scrubbedexpat027

So, I guess I'm looking for feedback on whether I'm being unreasonable here.

About 6 weeks ago I moved to a new house (split in two, with me having the downstairs). I should've known it might be a problem and have held out for top floor.

Anyway, you can guess what's coming. There's a young couple upstairs and the noise from them just walking about is considerable. Like a herd of elephants. To be fair, they're not partying, and it stops around 10pm. It's just that when I get in from work to settle down to some TV, that's all I can hear all night, even with headphones on.

I don't really like being confrontational and anyway, what can I say? Can you stop walking around in your own house? I lost it the other night and sent a strongly worded email to the landlady asking if I could break the lease and move out. She said she's contacted them and they'll be coming down to try and sort it out tonight.

I'm not really looking forward to it. Am I just turning into a Victor Meldrew in my old age?

MsElui

It may be the flooring they have, ie if its all laminates the noise will be worse or Carry more. Carpet/ rugs can mute it.

Is it in particular areas? Ie is their kitchen where they walk around a lot, right over your great room so your hearing more traffic noise?

I had this in a flat I was in once, their were a couple of steps from a landing outside a kitchen right over my bedroom, and I could hear the bastards land after jumping heavily down the three steps, AND the bloody washing machine used to do its spin cycle on the wooden floor over my bed area. THAT was a pain as you knew the cycle was going to last 45 mins when it started.

I was only about 22 then so I must have been a grumpy young bastard lol.

Bob

Shoot them, in the face. It's the only cure.

Sally Redux

Yeah I had that when I lived in a flat in London. The bloke above seemed to rearrange his furniture every night.

See what they say. Maybe they could take their shoes off or something.

scrubbedexpat027

Well, I do have my handgun safety certificate.

Pulaski

The answer is there in your OP, assuming that, is as it sounds, the upstairs is uncarpeted. The landlord should never have rented the upstairs with anything other than carpeted floors. I understand why landlords don't like carpets (they are expensive to buy and install, need relatively expensive cleaning, and are easy to damage), but the landlord will have nothing but complaints from the downstairs tenant and aggro between tenants if the upstairs is uncarpeted.

scrubbedexpat027

It is uncarpeted. Laminate throughout. The guy just came down and was really nice about it. An extra roommate has moved in which would be causing the extra traffic. He said they'd try and keep it down so I guess I'll wait and see. Oh well, only just over 10 months of the lease left!

N1cky

That's good that they were nice about it.

As Pulaski says, the landlord should never have rented upstairs without carpet. Maybe if the noise continues, both you and the tenants upstairs can jointly go to the landlord and insist they carpet it.

Rete

Our apartment building has it in the lease that 80% of the apartment must be carpeted to cut down on the noise. Perhaps since it is a house instead of building, the landlord might be persuaded to carpet the living area and hallway with an increase in the tenant's rent. Good luck.

Guindalf

IANAL, but I would think that if this is a problem that makes the property impossible to live in, then you would be entitled to break the lease with no penalty if you had to.

It's unfortunate because it's no-one's fault but the landlord for not carpeting upstairs and you have to live with it!

I feel for both you and your neighbours here.

Hope it all works out.

Pulaski

I have been meaning to come back and bring up that topic, because I think I heard that some states or municipalities have a code requirement for some apartments to be carpeted for sound deadening reasons.

joto

If they won't put carpet down, suggest a large area rug in the living room and bedroom and a runner rug in the hallway.

Rete

As the OP stated that the upstairs neighbor has laminated flooring, I am quite surprised that there is so much noise. I have had to have my hardwood floors removed and then replaced by laminate (which I do not like at all) because of flooding issues. It is a floating floor and there is little noise to those under me because of the gap between the floor and the subfloor.

Pulaski

It would depend how the laminate was installed. If your laminate is floating on a foam under layment, then sound transmission will be greatly reduced compared to nailed-down hardwood flooring. But if the laminate is nailed or glued down (which would make for a much more robust installation) then sound transmission is going to be the same as if it was nailed-down hardwood flooring. Use of a foam underpayment under nailed-down flooring would provide partial relief.

Michael

In my condo, only the first floor can have hardwood floors. The other floors can have tiles but they must be laid with sound proofing material underneath them.

I suspect laminated floors don't do much since basically people are walking on wood.