neighbours noisy plumbing

[Pat ex]

I feel for you. I think the better way to approaching her would have been in person, instead of through a note. As you are renting the property couldn’t you involve the owner of the property to approach her?

It was during Covid lockdown, the OP acted perfectly properly, but their assumptions might be wrong. There could be communication problems.

she bought her house about 4 years ago
About 3 years ago there was drilling from neighbours property into my adjoining wall. She appears to have had a new plumbing system put in....

I have only spoken to her once....she had lived here about a year without even acknowledging a hello even...just a hostile look and a blank....she knocked at my door bringing a man with her......she then stood there with a hostile look whilst this man....a workman spoke to me about my fallen garden fence (that had come down in winds)......he then quoted me a price to put a new fence up....i apologised to her and she didnt make any comment (i find her very strange and alien).....

This is true. I first approached her with a note during covid when it was full on lockdown and gave her my phone number.......i have since sent two more notes and i did knock at her door....she was clearly home as she works from home..she has a ring doorbell and i guess she decided she didnt want to talk to me.....she clearly has no manners whatsoever...

 

[FlatulentFreddie]

Oh come on....she can read, write, speak english and is not deaf...... she simply has no manners.

Hello, could anybody tell me where i stand on this issue please.

About 3 years ago there was drilling from neighbours property into my adjoining wall. She appears to have had a new plumbing system put in.....from what i can make out noisewise it appears to go from just inside her front door, along the hall where it seems she has plumbed a washing machine (i am attached to her house by this wall) and she undoubtedly had her bathroom replumbed ......

The moment this work was done there was (and still is!!) the most incredible noise pouring into my home whenever she runs her taps. (you know that noise your taps might make initially when turned on before they hit full flow....this sort of noise but muliply the noise tenfold - it is louder than running my own taps). The noise has driven me to absolute despair and all she seems to do is run her taps....up until about 1.30 am...she can do whatever she wants in her own home providing it does not affect me.

i have lived in a flat with shared plumbing and never heard this noise when other people run their taps and i know nobody who hears this sort of noise from a neighbouring property. To be honest, it has driven me to absolute despair and the noise makes me feel ill now.....

As she is very unfriendly and has never spoken to me (or anybody else in the road....except to say thanks for the tons of parcels that get delivered to neighbours) i dropped her a note during covid time enclosing my phone number to discuss it and she was welcome to come in and listen to the noise.....nothing! absolutely no response whatsoever. I told her that it was making me feel ill and i could not stand the noise any longer....nothing...nothing....complete blank and the noise continued. A couple of months later i dropped another note........absolutely nothing whatsoever.....i told her that i would have to consider moving as i could not live like this and it appears she is happy for me to do that and could not care how much distress her noise is causing......still nothing at all and the noise continued......

so 3 years of this noise and i emailed environmental health explaining the situation and asking whether it is within their premise to help with this....they replied askind for the issue address.........i feel that she did indeed recieve a letter from them last week as she has had a few of her relatives etc turn up telling her not to worry as EH cannot do anything about it. (i am blown away by her lack of thought for others....her total disrespect but thats emtions which isnt the issue here.)

I have not heard from EH yet and indeed i dont know what they would have said to her....but she has made no effort to talk to me about it ...i think that by acknowledging it she has to do something about it and i am sure that financially she is not prepared to do that......(not even an apology and let me listen to it....i am sorry its causing you distress.....blows me away).

I am trying to move as i simply cannot live with this situation. (i would have liked EH to come in and listen to the noise...get her to run her taps and come in here and listen to it....)....i only rent my home and she bought her house about 4 years ago

i dont know where i stand.....i.e...should she have been drilling into a party wall adn tracking plumbing into a party wall without informing the owner of this property. Should you even be plumbing washing machines into party walls?/surely they should be plumbed into outside walls. It sounds strange but i am a semi bungalow attached one side to her house...her bathroom is not even attached to me but the noise simply pours down into my bungalow every time she runs her taps.....could it be she has tracked the plumbing into the party wall without insulation.....i truly have never heard when a neighbour is running taps before in my entire life....i heard absolutely nothing from the previous owner and before she had this plumbing done...

If Eh do come in and listen etc...can they do anything if they feel it is indeed a statutory nuisance. i told them i worried they would class it as normal living noise - but although this is a normal living noise activity - the noise is in no way `normal`....i also just feel that in this day and age you should not hear other peoples plumbing like this....

Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. All this person seems bothered about is not how `her` noise might be affecting me but what she can get away with..

many thanks

You decided it was a good idea to post notes through her door instead of just talking to her and you then accuse her of having no manners?
Unbelievable Jeff

 

[notsure123]

It was during Covid lockdown, the OP acted perfectly properly, but their assumptions might be wrong. There could be communication problems.

There are no communication problems at all. I have spoken to her once since she moved here about 4 years ago. she knocked at my door bringing a man...a workman with her about my fallen fence who proceeded to tell me how much he would charge to put up a new fence.....(quick to react when the shoe is on the other foot - I have replaced a new fence.....i apologised the winds had brought down my fence and she said nothing),,,,she speaks perfect english.....she can read (i suspect she has an english degree) ....she has received the letter from EH i am sure and i am sure she can and has read it.
There really are no communication problems here. I feel that she doesnt grasp that this is not only an issue with her plumbing but there is a human being involved (myself) who is being severely affected by this issue.....I truly believe that her only thought in all of this is how she might be affected via any legal chanels or EH.
In my world (where I come from!) my first thought would be......I am so sorry this is affecting you....what can we do to put this right. If i stood outside her house 24/7 playing a nerve grating noise through her walls i would probably end up being arrested. I dont know why she `assumes` - there is that word again....that her noise pouring into my home making me feel ill and causing me profound stress and distress - completely disrupting my home life is `okay`....
if she is shy for arguements sake - what would it take to drop a note through my door saying that she is sorry the noise is upsetting me and she is trying to deal with it.....
I am actually blown away by her total disrespect.
I guess it takes all sorts to make up this world. I think also (assumptions again!) that as this noise has continued for 3 years and she has not had the `decency` to respond to me or address it, she cannot face me now that EH are involved.....she has let it ride for far too long....I also think on this basis that now EH have been informed and written to her i should actually do nothing at the moment.......see where this goes but i do worry very much because if EH cannot do anything about the noise it gives her free reign to continue with the noise......in which case i move....
sorry Pats ex the post was meant for the previous post.....
EH have written to her.....still nothing!!! She KNOWS there is a problem....what more can i say.

 

[Pat ex]

There are no communication problems at all. I have spoken to her once since she moved here about 4 years ago. she knocked at my door bringing a man...a workman with her about my fallen fence who proceeded to tell me how much he would charge to put up a new fence....

You say there are no communication problems, but you have only spoken to her once in 4 years.
And on the one occasion that she knocked on your door, the man about the fence did the communicating?
Are you sure there are no communication problems.

On the issue of her not responding to your complaint, she may be totally unaware what you are on about.

As I've said before, stop making assumptions about your neighbour, and simply deal with the nuisance it is causing you, with EH.
How the situation is resolved doesn't matter, as long as it is resolved amicably. You can't tell your neighbour what she must do, and you certainly can't tell EH what your acceptable solution to the problem is.
Collect the evidence, present it to EH, and leave it for them to deal with it. By all means persist with them if they don't appear to be doing anything.
I would assume that their first letter pointed out to your neighbour to not cause a nuisance, but if she is not aware of how she is causing a nuisance, she won't know what to do to stop it.

You said you'd discussed it with other neighbours? Try inviting one of those other neighbours in to your house (preferably someone with some degree of tact and diplomacy) to hear the nuisance noise, and then to approach your neighbour on your behalf. Perhaps there is another neighbour who is on more familiar terms with your neighbour?

But above all, do stop assuming your neighbour is the devil incarnate.

 

[Pat ex]

If the neighbur is so disturbing you may file a law suit against them

This is in the UK, and I suspect the OP would have to demonstrate that they have exhausted all other official channels.

 

[just pumps]

If the neighbur is so disturbing you may file a law suit against them

You are in the USA are you not? So I thought you just go round and shoot them!

 

[Bod ...]

Is there any differences between the two of you in your ethnicities or racial identities or sexualities or cultures?

 

[notsure123]

Is there any differences between the two of you in your ethnicities or racial identities or sexualities or cultures?

So this is where i get shot. i am not racist at all in answering your question. She is black and i am white...not a problem - i have black friends and colleagues. I think she is nigerian and i have just been aware that she speaks to nobody around here (so the suggestion that another neighbour listen and than maybe approach wouldnt be possible because no other neighbours know her any better than myself). I think she is nigerian.....i find her incredibly unfriendly...she seems quite hostile and she only appears to mix with her nigerian counterparts and family making no atempt to integrate. (from my perspective...but she can do what the hell she wants...this isnt the issue.....the dam blinking noise is and her response or lack of it blows me away quite frankly.
and now i get shot for being very un p.c.

 

[StephenStephen]

I don't think anyone's going to shoot you.

It seems there are two problems here, a plumbing problem and a communication problem.
The plumbing problem is (I am completely guessing here!) likely to be, in itself, fairly straightforward to fix.
So how can you address the communication problem?

You could just leave it in the hands of EH

You might find that you'll have more success if you get mobile in your thinking - start with the creative question of how to establish good communication, think about what might be helpful to bring the two of you into good contact ...
I'm curious about how successful you've been in your attempts to integrate into your local Nigerian community? It might be worth thinking about your friendships with other local Nigerians... could be helpful...
I would suggest that you may be unwise to assume that your whiteness is not a problem, without knowing your neighbour's particular history and experiences of racism, it's not possible to know what impact your whiteness has on her...
...and your experience of her as 'alien' is unlikely to be helping you to relax and communicate well - are there ways you can find out more about her culture and the differences between you that will help you experience less alienation?
Again - hoping you can both find a resolution together - having regularly disturbed sleep is (excuse the terrible pun) a bit of a nightmare.

 

[notsure123]

I don't think anyone's going to shoot you.

It seems there are two problems here, a plumbing problem and a communication problem.
The plumbing problem is (I am completely guessing here!) likely to be, in itself, fairly straightforward to fix.
So how can you address the communication problem?

You could just leave it in the hands of EH

You might find that you'll have more success if you get mobile in your thinking - start with the creative question of how to establish good communication, think about what might be helpful to bring the two of you into good contact ...
I'm curious about how successful you've been in your attempts to integrate into your local Nigerian community? It might be worth thinking about your friendships with other local Nigerians... could be helpful...
I would suggest that you may be unwise to assume that your whiteness is not a problem, without knowing your neighbour's particular history and experiences of racism, it's not possible to know what impact your whiteness has on her...
...and your experience of her as 'alien' is unlikely to be helping you to relax and communicate well - are there ways you can find out more about her culture and the differences between you that will help you experience less alienation?
Again - hoping you can both find a resolution together - having regularly disturbed sleep is (excuse the terrible pun) a bit of a nightmare.

 

[notsure123]

Many thanks for your response. You mention me integrating into my local nigerian community......this is predominantly a very white area. I dont have a problem with anyones race or ethnicity........its the actual person that matters and i have no problem `integrating` with any colour or creed - indeed my work meant this was often an everyday occurance......

what i find the most heartening and interesting in your post is that you say the noise problem could probably be very easily rectified......this is the issue here...rectifying this situation.......
i know nothing about plumbing but i feel in my heart the problem is `where` she has placed/tracked her new plumbing (and also with no insulation) i think the solution is to put her plumbing system back as it was......even if she fitted a shower in her bathroom which i know did not exist when she bought the house, she could surely jsut feed it from the existing plumbing where i heard absolutely nothing....

the truth is that she KNOWS there is a problem.......to acknowledge it means doing something about it and she is obviously unprepared to do that or spend out any money......whether she is black pink white or blue it is irrelevant....she is downright selfish and does not give a dam about how much distress she is causing me......If somebody complained to me about something similar.....initially my thoughts would be at causing them distress but i would certainly want to listen to the noise..the fact that she does not is because she absolutely knows there is a problem...heaven knows how much noise it makes in her house when she runs her taps if its so incredibly loud in mine......she has had a cheap labour bodge...unthought out job done.......
I dont particularly want to find out more about her culture....i could not be less interested ...i just want this incredible noise to stop violating my home.

i just hope that EH will come in and listen to the noise.....I have not heard from them since they asked for the issue address........I will give it a little longer and get back in touch with them....

 

[Pat ex]

So this is where i get shot. i am not racist at all in answering your question. She is black and i am white...not a problem - i have black friends and colleagues. I think she is nigerian and i have just been aware that she speaks to nobody around here (so the suggestion that another neighbour listen and than maybe approach wouldnt be possible because no other neighbours know her any better than myself). I think she is nigerian.....i find her incredibly unfriendly...she seems quite hostile and she only appears to mix with her nigerian counterparts and family making no atempt to integrate. (from my perspective...but she can do what the hell she wants...this isnt the issue.....the dam blinking noise is and her response or lack of it blows me away quite frankly.
and now i get shot for being very un p.c.

I do appreciate your frustration, both with your problem of the noise nuisance, and the assumption that you might be racist.
Don't take much notice of MynameisBod, he frequently tries to argue that there is racist issue where there isn't. And he frequently denies that there is a racism issue when there so evidently is.

I'm going to repeat myself, yet again:
You must stop assuming that your neighbour is the devil incarnate. It's the noise, and only the noise that you are concerned about.
You must also stop assuming that your solution is the only solution. There may a myriad number of ways of resolving the issue.

You say that there are no other neighbours that are friendly with your neighbour. That isn't the question I asked. I asked if any of your neighbours are tactful, or could be more diplomatic in their approach to your neighbour. You seem to have worked yourself into a bit of a tizz, and this may well have become apparent in your letters, counter measures, and approaches to her. She may well have other issues going on in her life of which she feels she has little control, e.g. family, work, immigration costs, visas, etc, Of course these shouldn't impact your life, but we are all human.

You're looking for a fresh face, a fresh perspective and an unbiased approach to the problem. It could be one of your friends or colleagues, a priest or vicar of your local church, just someone who would act as an intermediary, NOT someone to take your side, and NOT someone to resolve the issue for you, just someone to bring you two together, to discuss and address the issue.

If none of these options are possible, then you must continue with EH, and collect evidence to support your complaint.
If EH cannot discern the problem from outside the address, they might assume that there is no real problem.

 

[Deleted member 18243]

If you can find her stop tap in the front garden turn it off.

 

[FlatulentFreddie]

If you can find her stop tap in the front garden turn it off.

And then get himself evicted for breaching his tenancy agreement.
Any more bright ideas?
It would solve his problem though because he wouldn't need to listen to her water anymore

 

[denso13]

And then get himself evicted for breaching his tenancy agreement.

How so?