nice, tbh. just young and not very butch.
will call the enviro health again tomoz. although i think it's building control i've to speak to. i'm depressed just thinking about it.

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Aitch · 18/08/2008 22:09

by coincidence, their pal is away for the next couple of mos so they've moved into his place. one of the reasons why they just want teh work DONE and don't much prioritise our wellbeing.

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oi · 18/08/2008 22:10

can't dh do it?

what a pita. Hate neighbours who don't take responsibility. I still think you/dh needs to have harsh words with them. They are paying the money to the builders innit therefore they must take responsibility for their actions.

KerryMum · 18/08/2008 22:10

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expatinscotland · 18/08/2008 22:11

you so don't need this shit, either.

yeah, well, i'm sure they're very nice, but that doesn't exempt them for paying for damage the building work they hired is causing to other dwellings and to your health.

you'll have to have someone out to make sure it's just a crack, otherwise, when you go to sell, it will come up in inspections and potentially cause a snaggle.

it doesn't have to be ugly. being professional doesn't mean having to get ugly. being insistent and firm is part of being professional .

oi · 18/08/2008 22:11
Califrau · 18/08/2008 22:11

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KerryMum · 18/08/2008 22:12

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Aitch · 18/08/2008 22:12

dh is fookin' furious and wants to go and kick their heads in. his is not a practical plan. he's also got a really important deadline in three weeks and is getting fucked for that.

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expatinscotland · 18/08/2008 22:13

cases like this happen all the time in Tenement city Edinburgh.

an academic i worked with had to get a solicitor onto his upstairs neighbour.

they had work done in the bay window area that caused water damage in his flat and damp.

being Irish, he hated being fussy.

until he went to sell the thing and realised it was going to cost him on his sale price.

it was all sorted very easily and quickly with just a few letters from the solicitor.

Aitch · 18/08/2008 22:16

there are only two neighbours apart from teh middle, the top floor and us. the top meighbours are out at work so miss most of it, but are v pissed off as a point of principle and also at the mess. the middle neighbours spoke to him today, told him the line about pandering from my OP. he said that the door would have to be closed and he didn't really care if it took the builders longer, etc, they had to be more considerate. so he's a good guy in this. he's off for the next two weeks (his boyfriend isn't, he's still working) so i hope he'll get pissed off. whatever happens, though, it's not as bad being above as it is below.

OP posts:
berolina · 18/08/2008 22:19
oi · 18/08/2008 22:19

how much longer have they got left to go?

Aitch · 18/08/2008 22:20

five weeks if we're lucky and they finish on time. [cat in hell icon]

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Aitch · 18/08/2008 22:21

bero. fugeddaboudit.

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oi · 18/08/2008 22:22

not if that door's closed darlin'

(seriously, if the council are going to do nowt and you think a harshly worded threatening letter to the neighbour (threatening legal involvement) won't do much, then get thee to a solicitor. But I would pursue the council/threatening first, just on a cost issue probably)

Pannacotta · 18/08/2008 22:22

Poor you Aitch but also many congratulations on your pregnancy.
Think expat has given you loads of good advice, keep a record of everything, call the council re the noise and see a solicitor.
Tell (or rather get your DH to) your neighbours you have no intention of making a claim and losing your no claims bouns and paying the excess, they need to claim it on their insurance or else need to persuade the builders it is their fault and to take resonsibility.
You are being bullied. Not on. Def fight your corner with some professional help. Good luck.

Aitch · 18/08/2008 22:25

and this is how insurance normally works, is it? i must admit that i don't know, having never claimed on it before. our upstairs neighbours have said that it's up to us to claim, deffo.

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nancy75 · 18/08/2008 22:27

no its not up to you to claim, you ask them for cost of repair(get quote) they claim on their insurance

Aitch · 18/08/2008 22:30

i wonder if i should claim on mine, though, just to have the peace of mind. would they send a surveyor out, do you think?

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expatinscotland · 18/08/2008 22:32

'our upstairs neighbours have said that it's up to us to claim, deffo.'

no it isn't. they are liable for the damage their building work has done to your property.

you can have an independent inspector come in and get you a quote.

don't forget to keep the inspector's invoice, too, because they need to pay for that.

then, approach them.

they try to fob you off, tell them, 'oh, that's really too bad. we can't afford this. i'll have to chat with a solicitor about this and have him get back to you in writing.'

then do it.

nancy75 · 18/08/2008 22:32

i doubt if the work has cause structural damage, more likely just cracked the plaster on your ceilings, this would be easy for any builder to determine and you probably wouldnt need a surveyor.

MrsJohnCusack · 18/08/2008 22:32

no it is THEIR insurance
they may be nice, but that is shite. THEY DO ALL THE WORK RE THAT, NOT YOU

sorry, shouting, but v.cross for you

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