If you are being affected by a noise problem, take the following steps:
- talk to your neighbour and politely explain you are being troubled by their noise. If appropriate, invite them into your home to hear the level of noise for themselves. Although you might find this difficult, it is surprising how often neighbours are unaware of the problems they are causing. Most will be glad to do what they can to reduce excessive noise
- if the problem seems to be due to inadequate sound insulation there are a number of DIY solutions available to improve it and we can advise you where to find further information
- keep a record of the times you have spoken to your neighbours and copies of the letters you write. Keep a diary of the dates and times the nuisance occurs, its duration and the effect it has on you
- tell you neighbour every time a nuisance occurs. If the problem carries on, move on to making a formal complaint to us
If you contact us, we have to either hear the noise for ourselves or install noise monitoring equipment in your home. We may also ask you to monitor the noise for us with a special app on your phone.
In the first instance, we will write to the neighbour advising them of the alleged problem and the possible legal situation if they fail to reduce any noise nuisance.