twunts downstairs: advice needed

[thembuzz]

some of you may recall me posting a thread on the music tech forum about my downstairs neighbours complaining about noise from my recording (which turned out to be pretty much ambient level when i got them to agree to let me hear it for myself in their flat). consequently, i only ever record on monitors these days when i think they're out, and have always stopped when they've knocked on and asked me to do so, which i think is far more acquiescent than i've needed to be

anyway, they've now decided that my alarm clock radio is too loud (it needs to be fairly loud or i just sleep right through it). during a heated discussion about the matter earlier this evening (conducted via intercom because i was ignoring their repeated knocking on the door to my flat), i asked them why this was suddenly a problem, when my alarm's been at the same volume since well before they moved in (and, like my recording, never having elicited a complaint from any of my previous neighbours). they told me that they've taken to sleeping in another room directly below mine because the bedroom they'd been using had damp on the walls. i told them that i believed they were being completely unreasonable, and that choosing to sleep in a different room didn't give them the right to demand that i alter my behaviours

they threatened at one point to go to our letting agents. nothing was really resolved by the end of the argument, and we all went away in anger, so my guess is that they're going to do just that. does anyone have any idea where i stand? does the fact that they've chosen to sleep in another room weaken their position, considering my alarm clock hasn't been a problem before, to them or to anyone else who's lived in that flat?

[Loz]

why don't you call out the local environmental health people

they'll pop around with a noise meter, and can test to see how loud your alarm clock and music is. There is a maximum level before it is legally classed a nuisance, so I'm sure you'll be fine.

they have no chance. what loz said.

[V Knid esq]

Get a shooter, shoot out their windows and yell "HOW'S THAT FOR NOISE YOU PRICKS?"

[adsr]

I'd check the damp on the walls in your room...
if it's damp on theirs, then it should be damp on yours...

fungus is a problem you're not seeing in this whole situation...

other than that....what Loz said and then talk w/ your landlord about the damp prob...

[kams]

You seem to have done their heads in enough sonically. Try smell now.

[V Knid esq]

Yeah - poo through their letterbox.

[thembuzz]

cheers, all. i've been considering calling the letting agents/environmental health myself, and everyone at work has been saying the same. i just needed to be reasonably certain that it wasn't all going to backfire

@ adsr: my flat's full of damp, too. even more so since my upstairs neighbour fell asleep with the bath running a couple of months ago...

[Spandex]

Why not find sommat like this:-

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/spl-meter_e.html

And do some measurements outside your door, through walls etc, to reassure yourself.

Tho, if they're moaning about a fucking alarm clock then you can be pretty damn sure they're just being unreasonable, self-centred twats. They really need to get a grip and realise that, if you live in a city, you will hear your neighbours. They need to either deal with that or fuck off.

[don___quixote]

a mate has just gone through the same thing, he ended up putting the flat up for sale monday cos he can't take the bickering any more- After down stairs had got environmental health involved and were not satisfied with whatever they were told the bloke decided he wanted to fight it out and the blokes wife had decided my mate was running a brothel ()...

But from what my mate could work out it is the obligation of the person down stairs to get sound proofing if there is a issue (basically cos you can't really sound proof from up stairs) - this could be completely misguided though..

[bracket]

Originally Posted by Spandex

Tho, if they're moaning about a fucking alarm clock then you can be pretty damn sure they're just being unreasonable, self-centred twats. They really need to get a grip and realise that, if you live in a city, you will hear your neighbours. They need to either deal with that or fuck off.

I totally agree here.

Put up or fuck off - its a fuckin alarm clock fer fucks sake..

I have had new neighbours for about 3 months and they are loud as fuck. I live in terraced housing and the walls are as thin as tracing paper. I can hear my neighbours mobile phones going off. Its just something I live with as the design of the house is not great and there ain't a massive amount I can do about it.

If my neighbours came round to complain about my alarm clock, I would tell them to stop being so fucking petty.

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

Drill a hole in your bedroom floor and piss in their faces while they sleep.

[r_v]

stick in there. i've been having 'words' with my next door neighbour for years becuase - and i fully admit this - i am a noisy bastard. i noticed the other day that he is selling his flat. i am teh winnerz.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by ckpqerjwrpwp

Drill a hole in your bedroom floor and piss in their faces while they sleep.

Werd !

Just to echo what a couple of people have already said, if you live in a town or city, especially in flats, noise from your neighbours comes with the territory. You have to set boundaries, especially if they start down this imo extremely petty road of complaining about your alarm clock. We had a similar situation years ago and kept trying to accommodate an arsehole downstairs by meeting his every demand until it got to the stage where he was complaining about us walking around our flat. That finally came to a head with a bit of an altercation and he stopped complaining after that, but probably best to put a stop to it early before it comes to that stage.

You could possibly talk to the letting agent about increasing the insulation between floors, like getting thicker carpets or underlay, but they're almost guaranteed not to bother.

[darrell]

Originally Posted by Loz

why don't you call out the local environmental health people

they'll pop around with a noise meter, and can test to see how loud your alarm clock and music is. There is a maximum level before it is legally classed a nuisance, so I'm sure you'll be fine.

That sounds spot on. The only thing that i can add to that is at certain times in the day you are a loud to be loud with in reason I think its 9 in the morning to 10 at night.

[Yer_Maw]

say you are really sorry and that it wont happen again. Then make no changes to what you do whatsoever.

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

You need to start drinking more water and putting off going to the toilet to get your bladder capacity up.

[Jeniffer Mills]

tell them you also hear the noises from them when they`re shaggin, they will be so embarassed, and never ring at yours again.

[ckpqerjwrpwp]

Originally Posted by Jeniffer Mills

tell them you also hear the noises from them when they`re shaggin, they will be so embarassed, and never ring at yours again.

...or that you can hear them shitting...

or even better, complain that you can hear them thinking and that you don't like what you're hearing.


That would work.

[Jeniffer Mills]

Originally Posted by ckpqerjwrpwp

..

or even better, complain that you can hear them thinking and that you don't like what you're hearing.


That would work.

right, and do a "hannibal Lecter" expression on yer face while saying that....That should do....

[kams]

Have you tried the 'breaking down in tears' routine? Make up some sob story about how you Dad beat you and your Mum was a whore and you were crap at school and your dog died... and just going and going and crying and crying... they'll just walk off eventually.

Then the next night go round and do again... after a few repeats they'll do their best to avoid you and make no contact whatsoever.

[Patrick]

Opening the door wearing blood splattered overalls and carrying a severed limb usually puts them off calling back too.

[kams]

but then they'll call the police and stuff... its better if they're scared of you emotionally... most people can't deal with that at all.

[operator]

play louder. they should be paying you for entertainment.
it's not like you're playing billy joel, or anything.

[grobelaar]

Originally Posted by thembuzz

cheers, all. i've been considering calling the letting agents/environmental health myself, and everyone at work has been saying the same. i just needed to be reasonably certain that it wasn't all going to backfire

@ adsr: my flat's full of damp, too. even more so since my upstairs neighbour fell asleep with the bath running a couple of months ago...

given that, do they honestly think the letting agents are going to give a flying fuck about a bit of noise...

@Knid - have you become Phil?

[spudd]

Ask them what time they would like the alarm clock set for in future.
Obviously they want it set for a slightly later time.
Yoy could be their alarm call and start charging them a fee.

[decadnids]

you should have, right from the start, pretended you are partially deaf, and played the "disabled" card.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by kams

but then they'll call the police and stuff... its better if they're scared of you emotionally... most people can't deal with that at all.

Ahh, but when the police come round and find absolutely nothing out of the ordinary they look like time wasters and soon they'll start to doubt their sanity. Then imagine how much attention anyone is going to pay to them when they start complaining about the alarm clock being too loud.

[Patrick]

^^^Granted it takes a bit of organisation and might seem a bit ott, but mans gots ta set his own alarm clock volumes.

a couple of things about enviro peeps...

noise is generally considered unsocialable if it is constant, loud and/or after 11pm


It also doesn't help measuring inside your property becaus ethe key measure is sound levels exiting.

From what you say enviro will just say it isn't nuisance. If they do then atleast you have guidelines to stick to.

My experience of enviro is great and they are very helpful in telling petty twonk to go fuck themselves.