Noise complaints
What is a noise report?
A report about noise is made to your landlord when noise disturbs or interferes with the enjoyment of your home.
You should make your landlord aware of noise that is disturbing you in your home and how it is affecting you. For example, if the noise is disturbing your sleep or having an impact on your health. Noise can affect people’s quality of life, cause physical and emotional stress, and affect performance at work or school.
There are different types of noise that can affect you in your home.
Household noise
Household noise happens every day. However, sometimes it can become an issue that affects neighbours. This includes:
- shouting or arguing
- noise from dogs or other pets
- noise from children
- excessive TV volume
- noise from appliances
- sound transference and movement from the property above/below or next door
- loud music
Environmental noise
Not all noise that affects you in your home is caused by neighbours. A noise is considered a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 if it:
- unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises
- injures health or is likely to injure health
Statutory nuisance could include noise from vehicles or nearby businesses or building works.
Local councils will investigate a complaint of statutory nuisance produced at any time of day or night.
Councils can also issue warning notices in response to complaints about noise above permitted levels from 11pm to 7am, even if that noise does not meet the threshold to be considered a statutory nuisance.
Find out more about how councils respond to statutory nuisance
Antisocial behaviour
Noise that is made intentionally to disturb, alarm, or harass others is antisocial behaviour. This includes:
- parties or loud car music
- noise in communal spaces or open areas
- loud noise at unsociable hours
If you are experiencing antisocial behaviour, you should report it to your landlord, and in some cases, the police. It is helpful to record times and dates of disturbances so that you can let your landlord know how often the problem is happening.
Reporting noise to your landlord
Work with your landlord to provide as much information as you can for it to investigate the issues. This might include providing a diary of when the noise happens and how long for.
Let the landlord know how the noise is affecting you at home – for example, if you cannot use a bedroom to sleep or concentrate if you work from home.
If you think the landlord is not taking the right action in response to reports you have made to it, you can make a complaint via its complaint process.
How your landlord should respond to reports of noise
Your landlord should take any practical measures to help reduce the notice and tell you the actions it will take to deal with the noise.
When your landlord investigates it must carefully decide whether the noise is household noise or caused intentionally. The landlord might apply its antisocial behaviour policy, or work with other agencies, for example the local council.
If noise recording equipment is provided to measure the level of noise in your home the landlord should explain how to use it. Use of recording equipment is not always right for the type of noise that is being reported. For example, some low-level noise might not be captured.
Where there is noise transference between properties, an inspection should consider the sound insulation between properties or laying carpet if there are bare floorboards. In some cases, people may not be aware they are making a noise. The landlord may decide to speak to your neighbour to find a resolution.
All reports of noise should be treated seriously and where possible, landlord staff should visit your home to listen to the noise in person.
The landlord must consider the impact the issues are having on you – regardless of whether it is considered ‘every day’ or low-level noise.
All reports of noise made to your landlord should be recorded and logged. This will help to consider the ongoing impact it could have over time and ensure reports are not closed without resolution.
If there is going to be a delay in addressing your noise report and the timescales provided are not met, the landlord should explain this at the earliest available opportunity and provide revised timescales.
Making a complaint about noise affecting you in your home
If you are unhappy with the way your landlord has responded to report of noise you have made to it, you can make a complaint. This should be made via the landlord's dedicated complaints process.
You should clearly set out to your landlord why you are unhappy with the way it has responded to the reports of noise you have made to it and what you think it should do to put things right.
When to get help from the Housing Ombudsman
If the matter is not resolved after both stages of your landlord’s complaint process, you can refer the complaint to us. We can only consider a complaint if your landlord is a member of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme. This also applies to shared owners and leaseholders.
If the case is accepted for investigation, we will consider whether the landlord followed the correct policies and procedures and acted fairly and appropriately responding to reports of noise.
Our online webform which will check if your landlord is a member of the Scheme and ask you for more information about your complaint to see if we can help.
Noise complaint resources
Our Spotlight report on noise complaints sheds light on the impact of noise on residents' wellbeing and quality of life. We have produced a host of learning resources from the findings of this report and our casework. This includes case studies and practical recommendations for landlords to take steps to help residents that are living with noise.
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Our jurisdiction
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Reporting a problem
This page is for residents who need to report an issue to their landlord. This could be any problem, such as a repair, antisocial behaviour or a query about a charge.
Which Ombudsman for housing complaints
This page looks at what housing complaints should be referred to the Housing Ombudsman or the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.