Noisy Neighbours Tenant Advice

If your neighbour is making a noise that is causing you distress you are not alone as noise disturbance is by far the most common anti-social behaviour reported to the police, local authorities, and housing associations. It could include anything from loud music and parties, lots of banging, excessive shouting, construction/DIY at night, dogs barking to alarms going off.

Noise that is classed as unreasonable is:

Loud noise after 11pm and before 7am
Loud music and other household noise at an inappropriate volume at any time

Here at Horizon lets, we have put together a few tips on what you can do if you find yourself in this situation.

Keep Records

We always recommend keeping a detailed log whenever the noise occurs.

This should include:

What happened
The date and time
The length of time
How it affected you
How you tried to resolve it

If possible, take recordings of the noise as well. Keep any correspondence you have with your neighbour as evidence as this will be useful if you decide to escalate the situation.

Speak to your Neighbour

As a first point of call, and only if you feel safe to do so, speak to your neighbour. They may be totally unaware of how loud they are or how the noise is impacting you and a simple, polite conversation could be all it takes to resolve the issue. If you feel like the situation could turn aggressive do not use this approach as it is likely to make the situation worse or cause harm to either party.

Mediation

If talking to your neighbour doesn’t work, or you don’t feel comfortable doing so, reach out to someone who may be able to help. We will always do our utmost to help our tenants and are happy to act as the go between or mediator in these situations.

Report the Issue

If the above has not worked, it may be time to contact the environmental health department of your local authority. You can find your local authority and how to start the complaints process at GOV.UK. Be sure to give them as much information and evidence as possible as neighbour disputes are often one person’s word against another so it can be hard to prove. Speak to other neighbours to see if there are other people who can support your version of what is happening.

What the Council Can Do

If the council decides your neighbour is causing a statutory noise nuisance, they will issue a ‘noise abatement’ order telling the person to stop making a noise nuisance or else face legal action. If someone breaks an abatement order they can be fined up to £5,000.

When to Contact The Police

As a last resort you may be forced to contact the police if you feel your neighbours are breaking the law by being violent or harassing you. Local authorities have emergency response teams to deal with urgent noise problems. They can issue warnings, seize equipment, and give out fixed penalties.

We are Here To Help You

If you are unsure whether your neighbour’s behaviour is anti-social, you can talk it through with an adviser at your nearest Citizens Advice or contact us here and we will be happy to discuss the matter with you.

Don’t forget that many noise problems can be solved between you and your neighbour and in most cases your neighbour may be genuinely unaware of the problem they are causing, so serious action isn’t always required.

At Horizon Lets we are happy to assist you and advise you on any property management issues you may have with other tenants as your safety and well-being is important to us!