You know when you go for ages not noticing a noise but then you do and it's all you can hear?  My neighbours are that noise.

 

They live upstairs from me and ages ago they put in laminate flooring.  I thought no more about it except for the racket they made for about a week putting it in themselves.  I first noticed a while back how much i could hear when I went to the loo and one of them went at the same time.  Oh my god.  I could hear every tinkle.  Then I noticed i can hear their shower running.  The grandkids stomp up and down the hall for hours on end, the dog skids across the floor, the barking now sounds like the dog is in the room with me (its a big dog!).  Mr Upstairs got told off the other night for his stinky feet again.  The washing machine sounds like it's going to come through into my kitchen.  I hate being like this but the more noise I notice the louder it seems and the grumpier an old woman I am becoming.

 

"There should be a law against it!"  I ranted to my mother.  "There is" she helpfully replied.  And do you know what? She's right, well sort of.  You can't install laminate flooring in an upper flat without also putting down a silencing layer which costs a fortune.  I can assure you, they have no such layer upstairs from me.  Asides from that, their flat is a Council property.  I emailed the Council to ask if they would allow laminate flooring to be installed in an upper flat.  This was their response... "You must obtain permission from the council to have laminate flooring within flat type accommodation. If someone has not asked permission but has laminate flooring this will be reported to the Neighbourhood officer for there attention and action will be taken."  Doesn't actually answer the question of whether permission would be granted but I'm hoping they wouldn't allow it.

 

However, if I go and make a complaint and a guy turns up at their door to investigate a report that they have 'illegal' flooring (I can't believe this is me talking about such nonsense!) then it's going to be glaringly obvious who made the complaint.  And I don't fancy starting a feud with my neighbours.  On the other hand it's driving me nuts, some nights their clomping around keeps Alister awake.  We are no saints.  On days when my fuse is short and Alister's nerves are of steel we make a fair din roaring and shouting at each other.  But I feel like we have their whole family living with us some days

 

So I have emailed the council again to ask if the neighbourhod officers ever do regular inspections or something where they would pick up on it rather than me telling on them.  Of course, maybe they did get permission.  Maybe..... I'm off to bed.  They usually like to drop something on the floor just as I am dozing off just to make sure I can still hear them before they get up at about 5am for no apparent reason other than to start clomping around again and doing long loud pees!!!!

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

thanks for listening
love ya
Jill
xxxxx