Soundproofing.

[SarahWakefield]

I seem to moan alot on here, but here goes again:

4 months ago me and my Fiance moved into our first place together, a groung floor flat. The Flat above us was empty when we moved in and for the first few months I loved it.

A few weeks ago a Man moved into the flat above and I don't enjoy living here no more.

We can hear everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Last weekend we got woke upto him having Sex, I can hear his bathroom extractor fan, I can hear him having a wee. When he's walking round I can also hear. Surely there is no soundproofing at all? I should not be able to hear all those things?

Then the girl upstairs who is above our next door neighbours is an absolute joke and has her music BLASTING out everyday! Without fail.


I have text my landlord today, with no reply as of yet. What can I do if she refuses to do anything about it?

Its getting too much. I can hear him coughing and talking, and hear his television over mine, I know he has to live too but this takes the biscuit! :angry:

[Abigail]

Gosh, that sounds really bad. When I lived in halls last year, it was just one breeze block thick between each wall with no plaster and it was awful. Everything you mentioned was audible, no privacy whatsoever. I could hear my flatmate having a wee fifteen feet away :eek:

I don't really know what you can do about him as it seems to be a structural problem as opposed to having an elephant living above you.

As for the girl, talk to her and ask her to turn the music down. If she doesn't, ring the council and report her for being noisy. I think it's the environmental health department but I may be wrong on that. Keep a diary of when the music is being played and how loud it is (eg can't hear your tv over the top of it).

[SarahWakefield]

Well my Mum did say, if your landlord won't do anything (cos it's privately rented) ring enviromental health and they will bring some kind of device to monitor how loud they are being. Its totally unreasonable, I asked my next door neighbour if she could hear the noisy cow above her when she is walking about and she said yes, surely I/WE should not be able to hear them walking around. It's a joke and can not have ANY soundproofing. Many times I have told my landlord about her above our other neighbour and she dosen't do anything, next door have told her too.

[Abigail]

Is it a new build?

[SarahWakefield]

No, it used to be an old Working Mens Club.

[Debs]

oh god i can sympathise with you. we lived in a flat like yours for a while when my son was a baby. we lived on the ground floor and the bloke below us was the nosiest bugger ever! we also heard him have sex most weekends, his 'girlfriend' was a real moaner!!! he would have parties most days, playing music on and off all night. if we banged the floor the music would go up, if we shouted the music would go up! he would have friends calling at all hours banging on his door which was below are bedroom.

numerous complaints to agent never worked and neither did the nosie control people,he even complained about connor crying during the day as he coldnt sleep which the agent did tell us about and told us to quieten our child down during the day!!! yeah right you try doing that to a baby and never mind they did nothing about the complaints we made! so we just played it at him at his own game for a while!! when we got up wed put our music on. let connor bang a bit loudly on his toys ( join in!!) and every time hearing his girlfriend moaning we would join in ( so much fun for me and dave haha!!!) in the end he did move out!

not that im saying be noisy just saying i can sympathise! phone your council and find out the noise control numbe, wtite it all down, report it all the time until something is done and keep phoning your landlord to complain, someone will take notice eventually

was your flat once a house?? i find thes are the worse!!!

hope things quieten for you soon x

[SarahWakefield]

Oh dear. It's awful isn't it.

It used to be a pub. It's really bringing me down. I can hear his t.v over mine now, I'm considerate, I'm always thinking my t.v's too loud so I knock it down a notch but this complete and utter a*** above is just so inconsiderate, maybe he does not know how loud he is being and it is quite simply the fact of there being no soundproofing between us but something needs to be done.

I can't see my landlord doing anything though cos when we first moved in there was umpteen problems, one being my Cooker. The Cooker was already here (built in thingy) and the fan belt is loose so it makes such a racket and she wouldn't do anything about it because its not 'cost effecient' to her!!

[Debs]

Some landlords are a nightmare, im lucky that mine is sort of family, but my past experience with them has not been good! Do you like your flat enough to stay with the problems your having? do you have a short let?? could you talk to your neighbour about his noise?

[SarahWakefield]

I like it, but not that much to put up with this, no.

We are here till next July, signed for a year. When we first arrived our next door neighbour said the flat we are in has been emtpy a while, hmmm can see why.

Well yeah we could but still wont change the soundproofing. We will still be able to hear everything wont we.

I'll see what my landlord says if she replys.

Something will HAVE to be done cos surely theres a legal requirement of so much soundproofing materials been installed?!

[Debs]

i would have thought so, maybe talk to the council see if they can give you some sort of building regs for flats???

[Abigail]

Something will HAVE to be done cos surely theres a legal requirement of so much soundproofing materials been installed?!

You're best off ringing the council up and asking them for the legalities of it. Surely there would have been some sound tests done when the building was inspected during conversion. Maybe they still have the file with all the documents in.

[SarahWakefield]

I may just do so.

Hopefully I wont have to go so far and the owner will take it upon herself to do something.

She will just lose tenants over it.

[JustJodi]

Well my Mum did say, if your landlord won't do anything (cos it's privately rented) ring enviromental health and they will bring some kind of device to monitor how loud they are being. Its totally unreasonable, I asked my next door neighbour if she could hear the noisy cow above her when she is walking about and she said yes, surely I/WE should not be able to hear them walking around. It's a joke and can not have ANY soundproofing. Many times I have told my landlord about her above our other neighbour and she dosen't do anything, next door have told her too.


Sarah I may be late on this, but I had a friend who got on the phone with her land lord the min the noisey neighbors started doing something, and she said HERE LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVE TO PUT UP WITH,, every time the noise went up a notch, she would call again and say the same thing
this went on for a few days then finally things quieted down,, the cops also made a few visits as well..( but that was in the USA ) hope U guys get some quiet time soon ....

[SarahWakefield]

Well she hasn't replied to my text, so I will be texting again later on. I'll give her 24 hours. Which takes it to 6pm, then I shall just keep bugging her. We are paying her a considerable amount of money a month and should not have to feel like this.

[SarahWakefield]

She has now replied. And put;

"Hi, will have a word with him for you. Have you tried speaking to him yourselves?"

I replied;

"No, we haven't. I really don't think it will make much of a difference. We'll still be able to hear him and the other girl. I shouldn't be able to hear the other girl as she isn't even directly above us but we can. It was quarter past twelve last night before we could get to sleep with how loud he had his tv. I could hear it from my bedroom which is at the other end."

And she replied;

All I can do is ask him politely to keep the noise down. The sound proofing was all done and inspected to the correct standards when built"


BULL****, if that is the case why oh why can I hear the guy peeing? And coughing.


Think theres nothing else left to do except phone environmental health.

[Abigail]

All I can do is ask him politely to keep the noise down. The sound proofing was all done and inspected to the correct standards when built"


BULL****, if that is the case why oh why can I hear the guy peeing? And coughing.

When built or when converted? :hmm: I'm assuming the building is fairly old so the regs (if there were any) when it was built would be different to current regs.

If the noise continues, ring the council and get someone to come out and check if everything is as it should be. Trouble may arise if different people own the two flats and work needs to be done. Who owns the space between your ceiling and their floor?

[SarahWakefield]

Its the same lady who owns all the flats.

They are all available to rent, privately.

Knowing my luck I wont have a leg to stand on, and I may be coming across as being totally unreasonable. Maybe its not the guys fault, maybe he dosen't know how loud he is being but its really a joke.

My neighbours were talking to me today and they said the same, and her husband was ringing the landlord to complain also. Whether he has or not I do not know as I haven't seen them since.

I don't think I will be able to ring the council will I? With it been private.

[Abigail]

Doesn't matter if you're renting privately or from the council. All buildings have to comply with building regulations before they can be inhabited. There are guidelines on the internet but I haven't the foggiest what the units are.

Just to throw in a random question, do you know what sort of flooring your neighbour has?

[SarahWakefield]

Oh right, see I'm useless, I wouldn't know where to start by asking for all these regulations.

I think its all carpeted, cos before he moved in, a carpet man was up there fitting all new lino's for the kitchen and carpeting for the room. If I'm correct. But like my partner was saying earlier when I used to live with my Parents, I couldn't hear them on the toilet.

And to your question before, about the inspection of soundproofing when built. That niggled me too, unless she texted wrong, because its not newly built, it used to be a pub, then was made into a Security place as all the signs round the back are still up then converted into flats, but I don't know how long they have been flats for.