This is what to do if you have noisy neighbours

If your neighbours are robbing you of peace and quiet, there are practical steps you can take to tackle the nuisance noise.

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From raising the issue with them to legal options, these are the measures you can take to deal with a noisy neighbour.

Try talking directly

Before going down the route of making a formal complaint, try talking with your neighbour first.

Raising the issue face-to-face - or writing a letter if you have concerns about approaching them - could prove to be an effective way of addressing the problem quickly. Together, you may be able to reach a compromise.

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If you rent a property, the council recommend joining a tenants' association, as disputes can be easier to settle if the complaint comes from a larger group.

Keep a record

Keeping a diary of when noise or an incident occurs, and how long this lasts for, is a good idea if you need to take the issue further.

Notes will help you to keep track of what has been happening and will serve as a good evidence if you later need to make a formal complaint with the landlord or local authority.

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Seek help from a mediator

If you are unable to resolve the issue by talking with your neighbour, you could try seeking help from a mediation service.

Mediation involves using a third, impartial person to act as a referee in a dispute. While there is typically a fee attached, it can still be cheaper than hiring a solicitor and taking legal action.

You can seek assistance from a mediator to try and resolve the problem with your neighbour (Photo: Shutterstock)

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However, mediation can only work if both parties agree to it. So if your neighbour refuses to comply, you will have to seek help from your local authority to take action.

If you live in England or Wales, you can find a mediation provider in your area, while in Scotland, you should use the Scottish Mediation Network.

Your local council or housing association may also provide a mediation service.

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Contact the landlord

If your neighbour is a tenant, you can try contacting their landlord, housing association or freeholder and explain the problem, as they may be able to take action to help you.

If this fails to solve the issue (or if you are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been handled) you can escalate it to your local authority.

You can find your local council at gov.uk.

Submit a complaint to the council

If all other approaches fail, you can report the issue to your local council, who have a duty to investigate excessive noise and anti-social behaviour that affect the community.

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If the council decide your neighbour is causing a statutory noise nuisance, they must issue a noise abatement order. This informs the individual what they are required to do to stop making a noise nuisance, or consequently face further legal action.

If this abatement order is broken, your neighbour can be charged up to £5,000.

You should allow up to 12 weeks for you complaint to be processed.

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Take legal action

As a last resort, you may wish to consider legal action and take the issue to court.

For this to be successful, you will need to convince the court that the noise problem you are experiencing from your neighbour constitutes a statutory nuisance.

As a last resort you may wish to pursue legal action, although court and solicitors fees can be expensive (Photo: Shutterstock)

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The court will then decide if it is appropriate for a summons to be issued to resolve this.

Before taking this route, you should bear in mind that taking you neighbour to court comes with expensive fees attached. This option should only be considered if all other approaches have failed.

You can seek free legal advice from you local Citizens Advice.

Main image: Shutterstock

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