Noisy neighbours
Noise is one of the most common forms of anti-social behaviour complaint. Your landlord has a responsibility to deal with anti-social behaviour and to work with other organisations to do so
You may be able to solve the problem directly and calmly with your neighbour, as they may not realise they’re causing disruptive noise. Only do this if you feel safe to do so.
Anti-social behaviour is…
- nuisance and/or criminal behaviour
- that is frequent or persistent
- and having an impact and causing distress
Noise which can be classed as anti-social behaviour includes
- DIY at unreasonable hours*
- frequent loud parties
- frequent visitors at unreasonable hours*
- excessive dog barking
Noise that is not classed as anti-social behaviour includes
- children playing
- DIY at reasonable hours*
- a one-off party
- domestic appliances such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners, unless used at unreasonable hours*
- occasional dog barking
Some types of noise disruption might be due to poor sound insulation between homes, or where an upstairs neighbour has removed carpet against the landlord’s rules. Whilst not classed as anti-social behaviour, you should still contact your landlord as they may be able to help.
*Reasonable hours
What you, your neighbour and your landlord would deem reasonable hours may differ greatly, and you would need to reach an agreement together. In law, the Noise Act 1996 defines night hours as 23:00 to 07:00, though noise that is classed as anti-social behaviour can also fall outside of these hours.
Your landlord…
- Has a responsibility to prevent anti-social behaviour by keeping the neighbourhood and communal areas clean and safe
- Must have a policy that explains how they do this, which they publish, and provide to you if you ask
- Must make it easy for you to report anti-social behaviour, take complaints seriously and treat you with respect
- Must make it clear which information they need, what help they can provide, and keep you updated
- Must support tenants, including signposting to other agencies who can give support and assistance
- Inform you about your right to make an application for an anti-social behaviour case review (also known as the community trigger)
If you have reported the problem to your landlord and you are unhappy with their response you can make a complaint to your landlord.
If you are unhappy with how they handle your complaint, you can complain to the Housing Ombudsman.
If you feel threatened or you think someone’s behaviour is breaking the law you should always call the police first. You can contact them by calling 999 or report emergencies or 101 for non-emergencies.
Useful links on this site
Four Million Homes – problems with neighbours
External websites
Help with anti-social behaviour for social housing tenants
The Housing Ombudsman Service (to make a complaint about your landlord)
Anti-social behaviour case review (the community trigger)
Downloadable PDF document
The Neighbourhood and Community Standard (the standards that landlords must meet)
Anti-social behaviour webinar
Chapters in this video (90 mins)
Discover more on this website