Can I Report My Neighbour For Loud Music?
By
HuutiMoney
The aim of this blog post is to answer the question of whether you can report your neighbour for loud music. While we will mainly discuss whether loud music qualifies as statutory noise and can be reported to authorities for action; we will also explore alternative actions that can be taken to stop such behaviour and maintain friendly neighbourhood ties.
Can I Report My Neighbour For Loud Music?
Yes, you can report your neighbour for loud music. You can lodge a complaint with your local council office if your neighbour is responsible for loud music that is affecting your quality of life and restricting you from enjoying your time on your property. This is a statutory nuisance against which the council is authorised to take action if a complaint is lodged with them.
If you keep a diary of dates and times when the instances of loud music have taken place or maintain a record of any requests that you may have made to your neighbour regarding the inconvenience caused by the loud music, this can be used as supportive evidence to your claims when you report them to the council authorities.
When you report a statutory nuisance such as frequent loud music from your neighbour’s house, the council will investigate the matter. They may choose to first issue a warning to your neighbour.
If your neighbour does not comply, council authorities can then issue an abatement notice to them. As per the notice issued to them, your neighbour will be asked to either cease their actions or limit them to certain times of the day.
If your neighbour does not act in accordance with the instructions in the abatement notice, they can be fined £5,000 by the local council authorities.
Some people believe that noise levels are only to be maintained between 11 pm and 7 am. However, while residents are generally encouraged to maintain low volumes during these timings, the law requires everyone to maintain neighbourly behaviour at all times of the day. This includes not playing loud music, burning rubbish or being antisocial.
If you are concerned about maintaining anonymity when you report your neighbour to the council, you can be assured that the council will not reveal your identity to your neighbour while they investigate the matter or even issue an abatement.
However, if the matter goes to court, it is then that your identity may be revealed not just to your neighbour but to all concerned parties involved in the court proceedings. In addition to this, you may also be asked to appear before a magistrate to record your statement.
Is There Anything I Should Do Before I Report My Neighbour For Loud Music?
Yes, there are some steps you can take to resolve the matter on your own before reporting your neighbour for loud music. Below are some guidelines that may help you:
- You can start by talking politely with your neighbour and raising your concerns, not as a matter of complaint but to highlight the inconvenience being caused by your neighbour due to the loud music coming from their home.
- If you are not comfortable having a face-to-face conversation with your neighbour on the matter, you can write a letter to your neighbour and raise your concerns.
- If there are other neighbours who are also being affected by the loud noise, you can approach a tenant’s association to discuss the matter with your neighbour who is responsible.
- If you are unable to get a positive response from your neighbour, you can contact their landlord to raise your concerns. This can be a private landlord, council authority or social housing landlord.
- If you are unable to resolve the matter on your own, you can use a mediation service to share your concerns on your behalf. These are third-party individuals who are trained in conflict management and resolution.
If none of these suggestions works, you have the right to report a noise nuisance to your council.
An alternative is to contact the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Defra as they are working on raising awareness of neighbourhood noise. To learn more about their noise policy, you can contact their helpline at 08459 33 55 77, email them at: helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk or write to them at the following address:
Defra Customer Contact Unit,
Eastbury House, 30–34 Albert Embankment,
London SE1 7T
What Can I Do If The Council Does Not Take Action Against Loud Music?
You can approach a Magistrate’s Court and file a complaint against the loud music and statutory noise caused by your neighbour if your council does not take any action against them. However, in most cases, the reason why councils do not take action or delay in taking action is possibly due to a weakness in the complaint or not having sufficient evidence to issue an abatement.
Before approaching the court, it may be better to seek feedback from your council on the matter so that you can have a strong case as your approach the court and the expense of legal proceedings do not go to waste.
If you do decide to proceed with a court case against your neighbour, you should have enough details of times and incidents when the loud music caused by your neighbour was a reason for distress to you. You should also have details of the steps you took to rectify the problem (such as talking to the neighbour or having a mediator convince them).
If you win the case, your neighbour may be fined and may also be asked to pay certain costs to you for the nuisance caused by them. However, if you lose the case, you may have to bear the entire expense of the legal proceedings, even that of your neighbour against whom you’ve filed the case.
Conclusion:
We’ve learnt from the above discussion that loud music is a statutory noise against which the offended party can not only lodge a complaint to their council authorities but also file a court case. However, it may be advisable to first seek an amicable solution to the issue by talking with one’s neighbour and explaining the consequences of their actions. Legal proceedings and council investigations are usually recommended as a last option when one’s own efforts have failed in reaching an agreement.
References:
Nuisance noise | Metropolitan Police
Resolving neighbour disputes: Complaint about noise to the council – GOV.UK