Noise from neighbours can be very upsetting, causing annoyance, lack of sleep, stress and generally affecting quality of life. If left unresolved these cases can sometimes get worse, escalating to incidents of verbal abuse or harassment between neighbours. 

It is worth remembering that no house or apartment is totally soundproof. It is a fact of life that we all make a certain amount of noise in and around our homes whether we are talking to others, playing music, entertaining or just going about our everyday life. 

 

How to report a nuisance or a noisy neighbour 

We understand it can be difficult to pluck up the courage to talk directly to a neighbour about a problem they may be causing. 

Sometimes people are unaware they are causing a nuisance especially when it comes to noise and so a neighbour may just need reminding that their behaviour is upsetting you. It could also be that your neighbour has a different lifestyle from you, for example they may work night shifts. 

We suggest in the first instance you: 

  • try and approach your neighbour for a 'friendly chat' and discuss things in a calm and reasonable way; 

  • keep a record of all incidents including date, time, what happened and details of anyone else involved; 

  • do not retaliate as this may result in complaints being made about you; and 

  • walk away if the other person is unreasonable – do not get involved in an argument. 

If the problem remains unresolved, you can report nuisance behaviour to us in the following ways: 

  • Phone us on 0345 8 507 507 (lines are open all day, every day). 

As your landlord we will investigate allegations of nuisance or antisocial behaviour and deal with the complaint appropriately and in confidence 

 

The Noise App 

The noise app 

We recognise that noise nuisance can occur at any time of the day or night, and whilst you are completing record sheets the noise is ongoing and still disturbing you. 

Using the free RH Environmental Noise Nuisance App, you can gather your own evidence of noise nuisance; within seconds you are able to make audio recordings of the noise (up to 30 seconds) and enter details about the nature of the disturbance. This can then be easily shared with us to support your complaint.