Have fun but don’t upset your neighbours

Noise is one of the most common complaints we hear from our communities and can cause anxiety or stress.  

There are some things you can do to keep the peace and respect your neighbours.

Like your music loud? 

• If possible, keep your television and music speakers well away from your neighbours’ walls and raise them from the floor.  

• Sound travels, so consider closing your windows and doors.  

Planning a party

Your neighbours are likely to be more understanding if you warn them in advance – you might even consider inviting them.   

Consider neighbours who work night shifts and have to sleep at different times of the day and those who are elderly, in poor health or have newborn babies.   

Ask your guests to keep the noise down and respect your neighbours.

What to do if you have a problem with noise?   

• Have you spoken to the person causing the noise? They may not realise they are creating a nuisance.  

• If you don’t feel that you can talk directly with them, you could put a polite note through the door or post them a letter to make them aware.  

• If the problem continues call 101 if it is happening during unsociable hours. You should also report incidents to the Environmental Health Department of your local council. Visit your local authority’s website for more information. 

Is it anti-social? 

Having the occasional noisy party or playing loud music now and again is not classes as anti-social behaviour. 

However, persistent noise nuisance, such as regular loud music or barking dogs, are classed as anti-social and we would take action. 

In these cases, we might ask a resident to capture evidence. This could mean downloading an app and capturing the sounds. That way we can establish if it is creating a deliberate or persistent nuisance.  

With evidence, we can take further action, which might involve drawing up an Acceptable Behaviour Contract, which would hold a person accountable help them to understand the consequences of their actions, and offer support to improve their behaviour before more serious legal action is necessary. 

If a resident breaches an Acceptable Behaviour Contract, we could seek to take further legal action.