Noisy neighbours: what a landlord can do, whether their tenant is the source or the victim

In England and Wales, neighbour noise is usually handled through the statutory nuisance, anti-social behaviour and tenancy-enforcement routes, not by a single decibel rule. England’s possession rules changed on 1 May 2026, while Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland sit under different tenancy regimes.

What is considered unreasonable noise from neighbours?

Unreasonable noise from neighbours in England and Wales is noise that either crosses the statutory nuisance test — “noise emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance” — or, for night-noise enforcement between 11pm and 7am, exceeds the permitted Noise Act level of 34 dBA where background noise is 24 dBA or below. For ordinary daytime nuisance there is no fixed decibel figure: councils look at volume, duration, frequency, time of day and effect on the occupier, and GOV.UK describes the test as noise that can “unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises”. A one-off party, a baby crying or ordinary household movement is less likely to be actionable than repeated late-night music, shouting, alarms, DIY, barking dogs or deliberate banging. Landlords often set tenancy quiet hours around 11pm to 7am, but that is a contract-management tool, not the whole legal test.

What do you do when neighbours keep complaining about your tenant's noise?

In England since 1 May 2026, a landlord can no longer serve a no-fault Section 21 notice to dodge proving nuisance: GOV.UK says “private landlords can no longer evict tenants without a valid reason,” so Ground 14 or another statutory ground is the eviction route for a noisy tenant. When neighbours keep complaining about noise, the practical order is: ask for dates, times, recordings and witness details; speak to the tenant promptly; warn them in writing if the tenancy bans nuisance; involve the council’s environmental health team if the noise may be a statutory nuisance; and consider mediation before possession. Ground 14 covers a tenant or visitor who “has been guilty of conduct causing or likely to cause a nuisance or annoyance” to people in the locality, and the notice can start proceedings immediately because the date in the notice “shall not be earlier than the date of the service of the notice.” For Noise Act night noise, the FPN for a dwelling is up to £110, not £100. Wales has its own possession framework under Renting Homes, so the English Ground 14 route should not be lifted across without Welsh advice.

What can you do if your tenant's neighbours are being noisy and antisocial?

A landlord is not normally liable for a neighbour dispute suffered by the tenant, and is not liable just because the building has poor pre-existing soundproofing: Southwark LBC v Mills states that “a landlord is not liable for nuisance committed by his tenant” unless the landlord authorised it, and described the sound-transmission problem as “an inherent structural defect for which the landlord assumed no responsibility.” If your tenant’s neighbours are being deliberately noisy and antisocial, the landlord can still help by preserving reports, telling the tenant to keep a diary or app-based recordings, writing to the neighbour’s landlord or managing agent, and pressing the council’s environmental health or ASB team rather than waiting for the police to act after something happens. In England and Wales, a Community Protection Notice can be served on “an individual aged 16 or over” if the legal conditions are met, and an ASB case review can be triggered because “the threshold should be no higher than 3 complaints.” Scotland and Northern Ireland use different regimes, so these England-and-Wales enforcement labels should not be assumed there.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• Environmental Protection Act 1990 s.79(1)(g) — “noise emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance;” Source
• GOV.UK, Noise nuisances: how councils deal with complaints — “unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises” Source
• GOV.UK, Noise nuisances: how councils deal with complaints — “34 dBA (decibels adjusted) if the underlying level of noise is no more than 24 dBA” Source
• GOV.UK, When will the Renters’ Rights Act come into force — “No more Section 21 'no-fault' evictions – private landlords can no longer evict tenants without a valid reason.” Source
• Housing Act 1988 Schedule 2, Ground 14 — “has been guilty of conduct causing or likely to cause a nuisance or annoyance” Source
• Housing Act 1988 s.8(4) — “shall not be earlier than the date of the service of the notice.” Source
• GOV.UK, Noise nuisances: how councils deal with complaints — “give a fixed penalty notice (FPN) giving them the chance to pay a fine (up to £110 for dwellings and £500 for licensed premises) within 14 days, instead of being prosecuted” Source
• Southwark LBC v Mills [1999] UKHL 40 — “In general, a landlord is not liable for nuisance committed by his tenant, but to this rule there is, so far as now in point, one recognised exception, namely, that the landlord is liable if he has authorised his tenant to commit the nuisance.” Source
• Southwark LBC v Mills [1999] UKHL 40 — “And that is an inherent structural defect for which the landlord assumed no responsibility.” Source
• Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 s.43 — “An authorised person may issue a community protection notice to an individual aged 16 or over, or a body, if satisfied on reasonable grounds that—” Source
• GOV.UK, Anti-social behaviour case review — “The threshold should be no higher than 3 complaints, but agencies may choose to set a lower threshold.” Source