lease does not permit wood floor, is this a good way round?

[monty82]

Hi

I was wondering what advice any of you might have.

I just purchased a flat recently (leasehold and share of freehold), and I want to put wood flooring yet the lease says that I am required to "fully cover and keep covered the floors of the premises with carpet and underlay". I understand this is to prevent sound affecting the neighbours below. The current carpets and underlay do transmit quite a lot of sound anyway (I can also hear the footsteps and radio from upstairs), so I am thinking, to ensure that I do not disturb the neighbours while still abiding by the lease to install the following:

1. Carpet tiles directly onto the floorboards (cheap, thin, hard as they have rubber backing, and provide some sound insulation) and I abide by the lease requirement of having "carpet"

2. Tredaire Technics 5 underlay (very expensive, excellent sound insulation) and I abide by the lease requirement of having underlay

3. Engineered click-system wood floor as a floating floor

Now I think the carpet tiles are not really 'spring' enough to create the 'bounce' effect, and the underlay is one of the best for sound absorption and surely will all these layers, the sound reduction is better than the cheap underlay/carpet that is currently in place?

Its expensive, but I don't want to annoy my neighbours, and I don't want to breach the lease. What do you guys think in terms of installation, how it will feel, and sound-insulation-wise?

 

[Bud Cline]

And you think that top layer is really going to stay together with all that cush underneath?

Ain't gonna happen my friend.

 

[Cork-Guy]

If your lease says no wood flooring you can't put it in; that's plain and simple. I would talk with the owner and have them look into cork flooring if they want a flooring solution that's great at damping\blocking noise.

 

[frozenstar]

If your lease says no wood flooring you can't put it in; that's plain and simple. I would talk with the owner and have them look into cork flooring if they want a flooring solution that's great at damping\blocking noise.

Agree. But still if he got the money and would look comfortable with the plan then why not got with it anyway?

 

[Cork-Guy]

Agree. But still if he got the money and would look comfortable with the plan then why not got with it anyway?

Mmmm, are you saying he should just install the flooring of his choice and go against his lease?