If you have lived in a block of flats, even for a short period of time, then no doubt, at some point during that time, one neighbour or another has disturbed you with excessive noise.
Whether that be playing music late at night, chatting loudly on the phone on the adjoining balcony or hoovering the floor above you at the crack of dawn, being disturbed in your own home, is annoying to say the least!
So what can be done? Firstly, a little tolerance goes along way. Whilst no one should have to put up with being kept up all night to the sounds of drum and bass, if the disturbances are few and far between, perhaps it is better to pop some ear plugs in and hope the disturbance doesn’t happen again. All residents have to live together in harmony in one building and so there is often no need to cause a rift or take further action if on one Saturday evening, a neighbour’s gathering goes on for slightly longer than anticipated. If understanding is shown to another on one occasion, it will often be reciprocated when it is the other way around.
A good first step is always to contact the managing agent.
Unfortunately, though, many flats have their repeat offenders. In that case, a good first step is always to contact the managing agent. The managing agent can put together a polite, but formal, letter advising the resident in question that it’s behaviour is in breach of the lease, and most likely other statutory laws, and that further action will be taken if it does not stop. This type of notice is often enough to make a resident think twice about its behaviour.
Of course, there are always those that will ignore such a letter. If it comes to it, your managing agent will advise you on the next steps to take. This could be to take action for causing a legal nuisance, for which the local authority is likely to assist with and/or reporting antisocial behaviour to the police and/or taking action for breach of the lease.
It is important to remember though that any litigation can be a lengthy and expensive process, so best avoided unless absolutely necessary.
At Mandeville, we ask for any resident suffering from a disturbance to keep detailed records/evidence of this, as the more proof we have to show what is occurring, the more likely any action will be successful. When it is just one word against another, we cannot get very far.
We will also always quickly take on the role of mediator between the two (or more) neighbours in question. It can be hard to keep a cool head when you the one constantly suffering. By stepping in to deal with the dispute so you don’t have to, we are much more likely to achieve a positive result, as we have no emotional involvement.
If we look after your block and you are experiencing difficulties with a troublesome neighbour, please do get in touch with us. If we do not manage your block, we recommend you speak to your own agent and take specialist advice before commencing any action.
