Downstairs neighbour. I am looking for advice

[mcshroom]

I'd be tempted to say 'glad you enjoyed it, goodbye!' and shut the door in her face. There is no point in allowing yourself to be dictated to by the imaginings of someone else. Carry on as normal and just ignore her. If she insists on coming up to you and going on and on then it may be worth pointing out you believe she makes most of the stuff up so have no intention of acting on anything she says.

 

[ianrauk]

Have looked, cany find the info I need to know before I give them advice, have scouted the pages here for the info I need

Try post #10

 

[classic33]

Have looked, cany find the info I need to know before I give them advice, have scouted the pages here for the info I need

Yesterday at 17:20 First post, anything else ask @Saluki

 

[Saluki]

Have looked, cany find the info I need to know before I give them advice, have scouted the pages here for the info I need

Hi
The flat is HA, as are all but 3 homes in the close, and they are houses and right out near the main road. The HA owns around 4 little blocks of 4 flats all next to each other, converted from semi detatched houses to flats (2 bedders upstairs, 1 bedders downstairs) in around 1970 and they were not given any additional soundproofing. All the floors are beautiful floorboards and we have cushion flooring as of lunchtime yesterday on account of the moldy carpet.

 

[MrDampy]

Hi
The flat is HA, as are all but 3 homes in the close, and they are houses and right out near the main road. The HA owns around 4 little blocks of 4 flats all next to each other, converted from semi detatched houses to flats (2 bedders upstairs, 1 bedders downstairs) in around 1970 and they were not given any additional soundproofing. All the floors are beautiful floorboards and we have cushion flooring as of lunchtime yesterday on account of the moldy carpet.

 

[Saluki]

@ComedyPilot - surely Flamenco, coupled with loud Argentinian Tango & subsequent after-dance noises

Jogging? the after dance bit I mean.
I was actually thinking of just buying clogs and done with She huffed at us for deigning to go and put some grass seed down after 'curfew' at 5pm. Her face at her bedroom window was one of great annoyance. I smiled to myself and ignored her.

She had a big flounce and sat in her car during the day when we were putting pictures back up after taking them down to decorate. She followed me out when I went to the ice cream van and was there, looking all martyred when I went back in with a couple of 99s. She then flounced back in slamming the car door and her front door (so hard the glasses rattled again). Does it count as a flounce if I copped on that I hadn't seen her.

I am now starting to see the funny side in all this. Now I know that its not me being unreasonable and its her being bloody stupid, her bullying days are over. Let her do her worst. Bring it on

 

[ianrauk]

Jogging? the after dance bit I mean.
I was actually thinking of just buying clogs and done with She huffed at us for deigning to go and put some grass seed down after 'curfew' at 5pm. Her face at her bedroom window was one of great annoyance. I smiled to myself and ignored her.

She had a big flounce and sat in her car during the day when we were putting pictures back up after taking them down to decorate. She followed me out when I went to the ice cream van and was there, looking all martyred when I went back in with a couple of 99s. She then flounced back in slamming the car door and her front door (so hard the glasses rattled again). Does it count as a flounce if I copped on that I hadn't seen her.

I am now starting to see the funny side in all this. Now I know that its not me being unreasonable and its her being bloody stupid, her bullying days are over. Let her do her worst. Bring it on

Great work Saluki

 

[MontyVeda]

carpet does make good sound insulation, floor boards don't. Also, if you have hi-fi speakers placed directly on the floor, they can turn the ceiling below into a speaker, even at low volume. Not that I'm defending your neighbour, she sounds as mad as a fish. I used to have a bloke in the bedsit above me who had a big problem with 'hearing people exist around him'... at first i was all "oh sorry, I'll turn it down." (not that i play music loud). Then after a few months i got fed up and just carried on as normal... he sodded off eventually.

 

[mark st1]

Tell her to fark off and move if she is unwilling to be reasonable.

 

[Archie_tect]

Having read through the thread Saluki, I agree that you should stop trying to appease this woman and live your lives as reasonable people just getting on with things.

However, and this is the main concern I have with everything you've listed. It appears that you can hear her as much as she can hear you... ie conversations, laughter and TV sound... which in an independent flat you should not be able to hear... The flats should have acoustic separation which prevents such normal everyday sound from travelling between independent flats...It is something that you should take up with your Council's Environmental Health Departmnt. They should set up monitoring to take acoustic readings between flats. I am sure your neighbour would welcome them in if they said they were checking in sound levels....

If there isn't the minimum sound reduction required under Building Regs [Approved Document E] -subject to sound testing as set out in government legislation- then your Registered Social Landlord, the Housing Association, will need to make improvements... here's a link to the minimum standards required between dwellings...http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_AD_E_2010.pdf

 

[Andy_R]

Stare intently at her for a few moments, then sort of "quiver", and tell her it's so embarrassing but you get a "warm, tingly" feeling in your nether regions when she talks to you like that

 

[MrDampy]

Thanks for that, Ha, They have a Duty to House you in a Decent living environment, Which by tha aounds of it this property is not, also, they should have told you of the complaints the downstairs tenant makes.

I believe I read further up you have not been in the Property for long, and there is Mould, what you need to do it take photos of the Damage the Mould has done, then you need to get on to the Environment Officer, and make a complaint.
Have you been feeling unwell? If so this could be down to the Dampness in the Flat, do either of you have Asthma. as this is set of by the High Humidity in the Flat, which in turn brings on Bed Bugs which is then breathed in to the repository tracked, so you get Ill.

You say there is no no Carpet in the Flat, is it in the Tenancy Agreement for you to replace the carpet, or is that the Property of the HA.

There is only one way to Deaden the Floor, and that is to have a Acoustic Underlay Fitted, (A Proper one) not just a fit from Carpet right.

Now, what you also need to do is ask the Local council to have visit from there Environment Officer, and tell them the Noise Problem, if you are pushy enough, and the council does it job right, the Environment Officer will send in a Acousti Specialist to give sound reading. now, if the sound reading are above the Legal Limit, then the council should, and I mean Should, then write to the HA telling them the problem and they will need to get there officers out to asses the property, also, get on to your Local MP, go to their Surgery, and tell them your story, take any Photos, Dates, Time, Notes of what was said by who etc.

Dont forget to go to the Doctor and get some medication for the Stress this is causing.

The HA was in the Wrong for moving you in to this Property by the sounds of it,

Hope that helps a bit, will take a long time to sort things out, but the Doctor is the Key! & your MP, belive it or not!

Good Luck

 

[asterix]

She does sound completely unreasonable, however if the flats are as poorly sound-proofed as it seems, she may have been driven to a state of paranoid neurosis by previous neighbours who were less tolerant and conciliatory than the OP. The fact that the OP has bent over backwards to be helpful has completely escaped her notice as a consequence of her mental state. It's a tricky one, but maybe joining forces to get better sound-proofing might be a winner.

 

[hopless500]

Why do you point out the fact that blood stains wash out? What have you in mind?

Dead dismembered remains of things

 

[classic33]

Dead dismembered remains of things

Downstairs neighbour?