How to Deal With Noisy Neighbours

Noisy neighbours are the number one annoyance to many homeowners and in our increasingly overpopulated island the problem is only getting worse. With more old houses being converted into flats, and new-builds often suffering from thin walls or very little separation between properties, it's incredibly common to hear some sort of noise from your neighbours.

When this is just the occasional ring of a phone or slamming of a door it's quite bearable and you can count yourself lucky this is all you have to contend with. Even if you have completely normal neighbours you could still be subject to their conversations, what they're watching on TV, the sound of their footsteps on wooden floors or even the crying of a baby in the middle of the night. All these ordinary, day-to-day noises become grating if you're constantly subjected to them. You feel like you're being subjected to someone else's life, or that your own life is being intruded upon. Especially annoying is noise when you're trying to sleep - this can disrupt the rest of your day and even affect your quality of health.

So assuming your neighbours are only noisy because of the quality of accommodation you're in (they're not doing anything excessive) what exactly can you do about it? It's one thing to want them to stop playing loud music but all they're doing is flushing the toilet in the middle of the night and waking you up!

Your neighbours may not even be aware of the problem. Or they might even find *you* noisy! If there's an easy solution, for example for them not to wear high heels indoors or to turn get a different alarm clock it's worth just going round and having a chat. Be friendly and make sure they know it's nothing they're doing wrong. After all, if you can hear them chances are they can hear you too. Ask if there's anything you can do to keep your noise down - have you ever used your washing machine late at night?

If you live in rented accommodation, especially if all the flats in your building are rented, talk to your landlord. They have to ensure that your property is properly insulated. Ask other residents if they feel there's a problem too - you could get the building sound tested to see if it complies with regulations. Of course, some landlords are more sympathetic than others. If your landlord has insulated as well as they have to, the onus is back on you and your own feelings about the noise.

Sometimes installing your own sound insulation is the quickest and possibly even only solution. It doesn't necessarily have to be expensive, but you should get an expert to look at your property first. For example, you might think you should insulate the wall between your house and the next but the sound might actually be coming in beneath the floorboards! A professional will be able to tell you the best solution.