Top floor tenement and noise

[Wiennetta]

Hey, would love to hear experiences of living in a top floor tenement - specifically noise levels.

I’m currently in a main door and love many things about tenement life, the block is lovely, friendly, enjoy the shared garden in the summer, meet the neighbours in the next blocks along as all the gardens join etc etc. We are also close to the city centre of Edinburgh and love the period features in tenements etc.

The only problem is that we hear the upstairs neighbours A LOT. They’re not making anti social noise, but we can hear them any time they are moving around, putting the washing machine on etc. They’re students so come in late often and wake us up getting ready for bed, moving around their flat etc. They don’t have carpets which doesn’t help, but obviously they’re not really doing anything wrong so nothing we can change. We also hear noise from the main stair with other neighbours going in and out etc.

Anyway we are just renting but looking to buy. Really keen to stay in a tenement but thinking of top floor to reduce neighbour noise. I know there’s always some noise living in a city centre flat and a bit is fine, but we are being woken almost every night at the mo!

I know there are downsides to the top floor, lots of stairs, not having your own entrance like we have on the ground. Not having direct access to the garden or the small private garden we currently have. But what’s the noise like? Anything else we should think about? Would love to have any advice.

I don't know about noise, but one thing to bear in mind is the roof. You'll brat the brunt of any issues. Not financially, as those costs will be spoilt between all flats as a common repair, but physically if (when) that's any water ingress.
No upstairs neighbours to flood you with their leaky shower mind you!

*bear the brunt

You also have to carry all your shopping up all the stairs!

Also in Edinburgh, also in a flat. I know what you mean.

Our upstairs neighbours are also very considerate, not antisocial at all, and really careful about noise — but we still hear them. The floors creaking when they move about being the main one. This is one of those issues that isn't solved by carpet. New floor would help but that would be very expensive, and probably wouldn't be allowed anyway because of the listed nature of the building.

I think top floor flats can often be a little bit cheaper in Edinburgh (although not much) but as I understand it they're less popular because a) more stairs; b) some of them have less high ceilings and smaller windows; and c) potential increased break-in risk, especially if there are skylights or accessible cupolas, or loft access.

As to roof issues/leaks, that depends very much on the building. We get the odd leak (we're first floor) but because the pipework is like spaghetti it comes from all kinds of weird places. The roof here has its issues but most of the leaks we've had have been from plumbing inside the building. (Or, as happened last time, the plumbing from two doors down!) So you're not necessarily more likely to get water ingress issues in a top floor, although you could, if the building is of a particular type.

You will get less noise disruption at weird times if you can avoid a building that doesn't have students or Airbnb lets. Easier said than done, I know...

Find out who the students rent from and put in a complaint in writing to the Landlord/Letting Agent. The flat will have an HMO. I was in this situation about eight year ago and the owner of the flat had to refit carpets (after spending a fortune fitting laminate).

www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/07/11/hardwood-floor-ban-to-put-an-end-to-noise-disturbance/

I got a DOHM white noise device and it saved my sanity for flat living. We are in a late Victorian mansion block in London and I literally thought I would go nuts until I got this thing.

Lived in a top (2nd) floor tenement for 20+ years until I left home. No issues with noise from others but I suspect we caused a lot of noise (tap dancing, roller skating you, parcour around the furniture). We were at the gable end plus only one other house on landing. Front doors quite apart and I suspect my mum and dad put us in bedrooms not adjoining neighbours and kept carpets when it was no longer fashionable to do so. Stairs were a pain for shopping etc and we rarely used our shared garden after we hit teenage years. Although my mum religiously hung out the washing. My mum and dad moved when they retired. They missed the views.

Hi Op, I lived in a top floor flat in Edinburgh. I heard very little neighbour noise but there were other issues. Roof leaks were the main problem combined with absentee landlords owning the majority other flats. It meant organising anything communal was difficult. The wind would rattle the windows too but was a minor issue.

I had a top floor flat in a Victorian tenement. I really loved that flat but it was above a student rental and the mid week parties were awful. Day to day noise wasn't too bad, but I could hear the male in the bedroom below mine snoring. Laminate flooring may have contributed to that. I did think about carpeting the floors but sold to a man who wanted to rent it out to other students in the end.

We have lived in different tenement flat positions over the years, and similar to you, loved having a main door but the noise from students upstairs was awful - sometimes our light fittings would sway and ceilings crack with upstairs moving around/stomping/dancing/partying.
Top floor is definitely quieter and better light/views from windows but more exposed to roof maintenance failures. Best flat arrangement for us is a duplex, with raised ground for living room etc, not too many stairs for buggies etc and bedrooms on lower ground, buffered from neighbour nighttime noise by your own living spaces. I suppose then the compromise is security and street noise, so choose your location carefully!

Ah thanks so much for the replies! All really interesting and helpful.

Definitely the roof is a big consideration, although I’ve had my fair share of leaks from upstairs neighbours’ bathrooms! I guess we’d really hope to find a stair with more owner-occupiers and avoid HMOs to hopefully make shared repairs etc easier. Also to hopefully keep the noise down a bit. I definitely don’t want to live above noisy students…. Good point @Skyeheather about complaining - we already did this as the flats being rented to loads of students but isn’t listed as an HMO but no result so far. Also we’re renting so won’t be here for long anyway so not too invested in yet to be honest.

The stairs I’m less worried about to be honest (we don’t ever do a ‘big’ shop and pretty fit!) although it’s definitely something to think about - I can see myself cursing them coming home at the end of a long day. Maybe I’ll feel differently once we’ve viewed some and been up and down the stairs a few times!

I feel like the Edinburgh tenement life is a bit of a labour of love and there’s always going to be something to consider, whatever position the flat is. It’s just balancing it all up isn’t it? At the moment I feel being woken most nights is impacting my life more than the odd roof problem or occasional nuisance of having something big delivered to an upstairs flat.

The dream would be a ground/lower ground @Notjustamum10 but they seem very few and far between!

I've lived in 2 Edinburgh top floor flats. Bear in mind bruntsfield can mean 4 floors up which can be a killer with weekly shop!
We had very little noise in either. One of them we could hear neighbour below playing guitar but that was it really.

Agree to consider roof. Friend had a bucket in her kitchen for a year as it took that long to get the agreement of everyone for the repairs. The rest of the owners weren't in any hurry

Having lived in top floor flats and then a ground floor one (not a tenement though) I can confirm that top floor is much less noisy in my experience.

Noise seems to travel down but not up.

About 20 years ago my aunty had a top floor flat in Kelvinside and was broken into through the roof while she was on holiday!! So it’s always put me off buying one.

I think they do seem to be cheaper/on the market longer because of the roof issues but at least no noisy neighbours above you.

Lived in a basement and top floor, and top floor is quieter but considerate neighbours is key - you can still get noise through adjoining walls, gardens or street even so.

I don't regret it though - much prefer the light and views further up.

We've also been broken into through the roof on a top floor flat. The thieves did a lot of damage to the ceiling in addition to stealing all our valuables.

Wow I’m so glad I asked! This has been so helpful. So consensus is definitely that top floor is quieter but I need to think about roofing issues and also security. I might be being really daft but how do they break in to a top floor @Christmascracker0 @LaughingLemur ? How do they get up to the roof?

I’m not sure actually? Maybe through an access point in the close or a neighbouring buildings close?

The first flat I bought was a top floor tenement in Glasgow. Was determined to go for top floor after years of living under noisy neighbours. So peaceful, so bright. Loved it. Only ever regretted my decision when I was lugging something really heavy up the stairs. It's so relaxing knowing you won't have people thumping around above you. Noise that creeps up from downstairs never seems as intrusive, to me at least.

There was a water ingress issue at one point. But I kept on at the factor until it got sorted which it did.

I'm not sure why a burglar would break in through the roof when the ground floor flats are right there. Seems pointlessly risky!

I definitely need to look into how they get into the roof! At the least it’ll help me when I’m looking around to know what might be more of a risk etc.

Thanks so much for all the thoughts everyone. This has been so helpful :)

The roof repairs shouldn't, in theory, be too much of an issue. If you have a a factor, they will get it done and then chase owners for payment because it's a 'necessary' repair. (I know factors can be a nightmare, but necessary evil IME).
Re. access via ceiling for burglary, I have seen this once myself in 30 years of tenement living. They got in via a loft in another flat, the loft spaces were not divided.

Thank you @thedevilinablackdress thats really useful to know!

May only be up to a certain £ and then they need to get agreement, but the system is better than our used to be.