Staying safe information guide
No one wants to feel unsafe, especially when we’re in our own homes. Unfortunately, as we get older, we might start...
At one point or another, many of us have to deal with nuisance neighbours, planning disputes or anti-social behaviour. This page explains what to do and what rights you have.
Whether it's music or TV, loud gatherings or barking dogs, it can be very frustrating to have noisy neighbours. How much of a problem it is depends on how often it occurs and when. For instance, noise in the day can be less of a disturbance than noise late at night.
If you're having trouble with loud noise at night, your local council has powers to deal with it. And even if it isn't at night, they should investigate if you say it's a nuisance or damaging your health.
If the council agree the noise is a ‘statutory nuisance’ (a legal term that refers to unreasonable noise that stops you from enjoying your property), they must issue a notice. The notice will tell the person to stop or restrict the noise – and they can be prosecuted if they ignore it.
Take these steps to tackle the problem:
The charity ASB Help has a section on its website about dealing with noisy neighbours – including examples of unreasonable noise and tips for gathering evidence.
To count as a 'statutory nuisance' that the council can help deal with, neighbour noise must either:
In basic terms, the noise needs to be unreasonable – local councils won't take formal action against ordinary domestic noise, such as footsteps, talking or children playing.
The Noise Act 1996 defines night hours as 11pm to 7am.
Local councils can issue warning notices about noise above permitted levels between these times. Noise doesn't necessarily need to be a 'statutory nuisance' for a warning notice to be issued.
Some councils have 24-hour teams to deal with noise complaints.
Anti-social behaviour from neighbours can be very stressful – and sometimes frightening. Anti-social behaviour includes:
It's a good idea to do the following if you're dealing with anti-social behaviour:
Persistent and significant anti-social behaviour issues can be dealt with in a number of ways, including:
Sometimes, it isn't noise that bothers us. Smells, dust or rubbish from neighbours or local businesses can be a problem too.
If the problem is defined as a ‘statutory nuisance’, the council has a duty to serve a notice ordering it to be stopped or reduced. To be defined as a statutory nuisance it must:
Things that could come under this definition include:
There are a couple of things you can try to deal with the issue:
Does your neighbour want to extend their house? Have they built something that affects you or your property?
In order to make certain changes, someone needs to apply for planning permission. The local council will then send out a notice to the people they think may be affected by the development to see if there are any objections.
If you receive a notice from the council and you're not happy with what's being proposed, you should register your objection with the planning department. Registering an objection doesn’t mean that the proposal will be refused – but it's important to make your views known to the council.
Things people might need to get planning permission for include:
Planning permission isn't always necessary if the works meet certain conditions. You can check the precise rules with your local council or on the Planning Portal website.
You can complain to the local council if you think a neighbour needed planning permission to make changes to their property but didn’t get it. You can also complain if your neighbour is using an outbuilding in a way they don’t have permission for – for example, using it as a residence – or if they've sub-divided their house without permission.
If you have a dispute with your neighbour over a shared wall or fence, that's a civil matter, and the local council won't intervene. Instead, you'll need to appoint a surveyor or get legal advice to resolve the issue.
We offer support through our free advice line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year. We also have specialist advisers at over 120 local Age UKs.
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