Constant Banging From Upstairs

Four years ago the neighbour from hell moved in above me, he drinks and takes anti deppresents. He has a jekyl and hyde character, he has broken his tenancy agreement no end of times. I have involved the council and the enviromental health dept. I did everything by the book, I kept a diary, police have been called out on a few occasions. Its always during the night. When Ive complained he says he wasnt making any noise ( he gets so drunk he wouldnt remember) I was told its my word against his, Ive got no where!! no one will do anything because the neighbour has mental health problems! I have been trying to move but have been told I cant be rehoused as I have no 'housing needs'. I can't afford private renting so Im stuck here. Now I just ignore him, I don't complain about the noise and when the noise starts in the middle of the night I put my radio on to drown his shouting and crashing about out.

I read "constant banging from upstairs" and wondered if, after this enforced lockdown, we need to expect a baby boom nine months hence?
And then I read the thread...

Sorry I'm just seeing this a year late. I'm going through exactly the same thing. My neighbour's are not very approachable, so I complained to their Landlord. This very loud banging resonates throughout my flat so there is no escaping it.
I also don't know what the banging is, sounds like the child is climbing up and jumping to the floor. I can feel the thud as it vibrates through my furniture. Sometimes I think someone will come through the ceiling.
Since I wrote to their Landlord, the noise has gotten much worse. At a loss as what to do.

In your position, I would speak to the landlord again. As it stands, he might think that he has solved the problem by having a word with the occupants.

I would have thought that as it is a rented property, and if you follow the proper channels of complaint (vie environmental health), the landlord might be obliged to at least fit carpets to minimise the noise.

Worth a try, maybe?

HI Amelia I'm a pessimist too. I don't know where you live but my daughter in two different parts of London has had noisy upstairs neighbours from hell. She went the complaint route the first time and would phone me in near tears (the next day) saying "I couldn't sleep half the night with the racket next door and now I've had the noise pollution team from the Council here for hours ..." - there was plenty of talking and nothing done.

She moved out.

She subsequently lived in a downstairs maisonette where the upstairs people stomped around on the wooden floors all day and most of the night.

She moved out.

Thankfully she now doesn't have that problem, she swore never to be the "downstairs" neighbour ever again. In London anyway.

We have had this problem too. You cannot do a b. thing about it, if the parents won't prevent their child from banging about. A lot of young parents do not realise that living in a block of flats means you have to be accommodating.

Sorry to be a pessimist - we sold our flat and bought a house because of this problem coupled to the child's mother complain because DH smoked in his own home.

You must just hope the young family decide they need more space and move.

No way are you being unreasonable. Here's a link to the WHO position on environmental noise. Your home is your environment. www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and-health/noise/publications/2018/environmental-noise-guidelines-for-the-european-region-2018

I would keep on and on to the landlord. It will be written in this family's tenancy agreement that they mustn't cause a nuisance (noise or otherwise) to their neighbours.

You need to make yourself as much of a nuisance to the landlord as this child is to you Amelia.

If it continues then they are in breach of their tenancy agreement and the landlord could evict them.

A few years ago a neighbour of one of our tenants complained to us about the early morning/late night noise coming from the tenants. Once it was pointed out to them that they could be evicted if it continued, the noise stopped.

OP have you done anything? You need to contact your Environmental Health person and take advice. You could try contacting your neighbours again and ask one of them to come down to hear the noise. If they won't accept the carpet or tone it down, you could go to the landlord/letting agent. I would keep a diary and if possible recording of the banging and ask your groundfloor neighbour to do the same.

If the noise is repetitive it is a nuisance and you should not have to put up with it.
We have flats close to us that are rented out and the police were always visiting, we were given forms to fill in asking whether we were troubled by the tenants. To cut a long story short, tenants were told to leave and landlord was threatened with loss of licence. Peace was restored. A year on we have the same problem starting again from the same flat, we will not hesitate to go down the same route and get the tenant evicted.

Wonder if the child has Special Needs? Repetitive behaviour can be associated with autism.

It was carpeted before and we never ever heard the people above us but when it was sold the new owner removed the carpeting and replaced it with lino when they started renting it out.

I have a spare rug from Next. Do you think they will be offended if I offer it to them to put under their son's feet if the noise is him banging the floor?I'm not even sure how the noise is being made but it feels like kicking.

It is very anti-social to remove carpets if you live in an upstairs flat. Does the landlord know they have done this?

Amelia, you really don't need to suffer this totally, unreasonable noise. We all know that it is normal for children to bang, scream, shout etc. but there are limits and it is up to the parents to take control of the situation out of respect for neighbours. Initially, I suggest you speak to the parents in a friendly way, but emphasise that you cannot endure this noise throughout the day, as you are unable to sleep and it impacts on your health. If they fail to take your feelings into consideration, approach Environmental Health, as suggested above, and speak to your other neighbours who are also affected by this. It might be resolved by simply carpeting their floors.

Many flat leases have a clause that says that the floors have to be carpeted. I would check your lease/check with your land lord to find out if that is the case.

I would but it cost me a fortune to have all my ceilings replastered smooth and I dont want to risk damaging them. X

Hit the ceiling with a brush.

What child constantly bangs doesn’t he stop to eat, go out to play etc etc Have you talked to the parents in a friendly way or just a complaining way Could he be special needs ? Don’t they hear him and it drive them mad

So you lived with another noisy upstairs neighbour for 16 years, that’s horrible for you to have moved from there to this place with another noisy neighbour talk about out of the frying pan into the fire

I've gone into the bedroom to watch tv. The banging is not so loud in here and it doesn't vibrate the bed. It stresses me out so much and seems wrong after living here peacefully for 10 years they can move in and are allowed to disturb 2 families and we have to put up with it. Sucks to be us.

The schools here all finish at 3pm so it could very feasibly be a child... and considering that the OP asked the parents who admitted it was the son, then it has to be the school age child whose doing it.

Sorry you have this happening AmeliaAshton, that would be my nightmare

Could be that the child has learning difficulties as repetitive behaviour would often signify that he/she was on the autistic spectrum. You'd think it would drive the parents crazy.
A friend - owner-occupier - could hear loud noises after her semi-detached neighbour's children came home from school. Environmental Health found that it was the TV being switched on and played far too loudly. They managed to get the neighbours to tone it down.

I lived in an apartment before with an inconsiderate upstairs neighbour who would vacuum at 3am and I was so tired at work every day. Me and the other neighbours kept diaries on and off for 16 years. Nothing ever happened.

Is he on a pogo stick?

I m wondering what the child is banging could it be a football ? It sounds as if you are the middle flat
If the child is at school, most schools don’t finish till 3.30/ 3.45 so if it’s starting at 3 are you sure it’s the child?
What age is this child
I would think environmental health is the way to go they will send someone out to experience it and then you have to keep a few weeks diary
Good luck it’s horrid my mum nearly had a breakdown with an upstairs neighbour with a dog and presumably a ball bouncing on the floor all hours of day and night mum and dad had to move in the end, it became so unpleasant

Complain to environmental health who will get you to keep a diary of the noise and may install recording equipment if they think it's worthwhile.