I live in a UK apartment with the one above currently being used as an AirBnB (or something similar). The only noises I typically hear from the occupants are in the form of stomping, creaking of what I assume is floorboards or hardwood flooring and occasionally shouting.
After contacting the local council, they say they cannot intervene as the noise of stomping and shouting doesn't fall into the list of noises they can impose a silence on, which I can understand as you would potentially risk telling someone they can't walk around their own home! I've yet to get a response from the owner but just in case they cannot or will not do anything, I am exploring other options on what I can do on my side.
I believe my own ceiling is plaster and paint, with no detachable sections with which to reach any wiring or insulation inbetween. I have seen solutions such as soundproof paint or simply temporarily sticking additional insulation onto the ceiling.
If the primary cause of the noise is the creaking of floorboards or similar, what common measures can be employed to reduce the noise from this as well as everyday noises? Or would preventative measures used against everyday noise work as well?
Best Answer
Unfortunately, the best solution to this would be a proper underlayment between the flooring and sub-floor in the above apartment.
If the apartment is old, it may not have any substrate to speak of. If it was flipped specifically to be used as a rental, the contractor probably went with the cheapest material available.
If you were redoing your apartment you could look into sound-reducing insulation for the ceiling. However, much of what you are hearing would be transmitted through the joists anyway, so this would not completely solve the problem.
https://www.soundproofcow.com/product/quiet-batt-30-soundproofing-insulation/