I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one of the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of plasterboard which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations? It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself and the
occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I have to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold me to
the full term of the contract.

Marcus

"Marcus Fox" wrote in
message ...
I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one of the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of plasterboard
which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations?

No.

It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself and the

It's also not an adequate fire break.

The Building inspector will not be pleased.

What are the HMO rules in your area?

If the property needs a license for the numebr of people
in it, then this will lilely cause it to be invalid.

tim



occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a
month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I have to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold me to
the full term of the contract.

Marcus

"tim....." wrote in message
...

"Marcus Fox" wrote in
message ...
I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one of
the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of plasterboard
which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations?

No.

It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself and
the

It's also not an adequate fire break.

The Building inspector will not be pleased.

What are the HMO rules in your area?

If the property needs a license for the numebr of people
in it, then this will lilely cause it to be invalid.

tim



occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a
month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not
cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I have
to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold me
to
the full term of the contract.

On second thoughts, it can't be a single sheet as there are sockets on it.
However, the partition is attached across a window and the noise
transmission through it is as such as it may as well not even be there.

Marcus

On Feb 13, 12:28 am, "Marcus Fox" please-reply-via-newsgroup...@-i-
posted-to.com wrote:
"tim....." wrote in message

...







"Marcus Fox" wrote in
m...
I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one of
the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of plasterboard
which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations?

No.

It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself and
the

It's also not an adequate fire break.

The Building inspector will not be pleased.

What are the HMO rules in your area?

If the property needs a license for the numebr of people
in it, then this will lilely cause it to be invalid.

tim

occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a
month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not
cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I have
to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold me
to
the full term of the contract.

On second thoughts, it can't be a single sheet as there are sockets on it.
However, the partition is attached across a window and the noise
transmission through it is as such as it may as well not even be there.

How long is the contract? How long have you been there?
HMO's that I operate are done on a licence and not a tenancy and hence
different criteria apply. If you have signed a tenancy then
technically you are signed up for the duration. Presumably you looked
at the accomodation on offer and signed accordingly. If technically
the accommodation breaches building regs then you might be able to
barter a walk away agreement or force it to be put right.

"legin" wrote in message
ps.com...
On Feb 13, 12:28 am, "Marcus Fox" please-reply-via-newsgroup...@-i-
posted-to.com wrote:
"tim....." wrote in message

...







"Marcus Fox" wrote in
m...
I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I
have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the
room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one
of
the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of
plasterboard
which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations?

No.

It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself
and
the

It's also not an adequate fire break.

The Building inspector will not be pleased.

What are the HMO rules in your area?

If the property needs a license for the numebr of people
in it, then this will lilely cause it to be invalid.

tim

occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a
month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not
cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I
have
to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold
me
to
the full term of the contract.

On second thoughts, it can't be a single sheet as there are sockets on
it.
However, the partition is attached across a window and the noise
transmission through it is as such as it may as well not even be there.

How long is the contract? How long have you been there?
HMO's that I operate are done on a licence and not a tenancy and hence
different criteria apply. If you have signed a tenancy then
technically you are signed up for the duration. Presumably you looked
at the accomodation on offer and signed accordingly. If technically
the accommodation breaches building regs then you might be able to
barter a walk away agreement or force it to be put right.

Have been there exactly six months, with six months left to run. I did look
at the tenancy and was expecting to want the house for the year I would be
at university. However, there wasn't music pounding through the wall when I
signed.

Marcus

"Marcus Fox" wrote in
message ...
I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one of the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of plasterboard
which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations? It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself and the
occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a
month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I have to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold me to
the full term of the contract.

Marcus

The problem is the noise not the wall

Would it not be better to ask the landlord to deal with the noise or
approach your local EHO to take decibel readings and advise you if the noise
is within legal limits? This they will do covertly

If the building is not up to standard then mentioning the EHO to the
Landlord may focus his mind for other reasons than the noise

Tony

"TMC" wrote in message
...

"Marcus Fox" wrote in
message ...
I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one of
the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of plasterboard
which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations? It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise
transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself and
the
occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a
month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not
cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I have
to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold me
to
the full term of the contract.

Marcus

The problem is the noise not the wall

Would it not be better to ask the landlord to deal with the noise or
approach your local EHO to take decibel readings and advise you if the
noise
is within legal limits? This they will do covertly

If the building is not up to standard then mentioning the EHO to the
Landlord may focus his mind for other reasons than the noise

Tony


aaaahahahahahahaha oh sorry, that's not meant as a joke is it....

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 12:16:10 +0000, Marcus Fox wrote:

"legin" wrote in message
ps.com...
On Feb 13, 12:28 am, "Marcus Fox" please-reply-via-newsgroup...@-i-
posted-to.com wrote:
"tim....." wrote in message

...







"Marcus Fox" wrote in
m...
I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I
have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the
room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one
of
the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of
plasterboard
which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations?

No.

It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself
and
the

It's also not an adequate fire break.

The Building inspector will not be pleased.

What are the HMO rules in your area?

If the property needs a license for the numebr of people
in it, then this will lilely cause it to be invalid.

tim

occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a
month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not
cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I
have
to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold
me
to
the full term of the contract.

On second thoughts, it can't be a single sheet as there are sockets on
it.
However, the partition is attached across a window and the noise
transmission through it is as such as it may as well not even be there.

How long is the contract? How long have you been there?
HMO's that I operate are done on a licence and not a tenancy and hence
different criteria apply. If you have signed a tenancy then
technically you are signed up for the duration. Presumably you looked
at the accomodation on offer and signed accordingly. If technically
the accommodation breaches building regs then you might be able to
barter a walk away agreement or force it to be put right.

Have been there exactly six months, with six months left to run. I did look
at the tenancy and was expecting to want the house for the year I would be
at university. However, there wasn't music pounding through the wall when I
signed.

Marcus

Is there a break clause in the contract?

The reality is that you can leave at any time and only lose your deposit.
(Usually around one months rent).
Of course you have to find alternative accom. and you may be hindered
slightly by not having a reference.
In theory the Landlord could come after you (small claims court) for the
remaining rent but it would cost him/her and your mitigating plea of
grievous noise nuisance might count for something.

Depending on where you live the Landlord may or may not have difficulty on
finding a replacement for you.

If you came across this accommodation through a university lettings
service/agency then they would be _very_ interested to hear about a
building defect like this...

--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html
Gas Fitting Standards Docs he http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFittingStandards

"news@mung" wrote in message
...

"TMC" wrote in message
...

"Marcus Fox" wrote in
message ...
I am a student renting a room in a house with five other students. I
have
been there for a while now, however, the problem is noise from the room
adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one of
the
rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of plasterboard
which
joins across the window. Is such a partition complying with building
regulations? It is clear that this is insufficient to stop noise
transfer
from the adjoining room and has led to falling out between myself and
the
occupant of the other room. I would much rather give the landlord a
month's
notice to leave the property, because of the noise nuisance and not
cause
further falling out between me and the other tenant, after all, I have
to
put up with living with him, however, the landlord is trying to hold me
to
the full term of the contract.

Marcus

The problem is the noise not the wall

Would it not be better to ask the landlord to deal with the noise or
approach your local EHO to take decibel readings and advise you if the
noise
is within legal limits? This they will do covertly

If the building is not up to standard then mentioning the EHO to the
Landlord may focus his mind for other reasons than the noise

Tony


aaaahahahahahahaha oh sorry, that's not meant as a joke is it....

Well I was trying to be helpful, but most of the privately rented student
accommodation I have had the misfortune to visit is usually in disrepair,
noisy, dirty, very smelly and with all sorts of lifeforms on the worktops
and in the fridge.

Many of the students appear to just walk away and write off the deposit as
the last months rent which may be the OP's best course

Other option is to beat the crap out of the noisy one or wait until he stops
and make even more noise yourself as a precursor to negotiations about
reasonable levels

Tony

TMC wrote:

adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one
of the rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of
plasterboard which joins across the window. Is such a partition
complying with building regulations?

Sounds very doubtful. Do you mean to say that the new wall butts up
against the glass of the window, so if you opened the window you could
put your head out and round to look in you next door neighbour's room?!

The problem is the noise not the wall

If the wall's constructed wrongly or poorly then it will allow the noise
transmission...

Would it not be better to ask the landlord to deal with the noise or
approach your local EHO to take decibel readings and advise you if
the noise is within legal limits? This they will do covertly

The EHO aren't going to be the slightest bit interested in noise
pollution from another room within the same property though.

If the building is not up to standard then mentioning the EHO to the
Landlord may focus his mind for other reasons than the noise

Agreed!

David

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:32:24 GMT, Lobster
wrote:

TMC wrote:

snipped
Would it not be better to ask the landlord to deal with the noise or
approach your local EHO to take decibel readings and advise you if
the noise is within legal limits? This they will do covertly

The EHO aren't going to be the slightest bit interested in noise
pollution from another room within the same property though.

snipped

David

Not even in a HMO .Are they not regarded as seperate dwelling for
noise pollution purposes .
Stuart

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
TMC wrote:

adjacent to mine. It is clear that the landlord has partitioned one
of the rooms, half of which is now mine - with a single sheet of
plasterboard which joins across the window. Is such a partition
complying with building regulations?

Sounds very doubtful. Do you mean to say that the new wall butts up
against the glass of the window, so if you opened the window you could
put your head out and round to look in you next door neighbour's room?!

It's uPVC and it butts up against the frame in the 4" or so that is between
two panes. And yeah, he can put his head out and look into my room, should
he want to. Can't do it on my side because I have the majority of the window
and the only pane that opens is furthest from the partition.

Marcus

Stuart B wrote:
On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:32:24 GMT, Lobster
wrote:

Would it not be better to ask the landlord to deal with the noise or
approach your local EHO to take decibel readings and advise you if
the noise is within legal limits? This they will do covertly
The EHO aren't going to be the slightest bit interested in noise
pollution from another room within the same property though.

Not even in a HMO .Are they not regarded as seperate dwelling for
noise pollution purposes .

Well at the end of the day, it would be up to the individual local
authority who issues the HMO license. I suspect it's pretty unlikely
they'd issue one in this instance, but don't think noise would be
anything to do with it - have never heard of that being an issue for
HMOs per se.

David