Rental property noise complaints: a guide for landlords

A noise complaint either from your tenants or about your tenants can be stressful for landlords. 

Issues with noise can lead to disputes with neighbours, the potential need for eviction, or tenants no longer wanting to live in your property. With this in mind, it’s important to deal with any noise complaints as quickly as possible. 

Read on for more information on neighbour noise complaints from renters, complaints about your tenants, and how to reduce the impact of noise in a property.

What are the most common causes of noise complaints?

A noise complaint could be made for any kind of disturbance that someone thinks is unreasonable. 

Here are some of the most common reasons people complain about noise:

• noisy animals
• regular parties with loud music 
• loud music or television late into the night
• regular use of loud equipment or appliances
• loud renovation or construction work outside of reasonable hours

To be considered for a noise complaint, these things would need to: 

• disturb someone’s comfort, such as preventing them from sleeping
• happen repeatedly over a long period of time
• occur at an unreasonable time, such as early in the morning or late at night (noise complaint hours are generally considered to be between 11pm and 7am)

Noisy neighbours law – what do landlords need to know?

When it comes to noise nuisance law, everyone is entitled to live in their home without suffering from excessive noise that disturbs their day-to-day life. 

As a landlord, this means you have a duty to protect tenants from noisy neighbours and other excessive noise where possible (this is also covered by the ‘right to quiet enjoyment’ in the Housing Act 1988). 

If a neighbour complains about noise being made by your tenants, it isn’t your direct responsibility to resolve the problem but it’s likely to be in your interest. 

Also known as ‘noisy neighbours law’, noise complaints are covered by:

• The Environmental Protection Act 1990
• The Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993
• The Noise Act 1996

Noise complaints can lead to noise abatement orders issued by environmental health officers. These require those who are the subject of the complaint to stop making the excessive noise.

If the problem persists, it could lead to court action, fines of up to £5,000, as well as antisocial behaviour orders and police involvement. 

What happens if your tenants make a neighbour noise complaint?

If a tenant complains about excessive noise, the landlord isn’t legally obliged to resolve the problem. However, it’s important to bear in mind the tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment so it’s in your interest to do what you can to help.

When you receive a complaint from your tenant about noisy neighbours, it’s worth speaking to the neighbours to try and resolve the issue. The next step could be to send a noise complaint letter, before trying a mediation service and reporting the issue to the council as a last resort. 

Trying to resolve a noise complaint issue informally with neighbours can help to build trust with your tenants. It also reduces the chances of having to report a noise complaint to the local authority. If the problem persists and a formal complaint is made, there’s a higher chance they won’t want to stay in the property.

You can report a noise complaint through the government website or directly to your local council.

What happens if you receive a noise complaint about your tenants?

If someone makes a noise complaint about your tenants, you’re not directly liable. However, this is also in your interest to try and resolve the problem. 

The earlier you do so, the less likely you are to encounter issues such as court cases, eviction, or void periods.

Noise complaints about your tenants can impact your relationship with neighbours. Getting on with the neighbours of your rental property is important if you’re planning to move into the property in the future. Good neighbours can also alert you to any issues and monitor the property when it’s empty. 

How to reduce the impact of noise in a rental property

Here are some of the things you can do to reduce the chances of noise complaints being made by or against your tenants: 

• include a noise clause in the tenancy agreement – prohibit excessive noise between specific hours, such as 11pm and 7am
• install soundproofing – this can reduce the impact of noise both ways. Carpets limit sound travelling, but you can also buy special soundproof flooring or soundproofing for walls
• tenant referencing – thorough background checks on prospective tenants can reduce the chances of renting to someone who has a history of antisocial behaviour 
• get on with neighbours – having a good relationship with those who live around your rental property means that any noise complaints involving your property have a higher chance of being resolved informally

Do you have any unanswered questions about rental property noise complaints? Let us know in the comments below. 

More guides for buy-to-let landlords

• What is buy-to-let investment? A guide to buying and selling property
• Property viewing checklist: a guide for landlords
• How to get a buy-to-let mortgage: a simple guide
• Are landlords responsible for pest control in rental properties?

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