Seeing as I am a block resident here in the UK and also the creator of this site I feel it only right that I should start off the content in this section.

Firstly I would like to give you all a warm welcome to the Flat Chat site, I truly hope you enjoy using it and that it actually becomes a useful resource for you in the future. Secondly I want to kick things off by writing about something that I think all block residents can relate to, and that I would love to hear your comments on …..NOISY NEIGHBOURS!  We all have them, we all get annoyed by them at times, but I’d like to give you my take on what I think can be one of the best parts of apartment living.

Just to give you an idea of my own situation, I live in a first floor apartment and am surrounded by neighbours on all sides apart from my balcony which at times I have wanted to throw myself from because I’ve been so stressed about the noise from the young child athlete upstairs and next doors drum and base sessions!  

Until a year ago I had never lived in an apartment block before so didn’t really know what to expect. I decided to set up a small forum website just for my block which is where the idea for Flat Chat was born. It was on this original forum site that I discovered all of my neighbours also had a thing or two to say about the ravers I lived next to, and they too also had their own noise related problems from other residents in our block.  

After speaking to a few of the forum users most of the noise issues actually became very comical in the sense that it now wasn’t only me that knew one of the blocks male residents loved to sing Kylies greatest hits in the ‘privacy’ of their own home, and you can imagine the laughs that were had when one of the blocks newly wed couples forgot to shut their window one evening whilst obviously cementing their relationship!!!  

By sharing what I thought were my problems with other residents it actually enabled me to have a completely different view of noisy neighbours. I think we all have to admit that when we move into an apartment block we don’t expect it to be like living in a library and when I now hear other people in the block I see it as more of a sign of life than an annoyance, and that has helped me to relax so much more in my own flat. I also think that most of us can hold our hands up and admit that once in a while we too become the noisy neighbor and probably shouldn’t be playing our stereos so loud. As long as we are all aware of the fact that we share our block with others then hopefully (without sounding cheesy) we can all just learn to get along. 

I hope that you will share some of my views and I really encourage you to use the forum section of this site as a means to communicate with all of your blocks residents. I think you’ll find out pretty quickly that your not the only one who is getting annoyed at noisy residents in your block.  

Please take the time to share your views on this subject by adding your own comments to this article below.