What to do if you have a noisy neighbour or business

If you're experiencing a noisy neighbour, try to contact them at the earliest opportunity about the issue before reporting it to us.

This is often the best way to resolve a problem.

You should try speaking to whoever is making the noise, whether it’s from someone's home or a business, as they may not realise they are causing a problem.

You could also try writing them a letter - you can use our letter template if you’re unsure what to write

You may want to consider contacting Mediation Bucks who offer a free service to assist in resolving disputes between neighbours.

You can find further information about resolving neighbour disputes on GOV.UK, including how you can take action through the courts.

If you’re a Housing Association tenant, you should speak with your Housing Association in the first instance.

If you’re experiencing noise from licensed premises, such as pubs or restaurants, and feel that the licence conditions have been breached, you can report this to us online.

If you’re experiencing noise from business premises and feel that it is unreasonable you can report this.

We can only take legal action to stop or prevent noise if the noise:

• is ongoing
• is typically prolonged when it happens
• directly affects you at your property

There are some situations where we will be unable to progress an investigation. These are:

• issues due to poor sound insulation
• ordinary day-to-day domestic living noises, such as washing machines and children playing
• businesses who are taking reasonable steps to manage noise
• aircraft noise
• road traffic noise

Once we’ve received your report, we’ll review the information to see whether we can investigate further.

Investigations and any enforcement action will be considered on a case-by-case basis. As such, the investigating officer will determine the most appropriate course of action.

If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can use the Noise App to report noise recordings which will be sent directly to us to investigate.

The free app allows you to keep an electronic noise diary of short audio recordings and enter details about the nature of the disturbance.

If you don't have a smartphone or a tablet, you can report the nuisance using our online form.

You’ll also need to upload a copy of your noise diary PDF, 57.5KB when submitting the online report. You should keep this diary for at least 2 weeks, and it should show the time and duration of the noise.