enviromental health

[sallybb]

Out of sheer desperation my daughter contacted Enviromental Health today, due to a noisy washing machine used in the early hours by the owner of the flat above. Only to be told there is nothing they can do.

Until December 2010 there was not a problem, but her neighbours machine was replaced. Unfortunatly the new one does not fit the space and is jammed in tight( Judging by the amount of washing from one load, it is probably overloaded as well). When the machine goes into spin mode , the vibration is horrendous, her partition wall vibrates along with any pictures, mirrors etc on them. On the odd occasion things have fallen to the floor. On more than one occassion she has pointed out to him the situation, not only the noise but the potential damage it could cause. Only to be told that he likes to use Economy 7.( approx 3.am in the morning). He did for a while restrict washing to during the day, while she was at work. But now seems to have reverted back 2-3 times a week at an unsocial time. I once had the misfortune to be in her single story kitchen, not directly under the neighbours. The machine starts spinning with a loud thud and once settled into an unsteady spin sounded like a 'chinook helicopter' above. She has even invited him in to witness it but he declined.

Any suggestions any one

[ladybirder]

Surely there must be restrictions in his lease about making a noise after 11pm?

[sallybb]

there is a clause in my daughters lease and I assume that the other 3 properties are subject to the same. Only refers to music, muscial intruments and singing not being allowed between 11pm and 9am. Also no dogs, parrots or any other noisey pets allowed to be kept. Not sure washing machine is classed as musical LOL

[kat1]

Turn his electric off at the mains!

[daffy654]

The person your daughter spoke to at environmental health is wrong about being unable to do anything about the noise, unreasonable noise is their dept whatever is causing it. She needs to phone them back and ask to speak to a senior EH officer.

[Mamyalynne]

I live in a block of nine flats, our clause states, no audible noise from inside your flat after 11pm.

[sallybb]

thanks Daffy I will suggest that. Shes finding it hard to get back to sleep, and that is effecting her work.

[redcrx]

has she also approached the freeholder about the lease?

[The Builder]

Ditto to what Daffers has said, Sally. They are exactly the people to take care of this. Don't be fobbed off. Keep on at them and make a formal complaint.
They have even been known to install temporary sound monitoring equipment in these cases.

[sallybb]

The freeholder wont be interested. She had a hard job finding them (father and son builders) like a lot of small developers they are not interested, they dont even collect the ground rent. My daughter used a soliciter to find them , so she could extend the lease. Which they permitted at a price, they even offered to sell the freehold. They have moved right away from the area. To quote the soliciter 'Absent landlords'

[bushbaby_de]

You might find that Env Health aren't interested because their is a freeholder who could enforce against the tenant. Normally this is exactly their sort of case.