I searched but didn't find my exact problem covered.

We recently moved into a 1st floor apartment in Zurich. It is a 4 floor building so we have 3 floors above us. (Big mistake -- will only take a top floor apartment if and when we move.)

When looking at the apartment, we understood 4 of the 7 units have their own washing machines -- so it would be easy to use the washer in the basement with no schedule. We viewed this as a plus at the time.

However, the first night we heard a terrible churning noise in our bedroom for most of the night. It sounded like a washer being run through the night.

We relocated from the U.S., so have a relocation agent who is under contract to help us resolve matters for 3 months following our move in date. I complained to the relocation agent who complained to the landlady.

The upshot is: after several complaints to the landlady and her assurance that there is only one washing machine above us and it is on the 4th floor (not sure I believe this), the landlady says the 4th floor tenant has assured he is not washing at nigth, so she has done what she can do. Last night, we had washing noise until about 12:30 a.m., and it started up again at 4 a.m. That's an improvement from all through the night, but still not acceptable to us.

Two issues:

One -- I can't be absolutely sure it's a washing machine, although that's exactly what it sounds like. I guess it could be some kind of building system. My landlady is, of course, being very cagey about all of this as it's clear she does not want to evict a tenant.

Two -- If it is a washing machine, landlady is not going to help us unless the law compels her to do so. I even told her we don't care if the tenant washes on Sunday as the sound is the worst in the bedroom and we can be elsewhere in the apartment during the day. But we really care about washing noise through the night.

I would appreciate any advice on the best way to deal with this. Most of the threads I searched address posters who have received noise notices instead of posters with noise issues and an uncooperative landlady.

Thanks.

Speak to the neighbour above you. If it's not them generating the noise, they sure as hell can hear it, which would help in identifying the culprit. My guess is that it is the neighbour directly above you and you just need to set the rules with them in the nicest possible way. If they don't cooperate you can either be prepared for a battle of wills where various strategies can be persued or simply start looking for somewhere else to live. I personally prefer the former solution.

Are you on the first floor or the ground floor? If you are on the ground floor, check the basement to see if there is a boiler/hot water heater or something just underneath you. It could be something like that.

Could it be a dishwasher? Sounds odd that it runs at night and then again in the morning but one never knows.

Agree - given the times, it looks very much like a heating issue, rather than a washing machine. In addition to Minimia's suggestion, I might add that if it's underfloor heating, and the building is old, you might also find air in the system which can make a lot of noise.

Thanks. We are not on the ground floor, rather 1st floor, but we cannot rule out that it is the boiler or heating system. That is part of the problem. We certainly don't want to keep bothering people about an issue we just need to live with.

Sewing machines make a lot of noise too - maybe somebody in the building is a fashion designer or seamstress that works best at night? Not kidding. These machines make a hell lot of noise, especially at night, when everything else is quiet.

You live in Switzerland, there are rules and regulations for almost everything. I would simply make your point that Nachtruhe is being observed. It's mandatory after 22.00h.

I know what you mean. You want to find the problem but not bother people especially if you are not really sure what the issue is.

Is this going on everyday? If it's every day at the same time it's could be the "stuff" in the basement on a timer or the temps drop around the same time & the burner comes back on or something.

I'd head downstairs anyway and check what's down there if it's on your side of the building.

I know it's frustrating. I had a neighbor who would set her/his machine to go off at 3.30 in the morning and it would often wake me up. It wasn't in Switzerland though and the problem was that you really couldn't tell which apartment the noise was coming from. I think, for me, it was the building next door through the vents.

I know its the last thing you probably feel like doing but have you tried wandering about the building when the noise is at its worse during the otherwise silent hours? I think if you can hear a washing machine in your apartment, you would be able to hear it from the landing outside the offending apartment?

I think it might be worth a night time stroll.

I have to say, I'd probably be doing this, with a glass and my ear pressed to the door! Well, I would do that after I checked out the situation downstairs. I'm convinced it's the stuff down there.

Oh, should we take bets?

+1 to that, it's really the only way to be sure.

Tom

Well I didn't want to sound too obsessive, but I can tell you, if it was me, I certainly wouldn't have stopped at just "walking around the hallways"

The other point that comes to mind .. do you have dual tarif electricity? The timing of the washing/drying could be in function of the low tarif times. Our neighbour does this and was keen to show me how to do it, but another b***** timer on a machine ... couldn't be doing with it.

Please be sure to check with neighbour to find source and discuss with neighbour if applicable before escalating.

It is plausible the tenant above has a cannabis farm. They maybe opting to the run the extractor fan and filter through the night, or, if they are struggling to maintain humidity levels with this approach full time, merely noticeable when all else is silent, if amateur and the correct vibration preventions have not been installed. Alternatively, they may have switched to the bloom cycle, and have the lights and fans going on a 12/12 cycle thus hearing morning and night.

I say be sure to check and discuss, you will not want disgruntled grower on your case. On the plus side, come harvest you may be welcome a nice surprise.

1) record the sound - it provides you evidence
2) get a recording in dB how loud it is
3) complain to the police once you have evidence 1 & 2

Before you do (3) speak to your neighbours. Your initial post doesn't mention anything about having tried to communicate with them.

Finally, why should the land-lady evict anyone? This is noise disturbance that should* be fixable with a bit of communication.


*in theory!

If you're on the first floor and there are 7 other units in your building; 2 per floor? it's surely impossible that only one appartement above you has a washing machine, there should be three, assuming the unit on the same floor as you has one.
Also, it's quite probably that someone has installed a machine without permission from the landlady, possibly in the bathroom.... where there's lots of pipework to transfer noise to the other appartements.
Or perhaps someone is using the one in the basement during the night, as noise does carry upwards as well.

Do as suggested by the others; try to record the noise, spend a while wandering about next time you hear it, try speaking to your neighbours to see if they hear anything. And keep complaining!

If you find it...

Thanks, everyone. Some very good suggestions here, which dh and I will consider. I guess I complained to the landlord first as that's what we would have done in our building in the states. No muss or fuss -- just go to the landlord for enforcement.

In any event, we put our ear to the floor and can't hear a thing. When we get on a chair and get closer to the ceiling, it gets even louder, so I think it is safe to assume it's not coming from the heater or boiler in the basement. And, I think the sound is coming from the apartment directly above us. At certain times, there is a washing sound that is quite faint and which we can live with. That, no doubt, is the machine on the 4th floor.

It had not occurred to us that electricity is cheaper at night. That could help explain the washing through the night issue. Oddly, I did take a walk to the landings of other apartments when the sound is going and can't hear a thing, so sound must be traveling directly through the floors, but not out the doors.

Dh and I will consult about next steps. It has improved somewhat, but they are still washing until midnight or 1 am and starting up again at 4:30 am or so. Perhaps they think if they wash according to when the trams run, that will be okay. But, it's not. The trams are very seldom at 5 am, but the washing is a steady annoyance.

Frankly, the apartments are not that big. I don't see how one couple in an apartment can have that much wash (I have not seen or heard any children in the building). But, I think the apartments are big enough there are some shares going on so perhaps everybody is taking their turns washing.

Finally, let me thank, especially, those posters who made me laugh. Love the cannabis farm and the animated washer! There is nothing so annoying that a bit of humor won't help!

Many thanks again for all of your helpful suggestions. You will see that I am a new poster here -- and happy to find that you are a very nice bunch!

Don't tell me that if you had the opportunity at 4. am in the morning to throw a brick into that washing machine you wouldn't do it?

I can't actually see what I'm posting but I think this is the clip I'm thinking of:

http://www.anyclip.com/movies/the-gr...htmb/#!quotes/

"Well, go find yourself a spin cycle!"