Hi people, just after a bit of advice please. My BP and I own a tenanted 1st floor flat in London. We are the freeholders for the building. The previous leaseholder downstairs sold her flat 18 months ago and ever since she moved in the new leaseholder has been complaining about noise issues coming from the flat above. From my understanding the noises in question are just general movements, moving chairs, walking around etc. Certainly not excessive noise. It definitely seems as if it needs addressing although the previous lady lived there for 20 years without taking any action. I would just like to gaugue opinion on what kind of contribution to what will be very expensive soundproofing (if any) should be made by us? I'll add that our tenants, who are great and we're keen to keep them happy, have no complaints about noise coming from below. The issue is the leaseholder bangs on the ceiling and has apparently started shouting aggresively towards them. Thanks very much in advance.
Speak to local council envorinmental officer. See if grants are avialable for the work required.
https://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/guides/acoustic-insulation/how-to-soundproof-an-apartment/
Noise complaints fall in to the black hole of ambiguity.
General 'every day' noise is to be expected in flats. It is a good idea to get your tenants to keep a diary of noise and audio recordings. It's also important to learn how the noise is adversely affecting your tenants such as disturbed sleep etc.. Spending money on this type of sound proofing is disruptive and expensive and seldom works as expected. Wooden floors produce a lot of noise and this can be easily remedied by using rugs or carpet in heavy trafic areas.
Unwanted noise is highly subjective - what annoys one person will be acceptable for another.
I used to have very noisy neighbors. Nothing helped me negotiate with them to keep them quieter. The stress level in me at the time was just off the charts and I didn't know how to escape it. Thank God they moved out.