NHS worker ‘at breaking point’ as noisy neighbour ‘stops her sleeping for 14 months’

The tenants live in social housing (not pictured). Photograph: Bradley Leftley / Unsplash

A Hackney resident living in social housing has issued an urgent plea to be moved thanks to her noisy neighbour.

The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the man who lives upstairs is ‘very loud’ during antisocial hours, staying ‘up all night, every night’. She claims the racket has made it almost impossible for her to sleep.

“My life’s been hell since August last year,” she told the Citizen. “He’s always moving furniture, banging around, shouting. Unexpected loud crashes can happen at any hour throughout the night.

“I’m very close to having a breakdown. I’m trying to keep a job going in the NHS, full-time, and be a parent. I manage the garden here, I do all my community work, and I feel like I’m at breaking point.”

The resident said her inability to sleep is affecting her mental and physical health. She has been so exhausted at times that she has had to use her annual leave to take time off from work to recover.

However, she is often unable to sleep during the day due to other noises, such as from construction work. “I just feel really desperate,” she added.

“The impact it has on my life generally [is great], which has become all about trying to manage sleep and exhaustion and get through a day’s work.”

At one point, she stayed with another resident in the tower block one night but could still hear her noise coming from her neighbour’s property.

The resident also accused her neighbour – also a council tenant – of stealing bikes and parcels from other people in the tower block where they live. She said he had even thrown furniture out of his window and on one occasion made a hole in his fire door.

She claims he has fallen behind on his electricity bill in the past, causing his freezer to defrost, which has caused leaks into her apartment. Flooding into her home has also taken place when, she alleges, he has left his bath running for too long.

The NHS worker says she has reported the incident on multiple occasions to the Antisocial Behaviour team and Hackney Council. She’s even reported the issue to her MP. However, she feels she’s hit a dead end.

She said he has received letters about his behaviour from the department, but claims he ignores them.

“I’ve kind of run out of options, really,” she said.

Hackney Council has been contacted for comment.