A neighbour is deliberately being noisy
A reader is looking for a way to help his sister deal with an intimidating noisy neighbour.
A noisy neighbour has taken to banging metal sheeting with a hammer whenever he spots his neighbour in her garden
Question
My sister bought a bungalow 18 months ago that required renovation. Some of the work caused daytime noise for a couple of weeks and the man next door complained.
Now every time the man sees her in the garden he comes out and bangs a hammer continuously on a sheet of metal or plays a radio at full volume.
My sister has tried to talk to him but he won’t respond. What can she do? It is affecting her health.
Answer
Intentionally troublesome neighbours are like naughty children. They delight in seeing the irritation they are causing and are often beyond reasoning with.
The Citizens Advice Bureau website has an excellent section on dealing with antisocial neighbours. It lists what help is available from Police, Local Council, Courts and other agencies.
Any request for official help will need to be supported by positive evidence as they have to be selective about which cases they pursue. By way of suggestion you could make a factual diary of the neighbour’s antics over two or more weeks linking it with photos and sound recordings.
Ideally, arrange for people to visit at times when the neighbour usually makes a nuisance and ask visitors to write and sign a dated note as supporting evidence.
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