Note that if you choose to "fight fire with fire", there may be other complications. For example, I could have had another neighbour knocking on my door to complain about my TV.
Even if I wanted to I would not be able to since the fuse cupboard is locked
We had constuction workers nearby recently, and i tell you what, that screaching from their saws and the banging used to drive me nuts... until i started doing what my husband does... turn on a radio with your favorite songs... or you can try just leaving the tv on for background noise. It really helps to keep the noise from grating on the nerves so much.
Also, i would try asking your neighbor to come downstairs for a moment while her little one is running around. Tell her it will just be for a moment, and let her hear for herself how loud he/she is. Perhaps then she will see if she can do something to help bring down the noise factor.
Good luck.
Who won?
I don't care if someone has one kid or ten pet elephants. If they are making noise then that is fine but don't complain if I get noisy as well I love noise as it makes me feel alive
Now now no need to get evil. Leave that to people like me I love kids but don't want to have any...will I have access to young nurses? Anyway urine soaked bedsheets = time to call Dignitas It ain't all bad.
I used to live directly below a sex maniac in the halls during my first year of uni. Action every night till the wee hours of the morning, even during the exams. My housemate could hear it too even though he's next door to me. He got really fed up one night, came into my room and used his hockey stick to thump against their rhythm. I was beside myself laughing, whilst trying to picture their reactions upstairs.
Needless to say, their thumping stopped too. Next time, when the toddler's pitter patter gets too excessive, you might want to try thumping against their floor.
Probably a simple half-way solution (it will be difficult to get totally rid of the problem until the child grows up!) could be to ask them to put slippers on his little feet so by that they alleviate part of the noise. The slippers can come with a nice design (a lion, rabbit or whatever) and children tend to love them. That could probably be a good present from you to your neighbors and done in a nice way could probably help burying the hatchet.
Thanks for the suggestions. One question, how does one go about soundproofing their flat?
Thank you for being so understanding. I actually asked the landlord point blank about the neighors upstairs, and was told it was a quiet couple.
I have brought the problem to the landlord's attention via email the 2 week after we moved it. It's been going on since July. I really don't know what else to do.
Crying? No just banging on furniture, truring over tables, and running up and down, up and down the whole apartment for 2 hrs straight. In wooden shoes. I think he eats straight sugar because then there are crashes and quiet for a few minutes. I wish I had that kind of energy.
From experience:
...i live in a top apartment/penthouse - which we also paid a lot of money for..just like you are living in your high-end apartment and pay a lot of money for renting.
Now, I have 2 small kids, take them out and do they get rid of their energy outside. BUT, yes...kids run, they can not walk, and no matter how many times we ask, (and I am asking about 20 times a day, and threaten them that they woudl have to open the door to the complaining neighbours)...they are still running,and playing.
I had my downstairs neighbour complain to me, and I took it very serious by making sure my kids does not bounce balls, and drop things all the time. I was grateful that my neighbour complaint to me directly, and did not go about gossiping to the other neighbours about it. My kids took her a nice bottle of wine to apologise...but here is the crunch, and what everyone has been telling you:
Kids are kids, they forget, and unfortunately everyone has a right to live, (yes, in peace) but I am doing everything in my power to make sure my kids are calm on my floors...and yet I know, its not good enough, as they are kids, BUT...we are trying. Maybe its the same for your neighbour, and then all I can suggest is...that you move, as unfortunately..until you have your own kids, you will not understand what all the other moms/dads are writing to you here
I find it interesting that so many people respond in such a mean manner.
But honestly, why does it make me a horrible person to try to have a normal life and spend an odd Sunday morning without being ripped out of sleep before six o'clock by my windows and pillows shaking from pounding of my neighbors' kid? I do wear EARPLUGS, have since we moved here. Unfortunately, they do not lessen the vibrating of the walls and the doors and windows.
I get it already. I do not expect silence, never said I did. There are kids playing next door who scream for hours on end, but it doesn't bother me.
I am sorry if you thought some responses were mean. I do have sympathy for you, but living in apartments does come with its great things (low maintenance etc), but unfortunately you can not chose your neighbours.
My best best advice - coming from a person that has kids - is that you maybe try and get a place on the top floor. Sound travel down , and my ONLY advice is...when something bothers you...make a change, change it that it suits you, whether that means accepting it or making a move. Good luck.
I used to live in a house in England where I was kept awake nearly every night by a screaming baby until at least 3 am – and I often had to get up for an early shift a 7. The baby had colic and it went on for 5 months.
I moved to Switzerland and live in an apartment. Again I was kept up – this time for 3 months – by a screaming baby with colic.
I wont complain too much though as they are both mine and I love them dearly ;-)
I think this is a waste of time. The noise is travelling through the structure of the building. You're not going to be able to change the structure of the building without substantial cost.
Whatever you do will have limited success.
I really do sympathise with you but I'm not sure that you are going to get the miracle answer to your problems on the EF.
You have two realistic options:
1. Move out.
2. Get the people upstairs to move out.
(I think we've decided that they are not willing / not able to do anything about the noise).
Which one is going to cause you less damage to your already fragile nerves?
Unfortunately it is not that simple... Might work for 'child' noise, but can be bad for other types of noise (like music). And it also depends on the building structure, the installations (central heating), pipes, ventilation ducts, wall thickness, etc. In addition to that proximity of other buildings
If one have low tolerance to noise it is a good idea to make a short list/classification of most annoying noise types, for example:
- church bells
- railway
- airport
- hospital/police/fire station
- highway proximity
- toddlers
- 'loud people' / 'party people'
- etc..
Though it requires some time and opportunity to live for a short time in many different places.
I would also try to identify the background noise sources that mask the unwanted noise. For me the best results are obtained with a fan or a running PC (unfortunately they are getting more and more quiet these days).
And probably living in a detached house is the best possible solution. As with the apartments the rotation of neighbours comes into play. There are some obvious types of noise that you can fight, but some others (as you have already experienced are more difficult to tackle).
You are not the first person to get mean responses on this forum, i had and so did my friend and that is why she no longer posts here. It is not about being sensitive but about being made to feel like S..T. I decided to continue posting because i get alot of good advice sometimes, but am careful what i ask and answer. When i started reading the responses to your post i felt so like knocking some peoples teeth in.Reminded me of how i felt once. Hey, but they are entitled to their own oppinion, right, just like ours. I hope you continue to stay with this forum. P.S i am a mommy of a 2 year old boy.
Mrs. Doolittle's advice about mediation is not too far off the mark. Assuming you see no way to tie the kids upstairs down all day and you would be prepared to move again in order to retain your sanity of mind, you really should try mediation. One great advantage is that it is free... The way I would go about this is:
Write the landlord (registered) and say that you were told that there was a quiet couple living above and that this is blatantly untrue. While you accept that children cannot be kept quiet all day the noise coming from above is unreasonable and intolerable (I would use the German word "unzumutbar"). Under the circumstances you would like to change the terms of the rental agreement to allow you to give one month's notice at any time (even within the minimum rental period) without having to find a follow-on tenant. Unless he is agreeable (give him a deadline) you will take the matter to mediation (Schlichtungsbehörde für Mietwesen) and will pay pay future rent into the court.
Alternatively, if you do not want to move, you could ask for a rent reduction. Ask for something like 25%. You will then have to negotiate it and may end up with nothing if the authority feels that the noise is not unbearable.
You can of course (and as a tenant should anyway) join the Mieterverband and use their service for free legal advice. They can also give you pointers. One thing I will say here though is that whenever I have dealt with them they always seem a little too tame...
It really isn't complicated and threatening with mediation does tend to get landlords to focus....
If you have any questions you can post or PM me.
Good luck!
PS: I don't think the responses you got were mean. I think people tend to feel strongly about this kind of "children" issue. The biggest culprit in this story is the landlord who obviously misled you. As a father I would also have been resentful if I had been told that I have to "shush" my kids all day long. Playing and being boisterous is part of growing up and there is enough space for both to take place. The fact is that the landlord should have known this. Greed often has its price. If you manage to get out of your rental contract as per the above (assuming that is what you want), then he might be more careful next time around.
Sorry, I should have passed on this info ages ago but didn't think of it until I read Snoopy's post. The details for Zurich Mietgericht/Schlichtungsbehorde is as follows:
Rechtsauskunft der Schlichtungsbehorde (sheesh, I had a hard time typing that...)
Wengistrasse 30
8004 Zurich
Open times:
Mon, Wed 08.30 - 11.00 and 14.00 - 17.00
No advance appt or phone enquiries possible.
No, I have not tried their service yet as I have not had the time to take off work...
I also second this opinion as I have been getting no answer to any of my registered letters to my Apt Agent. Each time I go to the MV, they say my problem is not serious enough to take to court. Maybe I am expecting too much (i.e. There are people out there much worse off than me) or maybe they like to keep things balanced between Tenants and Landlords. But I had to get the above Mediation address details because I wasn't getting anywhere with the MV. I have since cancelled my membership as a result since I should be able to go to the Sclichtungsbehordemyself
Interesting. If a person is looking for a new apartment and the requirements are made in writing to the agent , is there some sort of legal action that can be taken, if the apartment doesn't meant the requirements.
With regards to nearly evrry poster here. I think that noisy neighbours are accepted as part of community living and if you do not like it then you're a killjoy etc etc. It is also worrying that the authorities seem toothless in some cases. currently going through a situation with noisy gits upstairs who still just do not get it after several warnings from landlord
I don't think you have to hate children to be ****ed off when someone else doesn't control their kids and your life becomes a misery because of it. Before you ask, yes I do have children, 1 three year old daughter who I wouldn't inflict on anyone else
Seriously, where are these apartments?