Someone Has Made a Noise Complaint About Me

I have been complained about unfairly; what should I do?

The Council has a legal duty to investigate all noise complaints that it receives. This does not mean that we have decided that the level of the noise is unacceptable.

We write to you first to give you an opportunity to see if you believe that you are causing a problem. This means you have the chance to change your behaviour if you think you could be causing a problem.

Before the Council takes any formal action we will gather evidence ourselves of the extent of the problem. We may contact you again to discuss what could be done to solve the problem.

My neighbour complains my dogs are barking too much; what can I do?

It is normal and natural for dogs to bark, and it is likely only to be causing a statutory nuisance if the barking occurs for long periods of time, frequently throughout the day or during unsociable hours (i.e. late at night or early in the morning.)

Try to talk to your neighbours about the barking to see what is particularly upsetting them. Remember if you are not home during the day you might not know how much your dog barks. You may be able to put something in place to lessen the problem.

My neighbour complains that I am playing my music too loud; what can I do?

Consider how loud you play your music and whether you could turn it down while still being able to enjoy the music. You might want to talk to your neighbours to try to agree a reasonable level, or times of the day when it will not bother them too much.

What is a 'Statutory Nuisance'?

There's no strict definition in law. It can be described as 'an unreasonable interference with the enjoyment of your property'. It must occur regularly and continue for a period of time that makes it unreasonable.