Noisy Neighbours

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Richy
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Noisy Neighbours

Post by Richy »

I just wanted to gauge some opinion on a recent incident if i may.
We rent an apartment in the centre of town which is normally very quiet. On a particular weekend recently a lot of the town was partying (last week of holidays) which i gather mostly wrapped up around 2am. Unfortunately the partying carried on until around 6 am in the apartment next to the one we rent to guests. Despite numerous request from our guests to keep the noise down the party goers continued. I gather there were a few drunken buzzes of the wrong doorbell and smoking in the communal areas. The apartment is directly opposite the police station but i am not sure if they were in residence.

On the guests return they do feel they should not have to pay for the noisy night in what was otherwise an idyllic week for them.
Whilst i can sympathies these were circumstances completely out of our control and don't really see why we should have to refund £120 equating to 1 nights rental?
One option i considered was to pass on the building managing agents address so they can make a claim against the owner of the noisy apartment?

Your thoughts please.
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Normandie
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Re: Noisy Neighbours

Post by Normandie »

Richy wrote:One option i considered was to pass on the building managing agents address so they can make a claim against the owner of the noisy apartment?

Your thoughts please.
My first and absolutely firm thought is that the guests' contract is with you and not the managing agents or the other tenants. Your contract is with the building's managing agents. Expecting your guests to deal with the managing agents or the tenants in the adjacent apartment is just buck passing and if I were given that answer as a customer I'd be furious.

If I was sure that the disturbance was as bad as they said and it went on till 6am, whilst accepting it was an incident outside my control and accepting no liability etc, as a goodwill gesture I might refund half - so £60.

Then if you want to pursue the £60 refund with the building's managing agents / other tenants, you can. But I bet you don't. :wink:

Out of interest, did they contact the police or the gendarmes? They're very good at quieting down private parties around here - not that we've had a visit! And were you notified about the problem at the time? If you had been, you could have arranged for a bottle of champagne or flowers or chocolates or somesuch as an acknowledgement at the time of the problem which might have headed off the claim for compensation.
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Richy
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Post by Richy »

Thanks I was actually on holiday myself at the time so impractical to organise a gift. My past experience of gifts after a problem more often than not results in it being thrown back in your face and they still want compensation despite best efforts to calm a situation.
As far as i am aware they did not contact the police.
Either way i will be contacting the managing agent, still don's see why i should be out of pocket.
Thanks for your view, much appreciated.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

I always think situations like this are no-ones fault. People have ad-hoc parties and how can you do anything about that. It is unreasonable on their part I think to hold you responsible.

I had exactly this situation in a Spanish city 2 years ago...noisy neighbours. We approached them direct but it didn't help much. It was over 2 nights. I didn't feel it was something to talk to the owner about as booking an apartment you have no idea (or control) what you're neighbours will be doing.

personally I wouldn't admit liability, and wouldn't pay out BUT if you feel you want to try and save good will I would offer a goodwill gesture of a smaller amount whilst explaining it is beyond your control.

Even in the country you can't guarantee peace and quiet and it's unacceptable IMO to expect to have that these days.

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French Cricket
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Post by French Cricket »

I agree with Mouse. C'est la vie - it's France, it's the season of fêtes. Nobody's 'to blame'; it's just a part and parcel of everyday life. If it were something happening every night that would be a different matter, but as a one-off? Yes, okay, it's annoying when you're trying to sleep through it, but don't most people just shrug their shoulders and get on with life?

We live in the back of beyond. Everybody, but everybody, comments that they've never heard silence like it. Yet in August it's broken by the sound of the village fêtes in our own village (4km) and the two neighbouring ones (bit further). If you've ever been to a French village fête you'll know how awful the music is, how appalling the sound system is, and how late they go on, for three or four days. And the sound travels, more or less depending on wind or atmospheric conditions, sometimes so that it's so loud it could be in our back garden! But it's once a year, and as far as I'm concerned it's part and parcel of country life, and so goes with the territory.
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Normandie
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Post by Normandie »

I think the fêtes when the whole community (or most of it) is out enjoying themselves and it's part of the culture in which you're holidaying are different to a party in the apartment next door where there's a more direct "sod everyone else" attitude that can be unsettling.

But if it happened to me and it was a one off, I'd be doing the shrugging thing and not demanding compensation - but that (right to compensation) is part of the culture now, I suppose. Just a different culture.

I wouldn't have booked a holiday in an apartment in the first place. I don't like neighbours. :wink:
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pambon
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Post by pambon »

Agree with Mouse. Not your responsibility and it's part of life. If they were so concerned WHY didn't they make a complaint to the police over the road? Loosing a few hours sleep is hardly life threatening.

No, they are trying this on.
rentalagent
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Post by rentalagent »

Try putting yourself in their shoes. If you went on holiday and had the same happen to you, would you ask for compensation? I certainly wouldn't and if I DID, it would be more in the spirit of having a cheeky go and trying it on rather than as a genuine complaint.

If you wouldn't ASK for the "c" word in their situation, why should you pay it out?

If the apartment was right above a nightclub, it happened all the time and you hadn't warned them then fair enough, but for a one-off incident I'd say no this time...
Happylady
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Post by Happylady »

I agree with rental agent although I might be a bit grassed off with the noise no way would I expect a refund. Think they're trying it on!
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Bellywobble
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Post by Bellywobble »

We recently had our local feria. Music started around 10.00pm and finished at 6.45 am just as OH was leaving for work. The feria was a km from the villa but sounded as if it was next door. This went on for three nights, so hit the final night of one stay and the first two nights of the next.

I wouldn't dream of giving compensation for it any more than I would give it for the neighbour's bloody yappy dog. All part of the Spanish experience. :wink:
lorca
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Post by lorca »

Same here BW - except the feria was in our village and as with all ferias in this part of Spain goes on until about 7am. Only once has a guest mentioned being disturbed by it (this year in fact) most seem to really enjoy much of what goes on during the day.

Ricky - I agree with the others, it was exceptional and outside your control. You don´t owe them anything.
Last edited by lorca on Wed Sep 05, 2012 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Richy
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Post by Richy »

Thanks everyone always good to get some opinion here. Looks like an overriding no to any payout then. That was my initial gut reaction which is normally the right one.
e-richard
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Re: Noisy Neighbours

Post by e-richard »

Richy wrote:On the guests return they do feel they should not have to pay for the noisy night in what was otherwise an idyllic week for them.
I'm intrigued at how the guests actually expressed their request for a refund. Do you think you can share that with us?
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aasta
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Post by aasta »

Agree with no-compensation....

We, like French Cricket, live in very quiet, rural hills, yet several times during the summer one of the villages below us hosts its lively village festa and the music is droningly loud...

Our American guests complained last week-end and we explained that it was an "act of God" (which since, the village festas are dedicated to the patron saint of the village, it essentially is) and nothing we can do about it....I did offer ear plugs for the next two nights of their stay.
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pambon
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Post by pambon »

aasta wrote:Agree with no-compensation....
Our American guests complained last week-end and we explained that it was an "act of God" (which since, the village festas are dedicated to the patron saint of the village, it essentially is) and nothing we can do about it....I did offer ear plugs for the next two nights of their stay.
I like! If you live in a Catholic country you can possibly get away with that :lol:
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