i live in an underdwelling which has been totally refurbished by the landlady to a decent standard..fair enough,but main problem is the obvious ? noise from above especially the shiftworker who lives above my bedroom who comes and goes at all hours due to shift pattern ! his floors are not concrete but wooden floorboards ! from which i can here every step he takes across his floor & it sounds like a big thud with every step.. keeping me awake until hes done his stuff made the tea done the housework etc some of it very inconsiderate as hes aware i can here everything loud and clear...so could do most things during the daytime.. the times vary from 11pm to 3am ! which even includes putting the washer on ! which when it spins sounds like a bleady earthquake to me ( i heard its actually illegal to put your washing machine on after 10pm ..is this true ? ) as the floor above is wooden it isnt actually his fault that i hear him walking about i realise...but as the landlady got the property for peanuts 20k 5 yr ago £400 rent pcm i pay, i just think she should have had it proffesionally soundproofed ! but is as tight as a ducks **** beleive me ! as i am up at 6am mon fri my sleep is seriously disturbed and feel shattererd at work and likewise when i get home nodding off on sofa all time instead of enjoying quality time watching sky tv etc that i am paying all this rent for.. i did hear somewhere that when you refurbish a flat to rent out that you have to get it sound tested to part e of the building regs ? is this true and if so i may look into it as dont feel im getting value for money with this horrendous problem ! what can i do about it ? as i may take it further and try to claim compensation from him if i have a case ? as she clearly hasnt had it soundproofed or made any sort of effort to block out the noise... even if i get thrown out i dont care as have somewhere else to go,ok opinions welcome

Suggest you post this on landlordzone.co.uk - they'll know the answer.

By the way, I have the same problem - so will be curious what answer you get.

Seems that lots of these type of 1 bed/studio properties have been refurbished with wooden floors - and it's clear it's been a buy-it and fix-it yourself job.

Also same problem as you with people upstairs with the washing machine on 1am onwards - and sounds horrendous down below, even with ear-plugs.

Good luck.

Hi there,

I've followed as many of these cases as I've seen go to court and not one has supported the tenant. It's really unfair and it's a problem I've had time and time again.

You may be able to get your local council to visit when the noise goes on after 11pm and before 7am. I've done this before in the past but getting the council to act can be very difficult. The best I've ever had them to is talk to the neighbours and agree to install a noise monitor. Sadly, by the stage they did this I had enough and moved out.

I saw a case a few months ago where the tenant sued the LL under "environmental health" but they didn't win the case. I simply can't understand how the courts can take this view as noise pollution means we can't sleep and our health suffers.

Cases I've seen when an owner sues their neighbour haven't ended well that I've seen later. The legal advice has been (in their cases) to agree to install soundproofing but the downstairs neighbour has to pay.

One loophole that you may be able to use is if the lease for the building, expressly says that carpets must be in each flat and not stripped wood floorboards. Some friends of mine moved into a converted house/flats and stipped the carpets out (I did warn them not too!). The neighbours pointed out that the lease had a clause that they were not entitled to do this.

Good luck! Please let us know how you get on as it's a problem I've had before and one I'm sure to have again.

Kindest regards,

I can appreciate this - I once lived in a flat conversion and it was awful. Why do people use their washing machine at 1 am????

Unfortunately unless the flat's lease has a stipulation about type of flooring you have no case against the landlord. Landlords do not have any legal responsibility to do anything about noise. Local councils can usually only act against unacceptable noise (e.g. loud parties, drug/vice dens) and your neighbours can rightly argue that they have a right to do whatever they do in the property (even washing clothes in the early hours).

My advice - move or ask for a rent reduction. I wouldn't expect too much for 400pcm ithough (I'm not sure where you're living though).

because you can pay alot less if you use most of your electricity in the middle of the night.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_7

If you work all day come in late after a night shift or don't mind scheduling your washing and heating and cooking to it could save money.

http://www.uswitch.com/energy/economy7.html

Make sure everything kicks off on a timer at 1am ;p

I`d get out and find somewhere better to live.
So many of these `conversion` places are just knocked-up bodge jobs to try and extract money from people. Put it another way - ask your LL to stay there for 24 hours and see how they like it. Seriously, you`re in a no-win situation and finding somewhere else to live should be your longer-term option.
Although the guy living above you may be a bit of an inconsiderate muppet, a lot of what`s happening here is simply because the law does not forbid this kind of `development` - everyone has the right to `quiet enjoyment` of their home, and I cannot see how anyone can enjoy living in these kind of properties.
I moved from one of these hell-holes to a proper flat built in the 1930s out of solid concrete and bricks. You could drive a herd of elephants through this building without hearing too much! It also helps that I have *really* nice neighbours here.
I hope you can find something similar.
Nobody deserves to live `under siege`

even if i get thrown out i dont care as have somewhere else to go,ok opinions welcome
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Move You will be surprised how much better you will feel and perform when you get enough Z`s....

Sleep depravation is torture.

That`s right. If it was me I`d start going to the local authorities (council`s environmental health dept), stating that you are living in sub-standard accommodation, that the noise levels are unacceptable and that you are not getting `quiet enjoyment` of your home.
Let`s see if they can put the LL under pressure