Noisy Neighbours: How to Solve the Problem

Everybody has the right to be able to relax when at home. Being disturbed by noise you have no control over is the bane of people’s lives up and down the country and can be a contributing factor to mental health problems.

What Can You do About Noisy Neighbours?

The first thing that you can do – if possible and safe to do so – is to talk to your neighbour. Make them aware of the issues that you are dealing with and what you would like to happen. If you are uncomfortable with talking face to face, a text, letter or email would work just as well, although it can come across as a bit formal. Often, a noisy neighbour won’t be aware that they are being noisy. In this case, a quick, friendly chat will usually be enough to sort the problem out.

It may be the case that the noise of a neighbour is not solely their fault. They may have children that are a little noisy in the mornings; running up and down the stairs is a frequent complaint from neighbours of those with kids. The walls, ceiling or floors between houses or apartments may be thin, or without adequate soundproofing solutions in place. In this case there are actions you can take to improve your serenity by reducing the amount of noise transmitted into your home.

Soundproofing the walls in your home

New build homes are often the worst culprits for letting in noise from next door, as the materials are often cheaper and of poorer quality. This is done in order to build houses quickly and at the lowest cost possible. Often, the sound of televisions or people chatting in neighbouring homes can easily be heard. Whilst not ideal, this isn’t the fault of the people living next door, providing the sound isn’t at an unreasonable level.

Simple soundproofing materials can be added to walls to prevent or absorb the sound in a room. This action can help improve your home life, as you won’t feel like your neighbours are intruding on your relaxation time every night. It can also help to improve your relations with your neighbours, as you won’t feel resentful to them each time you see them!

Floor and Ceiling Soundproofing

Living in flats can multiply the possibility of living alongside noisy neighbours! Not only can the sound now come from either side, but also above and below. If you are considerate, you will also be conscious of not being a noisy neighbour yourself. Soundproofing products for floors and ceilings can help prevent noise getting in to your home, as well as out!

Noisy Neighbours: UK Law

If simply talking to your neighbour, or at least making them aware of the problem, has fallen on deaf ears, then you need to know what steps you can take next. Your local council would normally be the organisation to talk to first. It isn’t really a police issue, unless it involves anti-social behaviour. If you feel you need to report a problem to your local council, you can follow the link here and take the steps indicated.

It is common courtesy to reduce sound output between the hours of 11pm and 7am. If you are regularly having problems within these hours then you have the right to complain.

We regularly deal with noisy neighbour problems. If you feel that introducing some acoustic products into your home will help resolve your problem, or you don’t know where to start, contact our friendly team on 01204 548400 and let us help.