Can i leave my tenenacy agreement in the first few days if i dont like my neighbours?

Question

I have just moved into a new flat and have only been there a few days. It's an upstairs flat and i've discovered a young family living below who like to play music, blast their TV and leave alarm clocks running for 90 mins each morning.

I have signed a 12 month lease and dont like the thought of staying there for the next 12 months. Do i have any legal right to break the contract? Or, is there any kind of cooling off period or 7 days clause or anything similar so i can move out?

Answer 1

i shall watch the answers come in with interest as I'm moving in myself in 3 days!

not to your address, obviously.

to my knowledge. now that would be a reason for a get out clause!

Answer 2

You will have to read your tenancy agreement, but usually you have made the commitment and you should be sticking to it. If this is a private apartment block, however, you are quite within your right to report/discuss the nuisance issue with your landlord/agent and ask them to refer it to the Management Company who will approach the nuisance owner/tenant to sort the problem out. This way they wont know it is you who is complaining and it shouldn't cause an issue. Your landlord has a responsibility to sort this problem out on your behalf as this is not part of your agreement with him. Dont let them chase you out of the property - after all you must have been quite happy with it to take on the tenancy. Hope you can come to a satisfactory arrangement here. Add details if you have any further query and I will read it again.

Answer 3

hi there, im really sorry that your having these problems. it must be awful but i can tell you my situation. its not good news. i moved into a studio and my circumstances changed the very next day i moved in and i couldnt stay and id signed up for 6months. id paid 3 months in advance as required and i also set up all the bills etc. the company would not give in, i had to wait till they had new tennants in which was almost 3 months later but also pay the rent till they moved in!!! and the council tax and fees for everything.. i left after 4 days and was living elsewhere and it was a nightmare paying eveything. but they would not budge! you will be bound to pay the full rent and the council tax even if your not living there. try and contact your council about it all. i was with choices agency for info.

Answer 4

Generally, there are no rights of rescission (cancellation) on contractual agreements, such as leases, if you have already occupied the premises.

Your course of action should be to contact the landlord and register a complaint about the residents below you. If these folks are creating what is considered normal living noise, there's nothing you can do about it. If they are abnormally loud, perhaps contact by their landlord will quiet them down.

Answer 5

I don't think you have any cooling off period unless it's explicitly listed in your contract (unlikely), so I'd try 3 things:

1. Go and introduce yourself to the neighbours. If you're on friendly terms it's far easier to ask if they wouldn't mind turning the volume down a bit - most people don't realise how loud their noise is, especially if walls and ceilings are thin.
2. Call your landlord/letting agency and complain.
3. If you think the noise is excessive call the local council - they should have a noise department whose job it is to sort people who make excessive noise out, particularly if it's going on in unsocial hours (usually 11pm - 7am).

Answer 6

It should say in your agreement how much notice you have to give- probably 1 or 2 months.
Why not have a word with the neighbours, they may not realise how noisy they are.

Answer 7

Well read the small print of your contract. It may say something in there.

Answer 8

probably not. any rights you have will be spelled out in the contract.

Answer 9

i believe there is, as with anything of 2/3 weeks