u/popquizkid_

I'm looking for some expert advice to help us solve the mystery about why we can smell every single odour from our neighbour’s kitchen.

We rent a 3-bedroom terraced house in London, built in 1915, and have been here for 18 months. Next door was split into two flats about 15 years ago. Our upstairs back bedroom has a fireplace and chimney stack, which adjoins the neighbour’s kitchen.

The neighbour’s kitchen fireplace has been removed and plastered over professionally. I’ve been in there with the owner and can’t see any obvious holes or gaps in the walls or floor. Their oven is on the opposite wall to our bedroom with a normal extractor hood above it. There is also a small ventilation fan in the outside wall near the window. According to the owner, there have been no recent renovations.

The problem has become much worse over the past couple of months and is now at the point where the bedroom is basically unusable. Unfortunately this includes cigarette smoke. Smells are coming through the fireplace and also through the skirting boards and between floorboards. We have taped up the fireplace, partly sealed the skirting gaps, and filled visible floorboard gaps, which has helped, but the smell is still bad. When they don't open their kitchen window, it can feel like they are cooking or smoking in our bedroom.

Our landlord is mystified because previous tenants did not report the same problem.

Has anyone experienced anything similar in an old terraced house? I’d be especially interested in answers from anyone who has dealt with hidden airflow routes between a kitchen and an adjoining upstairs room. Any ideas or practical fixes very welcome, apart from move...

We need your help solving a mystery about why we can smell every single odour from our neighbour’s kitchen.

We rent a 3-bedroom terraced house in London, built in 1915 and have been here for 18 months. Next door was split into two flats about 15 years ago. Our upstairs back bedroom has a fireplace and chimney stack, which adjoins the neighbour’s kitchen.

The neighbour’s kitchen fireplace has been removed and plastered over professionally. I’ve been in there with the owner and can’t see any obvious holes or gaps in the walls or floor. Their oven is on the opposite wall to our bedroom with a normal extractor hood above it. There is also a small ventilation fan in the outside wall near the window. According to the owner, there have been no recent renovations.

The problem has become much worse over the past couple of months and is now at the point where the bedroom is basically unusable. Unfortunately this includes cigarette smoke. Smells are coming through the fireplace and also through the skirting boards and between floorboards. We have taped up the fireplace, partly sealed the skirting gaps, and filled visible floorboard gaps, which has helped, but the smell is still bad. When they don't open their kitchen window, it can feel like they are cooking or smoking in our bedroom.

Our landlord is mystified because previous tenants did not report the same problem.

Has anyone experienced anything similar in an old terraced house? I’d be especially interested in answers from anyone who has dealt with hidden airflow routes between a kitchen and an adjoining upstairs room. Any ideas or practical fixes very welcome, apart from move...