trill
26-03-2010, 05:59 AM
I've had a nightmare tenancy in a flat for the last 10 months. This is a purpose built flat built in the 60's and were assured by the LL that the floors were concrete and you couldn't hear the neighbours. However, it turned out that the floors are suspended floorboards and every single creak, door, sneeze, etc, can be heard as if they are living in our flat.
A week after we moved in, the owner of the flat above starting a lengthy renovation causing excessive noise late into the night (sometimes after midnight). One week they were demolishing a wall between the bathroom and toilet to completely refit a new bathroom. This was so intensely noisy that I was worried about using our only bathroom directly below the work as I was sure they were going to drop in on my head! The work went on for months, and despite us complaining to the LL and the LA, they did nothing to abate the works late at night.
About six weeks ago the flat was let out to a new tenant and we hoped that we would finally get some peace and quiet. How wrong we were! The tenants move around all day long, pacing up and down, moving boxes and furniture, banging doors, and so on. Unfortunately they also get up constantly during the night too, getting up several times to use the bathroom. I told the LL that having people above our rooms was even more disruptive than having the builders up there as we haven't had one night of unbroken sleep since they moved in. My husband gets up for work at 4.30am, is very quiet, and creeps out of the house so he causes no disturbance despite some nights only being able to grab a couple of hours sleep. After four weeks of this I approached the neighbour, but this has had no effect.
To counteract the noise, I have my television turned on in the day, so I don't have to be dominated so much by the neighbours stomping around.
The LL/LA have basically said there's nothing they can do but have not taken any action during the renovation to a) restrict the building work times, or b) suggest sound proofing go on the floors, or c) involve Environmental Health department with the noise nuisance. There is a shortage of decent rentals in this area otherwise I would have moved out at the end of the six months initial tenancy. However, we have finally found somewhere else and will be moving in a couple of weeks.
Could I claim financial compensation for the disruptive effect this has had on my family? I have been so stressed out and have been obsessively searching for alternative accommodation, at the exclusion of living a normal balanced life. My son is disabled and has had a lot more epileptic seizures since we've been in this flat due to constant interrupted sleep.
As I need my deposit returned to use on the next place, and I want to keep my unbroken record of paying rent on time, I have paid all rent due and on good time which takes me to the end of the tenancy.
Should the LL/LA have done something about this or offered me compensation?
A week after we moved in, the owner of the flat above starting a lengthy renovation causing excessive noise late into the night (sometimes after midnight). One week they were demolishing a wall between the bathroom and toilet to completely refit a new bathroom. This was so intensely noisy that I was worried about using our only bathroom directly below the work as I was sure they were going to drop in on my head! The work went on for months, and despite us complaining to the LL and the LA, they did nothing to abate the works late at night.
About six weeks ago the flat was let out to a new tenant and we hoped that we would finally get some peace and quiet. How wrong we were! The tenants move around all day long, pacing up and down, moving boxes and furniture, banging doors, and so on. Unfortunately they also get up constantly during the night too, getting up several times to use the bathroom. I told the LL that having people above our rooms was even more disruptive than having the builders up there as we haven't had one night of unbroken sleep since they moved in. My husband gets up for work at 4.30am, is very quiet, and creeps out of the house so he causes no disturbance despite some nights only being able to grab a couple of hours sleep. After four weeks of this I approached the neighbour, but this has had no effect.
To counteract the noise, I have my television turned on in the day, so I don't have to be dominated so much by the neighbours stomping around.
The LL/LA have basically said there's nothing they can do but have not taken any action during the renovation to a) restrict the building work times, or b) suggest sound proofing go on the floors, or c) involve Environmental Health department with the noise nuisance. There is a shortage of decent rentals in this area otherwise I would have moved out at the end of the six months initial tenancy. However, we have finally found somewhere else and will be moving in a couple of weeks.
Could I claim financial compensation for the disruptive effect this has had on my family? I have been so stressed out and have been obsessively searching for alternative accommodation, at the exclusion of living a normal balanced life. My son is disabled and has had a lot more epileptic seizures since we've been in this flat due to constant interrupted sleep.
As I need my deposit returned to use on the next place, and I want to keep my unbroken record of paying rent on time, I have paid all rent due and on good time which takes me to the end of the tenancy.
Should the LL/LA have done something about this or offered me compensation?