How to Handle a Neighbour Dispute

Dispute Resolution Solicitor, Danielle Clements, recently spoke to Yours Magazine to offer her expert advice when it comes to resolving a noisy neighbour dispute. Nobody wants to live next door to an inconsiderate neighbour who has a tip for a garden or blares music out at 1 o’clock in the morning.; so what exactly should you do to ensure your life remains peaceful and trouble free? Here are Danielle’s top tips:

Start with a chat

A good first move would always be to try to discuss the problem with your neighbour. I’d always recommend trying to have a face-to-face chat in the first instance rather than writing a letter. It can be hard to read your tone in a letter and they might become defensive. It can sometimes be tricky to broach a problem in person, so you could take a friend along with you for moral support.

If a chat doesn’t work then you might want to take things slightly more formal and write them a letter.

Make a note

If the problem doesn’t subside, make sure you keep a diary of any incidents, for example: ‘Wednesday 20^th January, loud music playing 11pm-1am.’ Hopefully it won’t go all the way to court, but written records will provide important evidence.

Approach the landlord

It may be that your neighbours are renting their property, if so contact the landlord as within their tenancy agreement it should include the fact that they are not to cause a nuisance. You could also speak to the letting agents to contact the landlord on your behalf.

Get some advice

A good first port of call is to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau, a non-profit organisation who won’t charge you. Your rights are no different if you are renting your property, but what you do depends on the problem. For noise issues, or anti-social behaviour, it’s still up to you to seek independent advice, whereas if it’s an issue about land or damage to the property, your landlord needs to be told and should address the issue.

If you’re disturbed by loud music, parties and car alarms, you can report it to the local council, who will have an out-of-hours team able to visit you. If music or a barking dog is really loud and persistent, a 999 call to the police may even be necessary under the grounds of harassment.

And finally…

If nothing seems to be helping, you can contact a solicitor to begin what is known as ‘injunctive proceedings’. This is where a court is approached to get an order or instruction for your neighbour to force them to stop their bad behaviour. While the courts and the police can help, it isn’t a quick process and it’s in everyone’s interests to resolve the matter amicably so you can carry on living peacefully in your home.

If you would like to speak to Danielle, or another member of our Dispute Resolution & Litigation team, call us on 0161 930 5151.