UK Landlord Forum / Life

Next door neighbour who is a renter, CONTINUOSLY complains about the noise anybody makes in my house. I have had very good tenants  who  just talk! They keep saying we need to soundproof so I have said ask your landlady to do yours and we will do same. Their landlady refuses and said if they need it they must pay. Obviously they won't. I am sick and tired of being harassed by them and each set of tenants being directly moaned at. They have also put off prospective tenants by speaking to them when they see them looking round!
Thinking of soundproofing ours now it is empty and we have a window of opportunity. Won't be cheap though.
Should I do it or just tell them to go forth and swivel.
I just want a peaceful life. They aren't even my tenants!
Ps They requested that we didn't do any maintenance work this week.......

First question...

Why are you even involved, at any level? You do not, as a Landlord, get involved in what are disputes between neighbours. That's Landlord rule... 102, or something.

Second question...

Why would it bother you? Just block them by whatever means they're using to communicate with you?

First statement...

I have had soundproofing done (in a ceiling of a ground floor apartment, wooden floors above) and its effectiveness is doubtful. I actually bought a noise meter and did tests before and afterwards with the Sugababes blaring out upstairs (I own both properties, both were empty - not because of sound complaints) and I measured a minor difference in ambient noise before and after spending £3,200. Professional company and all that. I even had acoustic foam sprayed in there at another cost of... I think I recall correctly... £700. That's not bad as I had a quote from a guy called Tom (who'd apparently "been on t'telly with Nick Knowles") for £14,000... which then dropped to £11,000 and then £9,000 if I decided to go ahead with it there and then.

Seems to me like the industry is full of people selling snake oil... and none of them will guarantee you any kind of measurable improvement - they just won't.

Second story (as the first statement ended up being a bit of a story)...

I was once moving some odds-and-sods out of a property that I've let out for, oooh, four or five tenancies now... and the neighbours next door saw me (I've never spoken to them; I have never lived there) and as I was walking to the boot of my car, the woman approached me, as if it was all kinda by chance, and introduced herself... "hi, I live next door, are you the Landlord?", "Sure, I am, hi" - what then happened was that she tried to get my contact details so that she could be helpful (to me, mind) in case there was ever "any kind of problem"... so I stood there, staring at her for about 5 or 6 seconds (an uncomfortable amount of time) and I said "no, I don't want to share that with you"... at which she was dumbfounded... she was spluttering, and her husband walked across and said "what's up?" and she turned to him and said, I quote - "he doesn't want to give it to us" - at which point I knew it was not by chance, but planned, and they'd approached me wanting my details. I said "OK then" and went to the boot of my car... they walked off, shaking their heads.

You have no need to get involved with neighbours. They're not your neighbours. You are not the parents or Carer of any Tenants - they are people (real people) in their own right. If you can't let your property because of the neighbours you have... different problem, right? Different problem, different solution.

Thanks for the info re the soundproofing and will definitely give it good thought.
Unfortunately for me, the tenants next door share a communal yard and I can guarantee every time I turn up they suddenly appear. It's as if they have radar! Tired of them poking their noses into whatever work we are doing and I've resorted to blanking the windows out.
I have been an idiot by being too 'nice' with them. I got taken in by the 'let us have your details' lark and have resorted to blocking messages now. Lesson learned. Funnily enough they stay well clear of my husband!

Quote from: Hippogriff on November 23, 2018, 03:03:09 PM
First question...

First statement...

I have had soundproofing done (in a ceiling of a ground floor apartment, wooden floors above) and its effectiveness is doubtful. I actually bought a noise meter and did tests before and afterwards with the Sugababes blaring out upstairs (I own both properties, both were empty - not because of sound complaints) and I measured a minor difference in ambient noise before and after spending £3,200. Professional company and all that. I even had acoustic foam sprayed in there at another cost of... I think I recall correctly... £700. That's not bad as I had a quote from a guy called Tom (who'd apparently "been on t'telly with Nick Knowles") for £14,000... which then dropped to £11,000 and then £9,000 if I decided to go ahead with it there and then.

Good sharing ... thanks

Quote from: Hippogriff on November 23, 2018, 03:03:09 PM
First question...

Why are you even involved, at any level? You do not, as a Landlord, get involved in what are disputes between neighbours. That's Landlord rule... 102, or something.

Second question...

Why would it bother you? Just block them by whatever means they're using to communicate with you?

First statement...

I have had soundproofing done (in a ceiling of a ground floor apartment, wooden floors above) and its effectiveness is doubtful. I actually bought a noise meter and did tests before and afterwards with the Sugababes blaring out upstairs (I own both properties, both were empty - not because of sound complaints) and I measured a minor difference in ambient noise before and after spending £3,200. Professional company and all that. I even had acoustic foam sprayed in there at another cost of... I think I recall correctly... £700. That's not bad as I had a quote from a guy called Tom (who'd apparently "been on t'telly with Nick Knowles") for £14,000... which then dropped to £11,000 and then £9,000 if I decided to go ahead with it there and then.

Seems to me like the industry is full of people selling snake oil... and none of them will guarantee you any kind of measurable improvement - they just won't.

Second story (as the first statement ended up being a bit of a story)...

I was once moving some odds-and-sods out of a property that I've let out for, oooh, four or five tenancies now... and the neighbours next door saw me (I've never spoken to them; I have never lived there) and as I was walking to the boot of my car, the woman approached me, as if it was all kinda by chance, and introduced herself... "hi, I live next door, are you the Landlord?", "Sure, I am, hi" - what then happened was that she tried to get my contact details so that she could be helpful (to me, mind) in case there was ever "any kind of problem"... so I stood there, staring at her for about 5 or 6 seconds (an uncomfortable amount of time) and I said "no, I don't want to share that with you"... at which she was dumbfounded... she was spluttering, and her husband walked across and said "what's up?" and she turned to him and said, I quote - "he doesn't want to give it to us" - at which point I knew it was not by chance, but planned, and they'd approached me wanting my details. I said "OK then" and went to the boot of my car... they walked off, shaking their heads.

You have no need to get involved with neighbours. They're not your neighbours. You are not the parents or Carer of any Tenants - they are people (real people) in their own right. If you can't let your property because of the neighbours you have... different problem, right? Different problem, different solution.

my house here has very good soundproofing, you can play music loud in one room, and if the doors are shut wont hear anything in the other rooms.

the house originally was a council house, and has a manual about the house, apparently all the internal walls are made with 3 successive plasterboards.

where ordinarily a house will just have 1 per wall on each side.

so to soundproof, you can try soundproofing one room by cladding the wall with 3 plasterboards on each side, which would be 6 total.
if that works, then to do other rooms.  You'd have to then redo the light switches and radiators and plugs and skirting boards,
but each of those works  wont take more than a few hours.

if the noise problem is from the neighbours, then to clad the shared wall with 3 plasterboards.

The landlord of the neighbouring house is not letting them dictate to her,so why on earth have you got into this situation? They sound like born moaners and troublemakers.I would tell them if they don't like it they should find somewhere more suited to their sensitive needs.