Absolutely detest it right now!

Been renting a flat for 10 years now, 5 of them in the current place.  The first two were in student areas so a lot of noise was to be expected, but as it was all I could afford I sucked it up.  Moved into the current place and it was great to begin with.  Loads of quiet neighbours, grounds were kept tidy, numbered parking bays (1 per flat) were rspected and the communal areas were kept clean and stuff-free by everyone.  Fast forward 4 years and things have changed.  A new management company took over and it’s all gone to shit.  The previous one had a rule that anyone moving in had to have a minimum level of income and if you had too many complaints your landlord was notified and more often than not your tenancy wasn’t renewed.  It was great and there was actually a waiting list with letting agents to get a viewing on any flats in my block!  This meant that it attracted decent landlords who cared about their proeprties, not the ones who have all the students crammed in that blight the rest of the city (cardiff).  Now a few places have been sold and these crappy landlords have got a foot in the door of the place and we now have families of 4 with young kids runnning amok about the place from 6am to gone 10 most days, scooters, bikes and general crap left all over the hallways, including muddy footprints, cars parked in any bay that’s free – one flat has 4 cars! – and the kids have managed to break the front door lock ramming it all the time.  The rear door is left on the latch most of the time and has twice now smashed itself swinging in the wind at night.  I get a near-weekly letter about some abandoned car in someone’s parking bay, the bin store is an absolute tip most of the time and everyone makes loads of noise all day.  Not helpful when I an oin a run of night shifts, like I am now.  The new management company also refuse to do anything about anything apart from send out  letter to everyone and fix urgent stuff only.  Meant to be in bed but there’s a kid’s party going on who are running up and down the stairs with loud music playing and someone has parked their car across mine so I can’t get out.  Before anyone says move it’s the same in almost all the flat blocks round here according to the letting agents an the price jump up to a rented house is nearly 50% more than what I’m paying so I can’t afford that.  My landlord has told me he will be selling up when I move out as he hates the way the place has gone, it’s only that I look after the place and pay on time that he hasn’t sold up already.  Buying is not an option as I can only afford to buy one of these flats and that isn’t happenning, houses are roughly double the price locally thanks to the student let people buying eveything they can.

If people think the housing crisis can be sorted with flats and rabbit-hutch houses crammed together like they’re building round here they’re mistaken.  IT’s driving me crazy.

All sounds a bit ‘social housing’ to me mate. Time to move assuming you are a private tenant.

Sounds like terminal Chav infection.

I’ve been there myself in the past. Just dreadful.

The only antidote is a move… 🤨

see if your landlord will sell n take you with him?

I feel lucky to not be in that situation, but I do really feel for you.

We spend most of our lives in our homes and they’re supposed to be places of calm and happiness where you can relax and get your head together. There must be nothing worse than being unhappy in your home. I know you say moving is not an option but surely it’s the only option? If you can find somewhere else for the same money, how much worse could it be?

Been there myself and as others have already said the only way out is to move. My mental state improved 100% when I did.

see if your landlord will sell n take you with him?

Try this for sure.

If it’s any consolation, buying a house wouldnt be a guarantee of stopping all the issues you are having…

I agree flats are not the answer to the housing crisis. Unfortunately this government doesnt care as long as the property devs are happy.

In your case you can move on, one bed houses can be quite good as am alternative. Your landlord on the other hand may have trouble selling.

Plenty of professionally managed flats these days in most major cities, aimed at single professionals.

Houses can be a nightmare to, if you end up with a **** of a landlord – I’ve had plenty of bad experiences. I’d now rather take a flat or studio run by a corporate any day.

Unless you have enough money to rent out every flat in a block and then sublet them out yourself, this problem can happen anywhere. Thank yourself lucky in this case you don’t own the flat and you can walk away.

There is nothing wrong with flats they are largely better than most development with the insistence that every house is semi or detached dispite being small and being inefficient with space resulting in poor shaped plots to squeeze in houses.

The problem is that flats in the UK are frequently badly designed and badly managed and marketed as not a serious long term place to live. Build them right, mange them right and they off many advantages over more inaccessible sprawl.

Thought this was going to be a thread about cycling in Norfolk.

But yeah, noise pollution into your home is really, really bad for your wellbeing. Moving is usually the only option

Christ, that sounds grim. Good luck getting it sorted or getting out of there.

I’ve got friends in a few different Cardiff flats and not heard any such complaints.

I’m sure you can find some better ones, there are loads around.

Agree that a decent management company makes a huge difference.

Can only sympathise. My last house was a flat, great block. Old lady downstairs basically heated my flat. We’d knock on the door at least twice a month for a chat. Thai bride man kept himself and his purchases to himself the rest were decent folk to live round.  The start of the rot was when a young family moved in upstairs and I went up to ask the banging to stop, it sounded like someone jumping up and down. “Aye we’ve just bought the wean a trampoline.”

I sold within bsix months.

Would like to sort it out before considering moving as I pay a lot less rent than thever current market rate as my landlord has never put it up!  He doesn’t own any other places and when he sells mine he’ll be out permanently as he’s retired as of last year.

Its on one of the posh developments from a decade ago so bar moving down the Bay area (double the rent!) I’m kinda stuck.  Add in that its perfect for parking and my bikes with no through road so traffic is low, its just the curret crop of inconsiderate neighbours thats the issue.  About to go in for my night shift after only 2 restress hours sleep so will look for alternatives, if I stay awake that is!

would he sell it too you cheap for you to rent it out and then rent elsewhere

or fog it

Yep noise pollution is really stressful. My ex-neighbours were very weird and would bang around at 5.30 in the morning, in the end I was going to bed early to compensate. They’ve now moved and I feel much more relaxed.

There is a major problem in that young families are priced out of the housing market so can only afford to rent flats. The housing crisis isn’t going to get better anytime soon judging by the amount of flats rather than houses which are being built where I live in the south east.

Its hellish mate, totally feel for you. We’ve been in the same flat for 11 yrs (me missus and three kids), mostly great, but we had neighbours upstairs for 2.5 of those who really made things absolutely awful.

Selfish, unthinking, deliberately nasty bunch of see-you-next-tuesdays. So many of the things you describe we faced as well (kids and parents were both issues).

I have a feeling its not particularly the cramped, affordable, social housing that is to blame, its just that some people are arseholes. Rich, poor, any background…

But really, only solution is to move. Soz, but lots of our friends faced with similar scenarios had to do that. And are much happier.

The critical thing is that you take positive action, if you don’t, mentally you’ll end up a vicious circle of frustration, regret and anger.

Good luck.

“There is a major problem in that young families are priced out of the housing market so can only afford to rent flats. The housing crisis isn’t going to get better anytime soon judging by the amount of flats rather than houses which are being built where I live in the south east.”

Same round here, plenty of flats that aren’t suitable for families.  The houses that they are building are massively out of the price range of FTB’s despite them supposedly being aimed at them!  Anything in the middle ground is hoovered up by the BTL people for student lets.

Had a good look at local rents and there’s nothing I could realistically move to for less than an extra £300 pcm, not happening so am going to see if I can put any more pressure on the management company to sort things out.  My landlord is supporting me on this thankfully.

Have you looked at moving out of Cardiff, milky1980?

Cheaper rents in somewhere like Caerphilly but still easy to get in to Cardiff.

I agree flats are not the answer to the housing crisis. Unfortunately this government doesn’t care as long as the property devs are happy.

And landlords, which many MP’s are, with housing as part of their investment portfolios.

Houses being treated as investment vehicles could be curbed, but the turkeys and their lackeys won’t go for it strangely enough! Interesting the types of people who get involved in politics, their business interests, family, friends and business associates.

You only have to look at how brutal commercial letting is. Bring that mentality into the domestic market and the results are hardly surprising. Still it personally enriches the few at the many’s expense, whilst propping up luxury early retirement.

I only have to look around where I live. The houses should be (used to be) bought by working families, but are snapped up within days/weeks by predominately middle aged for BTL. Not one has sold to a young family, although they eventually get to occupy as tenants. There’s hardly any owner occupiers left. It has completely changed the neighbourhood and it’s high street for the worse. It’s alright for MP’s and shitrat landlords who don’t have to live with the mess they endorse and are part of creating.

The problem is that in order to prevent house prices falling, whilst at the same time building more ‘homes’ is they get smaller and smaller so they appear affordable.

To use the housing ladder analogy, rather than widen the middle steps we’re just adding incrementally smaller rungs under the first one.

I don’t get why a street when it goes from mainly owner occupied to renting can go downhill so much? It happened where we used to live, loads of terraces and a nice community but as the older people died or people upgraded to bigger houses when they had more kids more houses went to renting. Somehow people who rent “tend” to stray towards being crappier neighbours but why is this? It’s not a hard and fast rule obviously (I was a great tenant!). is it the tenants or the landlords that cause the issues? Just a bit weird – it can’t be only that owning a house makes you a nicer more understanding person.

What are you currently paying Op ?  I’ve got a friend who might have a lovely flat coming up in Llandaff North. Message me if you don’t want to say it publicly. His current tenant is in Hospital and it’s not looking that good 🙁

new  tax  laws on  interest only mtg being used as a tax offset will  eventually have an effect. Probaby mean the council will  end up paying to rent then sub let to the needy and subsidise those people as private rents rise o cover the tax liability .

If you have  a history of rental payments  that will aid you to get a mtg , I know its hard . Keep a  look out for house perhaps  that you could sub let , ??  Then you are in charge of who you house share with , and stop any nonsense straight away before it becomes an issue

More like living with your mate in a house which , if you both work , you both respect each others need for R &R, till  friday at 5pm , when its off the chain

“Have you looked at moving out of Cardiff, milky1980?

Cheaper rents in somewhere like Caerphilly but still easy to get in to Cardiff.”

I have a few times but the cost savings in rent don’t get near compensating for the increased travel time and cost to and from work.  I currently cycle in every shift and it only takes 20 mins regardless of the traffic with no cost as I have the bike anyway.  If I moved to Caerphilly for example I would face the same commute as my colleague which can be up to an hour each way and he’s spending £100 a month on fuel alone.  Long 12hr shifts mean that the additional time of travelling and even cycling would make it unsustainable for me, much as I would love to get out of the City!

taxi25 – I’m paying £450pcm which is £200 under what I should be paying going off what other residents are being charged.  Did a deal with the landlord when he binned the letting company as the flat could really do with a bit of redecorating (bedroom carpet is a bit worn and the woodwork paint is yellowing) so as it doesn’t really bother me, still look presentable, he reduced the rent for me but he’s still getting more than he did before the agents took their cut and he doesn’t have to fork out £ right now.  Llandaff North would be around £650-900 I’d have thought for a 1 bed flat.  I know houses go for £1k+ there if they become available.  PM me if it does become available though, even if it’s not the best time of year to find the deposit and rent plus the savings took a battering (as in pretty much empty..) this year with a new bike, unplanned holiday and my mum being in hospital 150 miles away for a month!

I’ve got a meeting confirmed with the management company next week, hopefully that will get results.  One of the neighbours who’s been here a while too is also coming along as they’re fed up of the noise too.

I can only extend my sympathy and echo what others have said; that your mental state will improve 100% if you get out.

Well aware of that, stayed in my last flat a bit too long after having trouble with the guy above me who was an alcoholic who refused to believe it was him making noise at 3am but if anyone else made noise he was ranting at everyone.  Thought he ran the block, also had a massive crush on the lady in flat 6 so if I spoke to her he got really jealous.  I’m not near that stage yet thankfully!  I’ll happily take out a small loan to cover moving costs if it gets that far, a few quid sacrificed for 6 months or so is better than living in a noisy flat!  Ironically I’m at home today working on my bikes and it’s deathly quiet as everyone’s at work.  Kids are due back anytime soon though so it won’t last.

Sorry to hear that,OP. What part of Cardiff are you in? And what prices would be within your range?

as you know, I’m in Cardiff, and having someone rob talk to and explore areas with could be helpful.

I’m in Windsor Village, technically Tremorfa but not in Tremorfa thankfully!  Got the meeting with the management co. tomorrow afternoon so going to see how that goes before making any decisions.  I’ve discovered that I’m not the only one who is complaining about them and their attitude towards noise so I have another resident joining me, should add a bit of pressure.  Also helps that the lock on the front door to the building has been broken by a combination of the kids and the winds we had yesterday, their reaction should be interesting.

Update:  Had a meeting with one of the management co’s assistants on Monday afternoon.  It wasn’t the bloke who is named as our building manager but a lady who runs another building in the area.  She was much more receptive to my complaints, especially as she was here just after school kicking out time so saw and heard the racket they make with their bikes, scooters and running up the stairs.  She did hint that my block’s manager isn’t great and that he’s been kicked off other places for poor performance so she’s going to bring it up with her supervisor and will get back to me on the outcome.  Sadly since the meeting the lock on the front door has been broken by the kids trying to push it open without unlocking it so that’s now knackered, hopefully that will be repaired soon too.

Hopefully good news.