Annoying drumming neighbour

[xforxray]

One of our neighbours bought a drum kit 5 months ago and we are sick and tired of it. We have already been polite about the situation and he does stick to agreed hours but it's just too much now. Rather than try to reason with him again what would be our best course of action, is it possible for him to be forced to get rid of the drum kit completely? He part owns his flat with the housing association. Thanks in advance

[RATTER15]

No way you can force him to sell his drums, I think a phone call to your Council may be in order though.

[RATTER15]

Or contact the housing association, they will have strict rules concerning noise.

[NJOK]

You might find that your position is weakened by him having agreed to play only in certain hours. It's only when his behaviour is deemed unreasonable that you'll have any joy.

I'm afraid your right to live in peace and quiet doesn't outweigh his right to play the drums so as long as he doesn't play for excessively long periods and at anti-social hours, you might struggle to silence him.

Do try to reason with him again - taking the legal route should be a last resort as it could escalate the problem unnecessarily.

[noxlumos]

If the guy has been reasonable so far, agreeing to sick to certain times then why on earth do you want to escalate this? He's entitled to a hobby just as you are entitled to live quietly and it's just downright mean to expect someone to get rid oftheir drum kit ( and yes I have had loud musician neighbours in the past befper you ask). Talk to him and don't be so unreasonable.

[juddlinski]

Quit whining and let him have his fun. Why not buy a guitar and form a band with him?

[saxy_jag]

My husband is semi-pro and has five kits, plus a various assortment of 'toys' and 'folk' drums, all of which live in the house - a suburban semi. Fortunately he doesn't need to practice with the kit at home. He's a natural drummer, which means he goes around tapping and air-drumming all the flippin' time. He'll hit anything that stands still!

The point of my post is that you don't actually need a kit for essential practice. You can save the loud stuff for band practice. If your neighbour still insists otherwise, he can get a set of drum mutes for around �20 - �30, which should cut the sound down considerably.

[Annlinda]

Why not buy a violin and let him have a taste of his own medicine

[xforxray]

Thanks for the reasonable answers and as for the others, well we haven't tried to reason with him again because he is a 20 stone bouncer and was aggressive the last time we spoke to him about it. We agreed hours of 11am-10pm because we were intimidated into it rather than wanting those hours. We also have a youngish family and it's upsetting and distressing for the children especially around bedtimes. I'm all for people having hobbies that they enjoy but it's all about give and take when you live in close proximity to one another.

[juddlinski]

Bribe him with doughnuts and pies.

[themas]

You should talk to the Council Environmental Health Dept. They should be able to advise you on whether any action is likely to be possible. If necessary, they should be able to lend you sound measuring equipment so you can record the decibel level he is creating.

Before you talk to them, keep a log for 2 or 3 weeks showing the dates and times of every occasion when the noise disturbed you. Go on keeping the log after you talk to them as you may well have to be persistent to get anything done.

What do the other neighbours think about it? Its much better if you can make any complaint as a group rather than just you individually.

[RATTER15]

Murder him and and ward~minter just in case he plays drums as well.

[Drumming_mad]

How about having some give and take. So what he has a drum kit. So do I, one of my neighbours complains. I agreed with him that I would practice for no more than an hour a day, that leaves him with 23 hours of peace. There are times i dont go on for weeks. The minute I go on for more than an hour, by accident I may add, he is at my door whinging. Never comes round when I only do 20 minutes though and tells me I still have 40 minutes left. Life's short dude you never know if one day you'll need your annoying neighbour to help you with an annoying habit you didn't know you had.

[Drumming_mad]

How about applying some give and take. So what he has a drum kit. So do I started playing 3 years ago aged 44. Only one of my neighbours complains. I agreed with him that I would practice for no more than an hour a day, that leaves him with 23 hours of peace. There are times I don't go on for weeks. The minute I go on for more than an hour by only a few minutes, by accident I may add, he is at my door whinging. Never comes round when I only do 20 minutes though and tells me I still have 40 minutes left. Life's short dude you never know if one day you'll need your annoying neighbour to help you with an annoying habit you didn't know you had. I consider myself a reasonable bloke but some people aren't happy unless they get everything their way. Hope you get what your looking for!!!!!!