HomeNeighbours and loud music
Excessive noise from neighbours is a common complaint and can be caused by loud music, late-night parties or banging doors.
Some amount of noise is expected if you live in an apartment block or busy street but, if the noise is constant and is affecting your day-to-day life, it should be investigated or dealt with.
This can be done in two ways:
Informal action
Tackling the source of the noise informally can sometimes solve the problem.Neighbours may not be aware they are bothering you and may be happy to meet your requests or make a compromise.
Choose a suitable time to discuss the problem and remember to be calm, polite and courteous and to avoid confrontation. You may also feel more comfortable bringing another person with you.
However, if you do not feel able to approach your neighbour, or have already tried and were unsuccessful, more direct action may be needed.
Direct action
Noise Abatement Notice
Under the Pollution Control and Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, we can deal with excessive noise disturbances which cause a nuisance to people living nearby.If you are experiencing a problem with noisy neighbours, call us on 028 9037 3006.
The action we take depends on the type and level of disturbance you are experiencing. Every case is different and there is no 'fixed' level of noise which can be classified as a nuisance.
Our officers will assess your complaint and take note of its loudness, when it occurs, how often and for how long, the make-up of the local area, the effect on you and the likely effect on the average person. We may also ask you to keep a diary recording the dates and times of each disturbance, or to allow our officers into your home to monitor the noise.
If we agree that a nuisance exists or is likely to occur, we can serve the person responsible with a Noise Abatement Notice, asking them to reduce it. If they do not comply with the notice, the case will be transferred to a magistrates' court.
Noise Act 1996
We are the only council in Northern Ireland to adopt the Noise Act 1996 which gives us special powers to deal with noisy neighbours after 11pm.If someone is making excessive noise, we will serve them with a warning notice, asking them to reduce the noise within ten minutes, for example, by turning down loud music or moving a party inside.
It is an offence not to comply with the requirements of a warning notice.
If the person responsible does not comply with the notice, we will take noise measurements from your home.
If our figures show that the legal limit for night-time notice has been breached, we may issue the person with an on-the-spot fine of £100, or they may face prosecution.
In extreme cases, we also have the power to seize equipment such as CD players, CDs, mixing decks, amplifiers and speakers.
