Another Problem Neighbour Thread

[platypus]

The situation

My girlfriend owns a flat on the River Cam, nice location, great views. ****** neighbour. The guy underneath constantly play music to the extent where the floor literally vibrates. During the day roughly until midnight, sometimes constantly. Now, it was especially bad this weekend, Saturday evening I needed some sleep (was racing at Senior 2 and Elite at Peterborough Regatta) and the whole bedroom was shaking with this guy's stereo. Now this is one of the few times it's affected me, but my girlfriend is stressed beyond belief with it. It's been going on for months, and has gotten worse recently. She feels like she's being forced out of her home a lot of the time because of this guy.

Now, talking to him, writing him letters, asking him round for a drink to try and solve the problem has no effect. Calling the Council has absolutely no effect, they put her through to the Environmental Complaints Department (or something along those lines), who told her to 'record every incident, and report to us when it's happened more then three times'. Now, this goes on pretty much every day, certainly through the day - he's not so bad at night. Which when she is at work is ok, but at the weekend when she's knackered and just wants to have some quiet time at home..she can't. It's had her in tears many times.

I've read a few threads about problem neighbours on here, so I guess its a request for advice from those who have experienced this.

The police won't do anything. As far as they are concerned, it's not their problem. The council won't do anything either, despite saying they'd take action if it happened more then three times. She's spoken to the management that rent the flat to this guy (most people own the flats, I think this is the only rented property), nothing happened, despite several letters.

What on earth can you do about people that have zero regard for others?

 

[singist]

Do as the council say and record every single incident accurately.
Present said documentation to the appropriate dept and get a receipt and the name of who you are dealing with.
Telephone every day (the person who is dealing with your complaint) to enquire as to what progress is being made and keep a note of their responses.

Do it legally via the council but keep on their tails.

Best of luck.

 

[Mat]

Thats a nasty situation. I had problems with loud music from a nearby flat down Mill Road when I lived on Malta Road and the council were pretty good about it. I think they were on the ball because they had complaints from more than one person. See if you can talk to other neighbours about it and find out if they have/can write to the council aswell. Its not a nice thing to live with and I sympathise.

 

[the shadow]

yep do what singist says got a asbo an them.

 

[Matt-Page]

I'm not trying to be alpha here, or equivalent. If your not getting support from local authorities, it's time to take matters into your own hands.

I suggest you go down there and speak to him on your girlfriends behalf, be nice and polite. Explain to him how it affects your girlfriend and how upset she is. If he gets gobby with you or does it again, it's time to get aggressive. Tell hium to do ti or he will suffer consequences, hopefully that should be all you need to do. Failing that i would give him a shoeing.

Actually scrap that, because then he might turn on your misses.

Killing him is the only way...

 

[platypus]

I've spoken to him on numerous occasions, usually when my girlfriend has been driven to tears. No effect.

Will continue to get her to document activities, but since she's been doing it for almost a year now I don't really see how it's going to help any. She spoke to the neighbours on the ground floor recently (there are three floors, the nuisance is in the middle), and has invited them round for a drink to try and get on top of the situation. Apparently it's not as much of a problem for them but they do get annoyed by it.

 

[Matt-Page]

I've spoken to him on numerous occasions, usually when my girlfriend has been driven to tears. No effect.

Will continue to get her to document activities, but since she's been doing it for almost a year now I don't really see how it's going to help any. She spoke to the neighbours on the ground floor recently (there are three floors, the nuisance is in the middle), and has invited them round for a drink to try and get on top of the situation. Apparently it's not as much of a problem for them but they do get annoyed by it.

What does he say when you speak to him? Maybe a knife with blood dripping from it in your hand would make him turn it down.

 

[helpimcrap]

pay someone to break in and nick his stereo.

 

[platypus]

What does he say when you speak to him? Maybe a knife with blood dripping from it in your hand would make him turn it down.

It's like talking to a wall. He'll mutter something and then turn it down for 5 minutes or just ignore you.

A usual trick of his is to leave it on the vibration volume level (I presume '11' on the amplifier?) and go out. For hours.

 

[colinuk]

Wait till he turns his off, get your speaker and palce it down onto your floor, get some BASS tunes and blast away.

See how he likes it, i had a simaler thing to this, was next dorr and not below me, but same thing, music from 7pm when he got intill 11pm loud as he wanted it as he sat outside reading the paper. After a few days i asked him to turn it down, he got very upset and told me in no uncertain terms - no.

So i got my old speakers out and did what i told you. After 10 hours of opera, he came round and asked me what i thought i was doing playing music that loud at night, i told him i was reading my newspaper and to go away in the same words he used.

It would be nice for people to notice how to behave with others, but in this world now with PC and idiots and inbreeding, sometimes fighting back is the only option.

What have you got to loose.

 

[ScarySquirrel]

Wait till he turns his off, get your speaker and palce it down onto your floor, get some BASS tunes and blast away.

See how he likes it, i had a simaler thing to this, was next dorr and not below me, but same thing, music from 7pm when he got intill 11pm loud as he wanted it as he sat outside reading the paper. After a few days i asked him to turn it down, he got very upset and told me in no uncertain terms - no.

So i got my old speakers out and did what i told you. After 10 hours of opera, he came round and asked me what i thought i was doing playing music that loud at night, i told him i was reading my newspaper and to go away in the same words he used.

It would be nice for people to notice how to behave with others, but in this world now with PC and idiots and inbreeding, sometimes fighting back is the only option.

What have you got to loose.

haha, good job man. To the OP, definately do this. I know it is stooping to his level somewhat but it might show the ****** how annoying he is being.

 

[Wizzkidy]

We had a very annoying women living above myself and my girl, she use to have parties every night and didn't use to work a lot these parties use to be until 4 - 5am in the morning - mostly 4 or 5 nights a week

In the end we started keeping a diray of the events every night. We had 2 years worth of entires in the end and at this time we where very very stressed

I also use to e-mail the housing officer after every incident, this made the officer speak to the flat owner but it didn't make much differance, maybe for 2 or 3 days she would make no noise and then it would start all up again

The thing is the flat I live in has walls made out of cardboard, I can hear everything above me talking / music you would not beleave how much I can hear.

Anyway after 2 years of stress they FINALLY sent her a court order about the noise and bascially said because of the noise we are going to chuck you out.

The day after she got the letter she started moving her stuff out at 2am in the morning. Woke me up because of the crashing and banging of her moving her double bed out.

She left without going to court and left almost ALL her stuff in the flat.

The housing assciation took all her stuff to pay for the rent she owed

PWNED imo

 

[Andelusion]

Don't by no means go around and act violent, or stoop to his level by playing your own music loud, this just isn't going to work in your favour at all.

Do as the council suggested and record every single time he's playing music too loud, the date and time, speak to other neighbours and phone the council every day to see what they're doing about it once you have given them sufficient evidence and details of the noise. If you bug them enough they WILL listen eventually.

If you find other neighbours who are also annoyed, get them to do the same, the chances of council listening will increase loads of more than one person is complaining.

 

[andywalsh]

I really sympathise, I've had this happen to me twice. The bad news is that the only way it got resolved was either the other person or I moved.

Keep bugging the council. If they still don't do anything, then threaten to go to the local rag. The Cambridge Evening News could do with something else to get outraged about other than the proposed congestion charge!

 

[tomanders91]

im serious here, for this sort of stuff, you have to just do it yourself, go in and nick the stereo, and throw it in the river nearby

If the police and council arnt doing anything, just go and confront him or something.

 

["andy"]

buy some BIG speakers and lie them face down playing the playdays theme tune on full volume before going to work

 

[bloodiedathame]

Do something to make him go deaf.

 

[sam83uk]

Be the bigger man and go and deck him and then threaten his family

 

[malfunkshun]

As said, keep a detailed record and try to get a third party to witness the disturbance. Continue to bug the council with it. Also the letting agent, or if possible the landlord of his flat. If you can afford it get a solicitor to write to the letting agent/landlord on her behalf, that tends to scare most people into acting. worked for me anyway
Dont go round there threatening him. Obviously the Police will take action against you for this.

 

[Slinwagh]

We had a similar problem about 18 moths ago. A few of us got together an complained to the council and to be fair they were very good, we received copies of the letters sent to the neighbours.

The situation was a young couple who would argue with all the windows open in the very early hours waking everyone up you could cleary make out what was being said.

Then after they argued they would "make up" use your imagination guys! I'm not sure if he knew but she clearly faked it culminating one night her pausing her obvious delight when the dog jumped on the bed and she shouted at it to get off the next thing she reached her crescendo.

This went on for about 3 months, now the final nail in the coffin was one argument at roughly 4 in the morning where she said and I quote:

"Who was it who stood by you when you were charged with touching that 10 year old"

At this point the noisy neighbour complaint turned into a multi agency inquiry and they were gone, although I did have the pleasure of informing him that if he ever look at my daughter again it would be the last thing he ever looked at, I'm not sure what his response was as he was choking at the time.