Noise nuisance

All children need to play inside or outside of their home to have a healthy upbringing. So this isn’t considered to be antisocial behaviour. We expect people to accept this and we can’t take any action.

For more advice, please contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or by email at help@nspcc.org.uk. If you believe there’s an immediate danger contact the police on 999. Alternatively, contact your local authority child protection scheme using www.gov.uk

All babies cry and often during the night. This is perfectly reasonable and not considered to be antisocial behaviour. We expect people to accept this and we can’t take any action.

If you have serious concerns for the welfare of a child, please contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

General household noise is people talking, walking about, doors and windows opening and closing, moving furniture around, washing machine, hoovering. It is not antisocial behaviour.

When living close to your neighbours, you will hear them from time to time and we expect everyone to show respect and tolerance towards each other. Unless the noise is considered to be the result of someone’s unreasonable behaviour, we won’t do anything other than offer advice about how best to deal with it.

You can try talking to your neighbours about your concerns. If you feel that the noise is excessive and at unreasonable hours, then please contact your local authority’s noise team. Their details can be found by visiting www.gov.uk/report-noise-pollution-to-council and doing a search using your postcode.

This is only antisocial behaviour if it’s persistent or excessive. If you hear your neighbours shouting or arguing, you should try speaking to them when things have quietened down. If you’re concerned for anyone’s safety, contact the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also call the National Domestic Violence Helpline for free on 0808 2000 247. If there are children involved call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or your local authority Child Protection Scheme using www.gov.uk. Please let us know as well.

Before making a report, it might be useful to consider whether this is a one-off argument or a regular occurrence. Does it sound like a disagreement between two people or is this something more concerning where someone’s safety could be at risk?

Loud music is only antisocial behaviour if it’s persistent or excessive. One-off parties or events are acceptable. But if you think your neighbour’s music is too loud for long periods and is having an adverse effect on you, we recommend you speak to them. This is usually the quickest and simplest way to solve the problem. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you can contact your local authority Environmental Health Team as other residents may have complained as well.

If the situation still doesn’t improve, let us know and we’ll investigate. For your own records, it’s useful to keep a diary of what time the noise occurs and what you were doing at the time. This will be useful if we need to take action. In some cases, we’ll install noise monitoring equipment to gather more information.

Most people do DIY in their homes at some point and any related noise is not considered antisocial behaviour. Before carrying out any noisy work we suggest tenants speak to their neighbours and agree what times are best to avoid intrusion.

If you’re disturbed by DIY work, you should first speak to your neighbour as they might be able to do the work when you aren’t at home. You could also contact your local Environmental Health Team as they can advise on what’s acceptable or speak to our customer service team. You can also contact your local authority noise team. Use your postcode to find their details at www.gov.uk/report-noise-pollution-to-council.

Unless it’s persistent or late at night, dogs barking is not considered to be antisocial behaviour. If it’s bothering you though, you can report it to your local authority Environmental Health Team. If you’re concerned for the safety or a dog or that a dog is aggressive, please contact the RSPCA or call immediately on 0300 1234 999.