Noisey Neighbours

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Living in an apartment block at the moment, everything is great apart from our neighbours above us. The apartments are really good for sound proofing. The neighbours on either side and below us cannot hear us, we cannot hear them either, not a thing. We have heavy fire doors that slam and they cannot be heard by anyone either. We can hear the footsteps from above every sinlge day, it's like they are constantly moving furniture and constantly running from one end of the apartment to the other, it's a rather large apartment. No problem with a bit of noise from time to time, that can be expected living in an apartment complex, we are used to that, but this noise is constant all day long. I am not joking when I say from 10 AM until 10 PM they are constantly banging, running around the apartment and moving furniture. The odd time is fine, but constantly, it's driving us both nuts. Any suggestions? The family are foreign and are quite nice from what I can tell, so not too confident on approaching them, as to cause further trouble.

Our neighbour complained about it too, we tried putting up with it but it's getting to the stage where we simply can't. What can/should I do? What would you do? Cheers.

angel01

I know what you mean, I have the same issue with an apt above us, I can hear them as if they are running up and down the apartment and constant moving of furniture etc. I don't know what to do either

Yawns

Unfortunatly for you I would doubt they are running and moving furniture all day long so probably nothing you can do short of moving. It may be down to bay sound proofing in that floor. You need to talk to them.

I can hear my next door neighbour switching his lights, plugs and closing doors and I live in a house! If they have a young kid, the kid may have a toy car they sit on and go up and down on all day. As long as they're quiet at night there's sweet f all you can do really.

If it turns out that they are running and moving furniture tell them to please shut up

angel01

I think what makes it worse is that it is wooden flooring in all the apartments so it escalates the noise, it is driving me insane :(

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Yawns wrote: »

Unfortunatly for you I would doubt they are running and moving furniture all day long so probably nothing you can do short of moving. It may be down to bay sound proofing in that floor. You need to talk to them.

I can hear my next door neighbour switching his lights, plugs and closing doors and I live in a house! If they have a young kid, the kid may have a toy car they sit on and go up and down on all day. As long as they're quiet at night there's sweet f all you can do really.

If it turns out that they are running and moving furniture tell them to please shut up

Huh? They are running up and down, they have two small kids but they are about 3 and 4 or there abouts. Can't hear anything else, no talking, TV, washing machine (which goes nuts when in a spin). It's not at night but literally all day long, every single day they are there. The furniture is being moved a lot too, could be kids messing with the chairs and table. Wakes us up at about 9AM at the weekends, which is not good.

Yawns

Any kid will make noise.

What you are hearing is more likely the kids on a push car racing up and down the hallways. Your only answer is to move out really. There's nothing you can do. If you knocked at my door moaning about my kids playing during the day I would tell you to get lost. My 2 year olds races about on his car as do his cousins who are 3 & 4. They are so active once they start walking / running.

I would say that is the noise which you are thinking is furniture moving. The wheels of a toy car.

http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/71/c/AAAAArsPsw8AAAAAAHHNpg.jpg

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Yawns wrote: »

Any kid will make noise.

What you are hearing is more likely the kids on a push car racing up and down the hallways. Your only answer is to move out really. There's nothing you can do. If you knocked at my door moaning about my kids playing during the day I would tell you to get lost. My 2 year olds races about on his car as do his cousins who are 3 & 4. They are so active once they start walking / running.

I would say that is the noise which you are thinking is furniture moving. The wheels of a toy car.

http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/71/c/AAAAArsPsw8AAAAAAHHNpg.jpg

Again... it's not a toy car, it is RUNNING and moving furniture, it's only the third time I told you this, why do you insist it is?

If somebody is making noise, that is constant and is disturbing more than one household it doesn't make it ok because you have children. The kids are NEVER taken outside and we have a lovely enclosed green right outside our door. All the other kids play there.

Yawns

Adelynn Few Duster wrote: »

The family are foreign and are quite nice from what I can tell, so not too confident on approaching them, as to cause further trouble.

That part of the story tells me you havn't been at their door to talk to them so you do not know it's not the kids on a toy car. The toy cars in the pic I showed you sounds an awful lot like furniture being dragged on a wooden floor, I know because my kid has one and it sounds terrible.

Do you seriously believe they are moving furniture all day long every day?

So until you go to the door and ask them to keep it down nothings gonna change.

No it's not ok for 1 household to disturbt so many households but hey tell ya what, when you do get kids then try to see if you can keep them quiet all the time. It's quiet during the night time so you don't have any grounds to complain really.

You could try to talk to your landlord and see if you and your neighbour can meet with them to discuss it or get them evicted.

I'd rather a noisy place during the day with kids next door than some adults only that party every night so I can't sleep. I have lived in apartments with both scenarios, I'd take the kids noise over night parties everytime.

angel01

Yawns wrote: »

That part of the story tells me you havn't been at their door to talk to them so you do not know it's not the kids on a toy car. The toy cars in the pic I showed you sounds an awful lot like furniture being dragged on a wooden floor, I know because my kid has one and it sounds terrible.

Do you seriously believe they are moving furniture all day long every day?

So until you go to the door and ask them to keep it down nothings gonna change.

No it's not ok for 1 household to disturbt so many households but hey tell ya what, when you do get kids then try to see if you can keep them quiet all the time. It's quiet during the night time so you don't have any grounds to complain really.

You could try to talk to your landlord and see if you and your neighbour can meet with them to discuss it or get them evicted.

I'd rather a noisy place during the day with kids next door than some adults only that party every night so I can't sleep. I have lived in apartments with both scenarios, I'd take the kids noise over night parties everytime.

I think you are right, I think I will just leave my objection to the place above me, it isn't music so I will just ignore it.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Yawns wrote: »

That part of the story tells me you havn't been at their door to talk to them so you do not know it's not the kids on a toy car. The toy cars in the pic I showed you sounds an awful lot like furniture being dragged on a wooden floor, I know because my kid has one and it sounds terrible.

For the last time, it's not a toy car, it's furniture as it only happens in one area of the apartment and I have the mental capacity to differentiate between a chair and a toy car. It's NOT a toy car, get it out of your head. Jesus christ, it's really not that hard.

Do you seriously believe they are moving furniture all day long every day?

I never said that, I said they are making noise every day all day long, which is true, be it running up and down the apartment OR moving furniture.

So until you go to the door and ask them to keep it down nothings gonna change.

Possibly, then again it may not change, which is why I am asking for advice, is it worth it if things don't change? I don't know... what are peoples experiences?

No it's not ok for 1 household to disturbt so many households but hey tell ya what, when you do get kids then try to see if you can keep them quiet all the time. It's quiet during the night time so you don't have any grounds to complain really.

By your logic it's fine for me to turn up my radio full blast all day long... they are still causing a disturbance regardless of what time it is. If it's noise for a period of time then that's fine, like I said in the OP, but as it's all the time it's not really ok, but I wanted to hear suggestions and peoples opinions on past experiences.

You could try to talk to your landlord and see if you and your neighbour can meet with them to discuss it or get them evicted.

I'd rather a noisy place during the day with kids next door than some adults only that party every night so I can't sleep. I have lived in apartments with both scenarios, I'd take the kids noise over night parties everytime.

I haven't lived anywhere with adults partying all night, occasionaly yes, but it was never a problem since we would call into them. We didn't care much for relations in past places but where we are now everyone is spot on, really kind etc etc.

Eh... I don't want anybody evicted, that's a bit too much really.

kravmaga

I know what you are going through.

I bought a ground floor apartment and everything was okay until the duplex apartment above me was sold as social housing by FCC.

The couple that moved in pulled the place apart, put in a new kitchen even though the kitchen which was provided was new.

They then flooded my apartment.

Then contstant noise , ie moving furniture , table and chairs on a wooden floor.

They were supposed to put carpet in as per contract but instead did thir own thing and put in wooden floors throughout.

I have made numerous complaints to the management company about the excessive noise and they are useless.

As for the House rules- well lets just say they are not enforced by the management company at all.

This is going on for 4 years now and no sign of any solution.

I would never buy off the plans again and the only long term solution I see is moving out to buy a house in the future.

O by the way I did confront the couple about the noise level coming from their apartment and they did not think they were making much noise.

You could start logging times/dates when you think the noise is excessive or contact your local council ,Noise Pollution section /department.

Also try Private rented Tenancy Board to see if the property listed above you is on the excel spreadsheet list.

If it is you might be able to contact the landlord directly.

Yawns

in your first post

We can hear the footsteps from above every sinlge day, it's like they are constantly moving furniture and constantly running from one end of the apartment to the other, it's a rather large apartment.

Constantly moving furniture. Hence why i said maybe a toy car, you did not say it was constantly moving furnitue in 1 specific part of the room. If it's wooden floorboards then there's gonna be noise. Perhaps the neighbours below you hear similar sounds sometimes?

Yes you can play music all day long if you want. Just not during the night afaik. There's nothing stopping you listening to music during the day. If you listen to blasting music all day tho you will only end up damaging your own ear drums so for your own sake you would keep it reasonable.

Kids are gonna run. Show me any 3 or 4 year old who won't run at home. You are definatly going to have to live with that, noone and nothing can help you there. If they are dragging furniture, maybe they have heavy kitchen table & chair set? ( assuming it's the kitchen area ) Ask them to lift instead of dragging but not much you can do there.

Your only option is talk to them and see what is causing the noise really.

Yawns

If it's not in the kitchen area could it be a computer desk with a leather chair on wheels?

fonzy157

iamxavier -I am in the exact same position as you, your post was freakingly similar to what i hear from the apartment above me!

I agree with you,Its such a bloody pain, because like you say the noise is constant.The apartment above me have a young kid about 2ish who is always running about ,banging toys about etc(normal i know for a kid!).You wouldn't think that that would be too noisy but it is, its mad how loud footsteps sound on wooden floors but it is, and its especially irritating when its all day long.I would describe it as someone constantly hammering.
Like you, it always sounds like they are moving furniture about and also there is noise really early at the weekends.It drives me mad!
I cant move on as I own the apartment and i do love living here especially when they're not home!!!
I console my self by saying that although there is constant noise all day, there is very little at night.
I dont think there is much else that you can do...

Yawns

There's a small hope that as they grow older the parents can be a bit lazy and let them play computer games or the parents can be active and make them play outdoors more by joining teams etc

And sure they'll be in school in september etc

I know it's a pain but it is one of the unfortunates of living in an apartment, someone surrounding you is bound to be as noisy bugger.

bugler

What you are hearing are essentially the sounds of daily life. Kids run, chairs are pulled out and put back in. I doubt anyone has decided to move furniture constantly between the hours of 10 AM & 10 PM for entertainment.

There may have been prohibitions in place on wooden flooring or tiles being used in your apartment block, but these were often ignored. I lived in a place with similar issues, it felt like someone would come down through the roof. Having got onto the management company they said there was had to be an underlay of a certain depth under the wooden floors. I was told the owner would be contacted about it. The noise did cease eventually but I don't know if it was down to being rectified with underlay or if the occupants just moved out.

The only real routes open to you are to contact the management company about the issue, and see if there are any restrictions relating to wooden floors, or if there needs to be some depth of underlay to offset this; or else move out.

The quality of Irish apartment builds is best decribed as variable, and throwing kids into the mix is a recipe for annoyance. But to be honest it doesn't sound like they're doing anything anti-social up there, just living. The reason you can't be heard by your neighbours may be the type of flooring you have, or the fact you're grown up and don't run around, or you take your shoes off etc.

There is another thread going on here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055941801

bobbysands post on it may be of interest.

kravmaga

Folks its important that you do not mention any names or location where you are living because there are eyes watching this thread;)

Heads up....

angel01

I am really getting worn down with constant noise (moving about etc) above and below me, the noise was going at 11.30pm last night. I am really thinking I have no option but to consider moving out and look at a house rather than an apartment

It is wearing me down.

Chinasea

This is an awful situation for anyone to live through and very bad for your mental health. Unfortunately many of our homes were flung together to make a fast buck and very badly designed sound proofing wise but old apartments can be just as bad too.
Apartment living is a relatively new phenomenon in Ireland, in comparison to the continent where people have lived in very close proximity for years and years and seem to have a lot more consideration for nearby tenants, above below or beside them. As far as I know we have legal guidelines with regards to noise levels. Of course the big difference in Ireland is that there is no proper enforcement of laws and rules if the regulations are in breech. Did the Green party not introduce a new law recently? Laws galore in Ireland but no enforcement.
I know it is not comforting to hear right now to those that are having trouble with noisey neighbours but if you can get a chance to move to a house I would advise trying to do that. Estate agents know all too well the perils of apartment living in noisey Ireland as I think they are finding more and more people on their books trying to off load the apartment to get away from the dammed noise.

convert

angel01 wrote: »

I am really thinking I have no option but to consider moving out and look at a house rather than an apartment

Unfortunately not all houses are well soundproofed either. I lived in a house, which was probably built in the 1960s (not entirely sure) for 4 years. I was really lucky to have pretty quiet neighbours, but I could still hear them flick the light switched on the adjoining wall and could hear them running up and down the stairs. Luckily enough it was the downstairs hallway, the stairs and the upstairs bathroom which adjoined our 3 bedrooms and living room so there wasn't too much of an impact, but I'd hate to think what it would have been like had their everyday living quarters been beside us, especially as we could sometimes hear the people in the house 2 doors down from us laughing, talking (only slightly) loudly or running up and down the stairs.

I think the only solution is to live in the middle of nowhere with no neighbours nearby!

angel01

convert wrote: »

Unfortunately not all houses are well soundproofed either. I lived in a house, which was probably built in the 1960s (not entirely sure) for 4 years. I was really lucky to have pretty quiet neighbours, but I could still hear them flick the light switched on the adjoining wall and could hear them running up and down the stairs. Luckily enough it was the downstairs hallway, the stairs and the upstairs bathroom which adjoined our 3 bedrooms and living room so there wasn't too much of an impact, but I'd hate to think what it would have been like had their everyday living quarters been beside us, especially as we could sometimes hear the people in the house 2 doors down from us laughing, talking (only slightly) loudly or running up and down the stairs.

I think the only solution is to live in the middle of nowhere with no neighbours nearby!

I don't hear talking or music or anything like that, what gets me is that I hear them constantly closing the doors and last night I was trying to get to sleep in the bedroom and just as I would drift off, I would hear the door close again and would end up waking up again... and the cycle continues.

I ended up going to sleep on the sofa and thankfully heard nothing more.

convert

angel01 wrote: »

I don't hear talking or music or anything like that, what gets me is that I hear them constantly closing the doors and last night I was trying to get to sleep in the bedroom and just as I would drift off, I would hear the door close again and would end up waking up again... and the cycle continues.

I ended up going to sleep on the sofa and thankfully heard nothing more.

Earplugs are your friend! And they mean you can sleep in your bed rather than having to move to a sofa.

Raskolnikov

Adelynn Few Duster wrote: »

For the last time, it's not a toy car, it's furniture as it only happens in one area of the apartment and I have the mental capacity to differentiate between a chair and a toy car. It's NOT a toy car, get it out of your head. Jesus christ, it's really not that hard.

Did you try asking your neighbours if they actually owned any toy cars?