Noise

We’re sorry to say that noisy neighbours can be more common than you’d think. The main problems are caused by things like barking dogs, loud music, shouting, banging doors and DIY activities.  

Remember, no home’s totally soundproof so you’re always going to hear some noise from your neighbours.   

If you’re being disturbed it might be because: 

• your neighbours are behaving unreasonably. Maybe they’re playing loud music late at night or letting their dog bark all day.
• your neighbours are behaving normally. But the insulation in the floors and walls maybe isn’t good enough to cut out the sounds of everyday living.
• you might be over-sensitive to the noise. Some people tune in to a noise and find it annoying while others don’t even notice it.

What can you do? 

The first step is to have a chat with your neighbour. Explain politely that the noise they’re making is bothering you. You might find this a bit awkward but it’s surprising how often people don’t even know they’re being noisy! 

Most neighbours are happy to do what they can to keep the noise down. But if that doesn’t sort things out, let us know. Contact us to report the problem and we’ll do what we can to help.

What can we do? 

When we’re looking into a report of a noise nuisance we need to know: 

• when the noise happens
• how often the noise happens
• how long the noise lasts
• the type of noise 
• how loud the noise is

We’ll look at all the info and decide whether any tenancy agreement rules are being broken. And if they are, don’t worry.  There’s lots we can do, depending on how serious the problem is including: 

• giving you a sound recorder to record incidents as evidence
• arranging mediation or restorative justice for both parties. This is where everyone sits down together with an independent person to try to sort out the problem face to face
• issuing written warnings 
• taking out a court injunction 
• starting eviction proceedings

Where can I find more support?

We know that noise nuisance can have a real impact on your life.  Especially if it's late at night and stops you from sleeping. If you think the noise is affecting your health there’s help available. 

First of all, tell the person who's looking in to this for you at Yorkshire Housing, this is usually your place manager. It helps us understand how bad things are and it might mean we can take a different type of action. We want to try and resolve the problem as quickly as we can for you and we’ll let you know what the next steps are.  

It might be helpful to contact your doctor, family member or friend to talk through how you're feeling. If you’d rather talk to someone at Yorkshire Housing we have a tenancy coach team who can support you, please complete this form and let us know if you'd find this useful, or call us on 0345 366 4404.

You can also find help from these organisations too:

Samaritans – call 116 123

Mind offers lots of general support as well as emergency support.

Emotional support - SANE offers non-judgemental and compassionate emotional support.

ASB Help provide advice and support to victims of anti-social behaviour.

Victim support offer help to anyone affected by crime.