Removed noise insulation from the next door house

[peter1234]

I have a terraced house that until recently gave me no concerns. In the recent past all I could hear from properties next to mine was the occasional TV program. Now, the noise coming from one of them is constant. I can hear chairs dragged along the floor, foot steps in the rooms and up and down the stairs. The noise seems to come from a percussion box. It is as if all existing noise insulation has been removed from the property. I have been in the house, on and off, for a month. I have come to the conclusion that the noise is excessive, and I cannot expect even to find tenants willing to tolerate it.

I believe the tenants have removed all carpets and put some kind of laminated floor boards. Is there any building regulation that I can use in my favour to resolve the problem?

 

[simonjay]

I have a terraced house that until recently gave me no concerns. In the recent past all I could hear from properties next to mine was the occasional TV program. Now, the noise coming from one of them is constant. I can hear chairs dragged along the floor, foot steps in the rooms and up and down the stairs. The noise seems to come from a percussion box. It is as if all existing noise insulation has been removed from the property. I have been in the house, on and off, for a month. I have come to the conclusion that the noise is excessive, and I cannot expect even to find tenants willing to tolerate it.

I believe the tenants have removed all carpets and put some kind of laminated floor boards. Is there any building regulation that I can use in my favour to resolve the problem?

This can be the effect of removing carpets and putting in hard floors. With laminate it would usually be floating on some type of underlay that should help. Have you been in there to see exactly what they have done ?
They could have tiled onto floorboards.
They may also have changed the wall finishes, taken out a chimney breast etc, all which can reduce sound insulation.

It is common in flats to have a condition of tenancy banning the removal of carpets, but not in terraced houses.

And building regulations relate to changing of a thermal element, but not AFAIK changing of a sound insulating element.

Simon.