Letter Template: Noisy Neighbours

Originally written by Abigail Taylor, updated by the editorial team on 17th May 2026

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Letter Template: Noisy Neighbours

If you have already tried speaking to your neighbour about noise but the problem continues, putting your concerns in writing is a sensible next step. A letter creates a clear record of your complaint and gives your neighbour a chance to address the issue before matters escalate. Keep your tone polite but firm, stick to the facts, and avoid accusations or emotional language. Always date your letter, keep a copy for your records, and consider delivering it by hand so you know it has been received.

Noise Meter

Use your phone or computer to measure noise levels and keep a dated record with notes. Export as evidence for your council or environmental health officer. All data stays on your device.

Try our Noise Meter free, here on this site →

Noise Complaint Letter Template

[Your Address Line 1]
[Your Address Line 2]
[Your Town/City]
[Your Postcode]

[Date]

[Neighbour's Name or 'The Occupier']
[Their Address Line 1]
[Their Address Line 2]
[Their Town/City]
[Their Postcode]

Dear [Neighbour's Name or 'Neighbour'],

I am writing to raise a concern about noise coming from your property at [their address]. I wanted to put this in writing so that we both have a clear record of the issue and can hopefully find a way to resolve it.

Over the past [time period, e.g. 'few weeks' or 'several months'], I have been regularly disturbed by [describe the type of noise, e.g. 'loud music', 'shouting', 'barking dogs', 'banging and drilling']. This has been occurring [describe when it happens, e.g. 'late at night', 'during the early hours of the morning', 'most evenings after 10pm']. The noise is clearly audible from inside my property and has been affecting [explain the impact, e.g. 'my sleep', 'my ability to work from home', 'my family's wellbeing'].

I appreciate that some noise is a normal part of daily life, and I am not asking for complete silence. However, the level and frequency of the disturbance has become difficult to live with. I would be grateful if you could take steps to reduce the noise, particularly during [specific times, e.g. 'the evening and night hours'].

I hope we can sort this out between ourselves without needing to involve anyone else. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact me at [your phone number or email address, if you are comfortable sharing]. I am happy to have a conversation and work together to find a solution that suits us both.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Signature]

[Your Printed Name]

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

What to Do If Your Neighbour Does Not Respond

If your neighbour does not reply to your letter or the noise continues, you have several options for taking the matter further.

Community mediation: A trained mediator can help you and your neighbour talk through the problem and reach an agreement. Many local councils offer free or low cost mediation services. Mediation is voluntary, confidential, and often effective at resolving neighbour disputes without damaging relationships further.
Contact your council: Your local council's environmental health team has the power to investigate noise complaints. If they find that the noise amounts to a statutory nuisance, they can take formal action against your neighbour, including issuing warnings or fines. You can usually make a complaint through your council's website or by calling them directly.
Speak to their landlord or housing provider: If your neighbour rents their property, their landlord or housing association may be able to help. Most tenancy agreements include clauses about not causing nuisance to neighbours. Social housing providers in particular often have dedicated antisocial behaviour teams who can investigate complaints.
Get advice: If you are unsure of your rights or what steps to take next, Citizens Advice can provide free, impartial guidance on dealing with neighbour disputes and noise problems.

Keep a record of all noise incidents, including dates, times, and a description of what you heard. This evidence will be useful if you need to escalate your complaint to the council or take legal action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I send the letter by recorded delivery?

For a first letter to a neighbour, recorded delivery is usually not necessary. Hand delivering the letter yourself is often the simplest approach, and it means you know for certain that it has been received. If you prefer not to knock on their door, you can post it through their letterbox. However, if the dispute has already escalated or you are concerned your neighbour may claim they never received the letter, sending it by recorded delivery can provide proof of postage and delivery. This can be useful if you later need to show a council officer or mediator that you attempted to resolve the issue directly.

What if my neighbour ignores my letter?

If your neighbour does not respond or the noise continues after you have sent your letter, do not send repeated letters or allow the situation to become confrontational. Instead, consider contacting a community mediation service, which can help facilitate a conversation between you. If mediation is not suitable or does not work, you can make a formal complaint to your local council's environmental health team. They have legal powers to investigate noise nuisance and can take enforcement action if necessary. Keep a detailed log of all noise incidents, as this will support your complaint.

Should I keep a copy of my letter?

Yes, always keep a copy of any letter you send. This creates a written record showing that you raised the issue politely and gave your neighbour an opportunity to resolve it. If the dispute continues and you need to involve the council, a mediator, or in rare cases a solicitor, having copies of all correspondence will strengthen your position. You should also keep a note of the date you sent or delivered the letter and, if you hand delivered it, a brief note of how you did so.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Noise Meter lets you use your phone or computer to measure noise levels and keep a dated record with notes. Export as evidence for your council or environmental health officer. All data stays on your device. Try it now →

Showing 20 of 119 questions

Ask Problem Neighbours a Question

Dash 04/08/2026 at 12:03 am

A man and his family came to the area few days ago and even as at this 00:58 time the whole area is quiet he is making so much noise . I live 3 to 4 houses away but I can still hear him .

I have spoken to him and denied being him making such noise . He called policed on a neighbor who approached him during the mid night . He claimed the neighbor had threatened him . The police came fire arms . We were surprised becos . Help us stop this person

ProblemNeighbours Editor 08/07/2026 at 11:00 pm

@Nichola That sounds really stressful, especially at that hour. If it's happening right now and you feel there's a disturbance or possible altercation, ring 101, or 999 if anyone sounds in danger. For ongoing noise past 11pm, log every incident with dates and times, then report it to your council's environmental health team, as they can issue a noise abatement notice. Keeping a diary really helps if it ends up going further.

Nichola 08/07/2026 at 10:41 pm

Someone constantly shouting and screaming behind house it’s gone 12!

ProblemNeighbours Editor 17/05/2026 at 1:31 pm

@Guest Four years of this is genuinely awful, and you shouldn't be the one told to take pills. Start a formal noise nuisance complaint with your council's Environmental Health team, not just the police, as they can issue abatement notices and seize equipment. Keep a written log alongside your videos, dates, times and how it affected you, because that paperwork is what forces action. If you rent, copy your landlord in on every report. Citizens Advice can also push things along if the council drags its feet.

Guest 25/01/2024 at 10:18 pm

For the 4th year I have been suffering with a neighbor from 9 who lives at the top of the stump. It knocks at night. moves chairs, I've been writing complaints for so many years. At night it doesn’t let me sleep at all, I wake up with knocking in fear, I’ve already developed a panic attack, I told him, I wrote, it wasn’t just me and the neighbors who called the police. There is no improvement, sometimes 1-2 nights are calm, but then everything continues. I have a video from 2020. He throws garbage from the window under my window, and more than once before he threw food, foxes and birds gathered. It is inadequate, I am afraid to walk through the main entrance. It makes noise during the day and at night, during the day it screams under the windows. He drinks something, smokes, it stinks not only in the rooms throughout the house. I'm tired of not sleeping, being afraid, making video evidence. I pay for housing that is impossible to live in. This is just terrible, I have never had such a nightmare in my life. And for so many years they have not been able to solve the problem, they advise me to see a psychologist, take pills, put earplugs in my ears. Isn’t it better to remove this neighbor’s problem alone? Making fun of people for 4 years!!!!!!

Agma 06/01/2024 at 6:22 pm

I have a rental next to me run by an association firm that puts in families. The area is town centre, plus the house is a small 2 bed cottage, totally inappropriate for more than 2 people. I currently have a family of four next to me and like the last family the problem is children as they are noisy, lots of bumping, stomping, and crying, they are children what can you do?. As rents have skyrocketed people can no longer afford the suitable housing they need, however in terraced housing you have got to compromise and if you don't you're heading for trouble and you will fall out with you're neighbours. Families don't think this applies to them and never think of others.

Detached homes are the way to go. As soon as I have enough equity in my home, its going on the market and I will upgrade. As a single person I am being denied a quiet life and the noise around me spoils the enjoyment of my home. I am just glad I am on the housing ladder as I should eventually have a way out of this situation. Rentals are no good, people coming and going and the wrong types of neighbours. Never going to have stability and quality of life where I am currently. It's never going to stop.

IHateFarnham 10/12/2023 at 7:16 pm

My neighbours kids are absolutely feral, every afternoon and evening they sound like they are trying to jump through our wall. One evening when we’d had I knocked on the door and they just ignored me so sent a Facebook message and the mum said try yes keep it down after 8pm as I’d asked but it lasted about a day. She also said her kid plays with a ball indoors (?)

So annoyed and frustrated, I get kids need to play but every evening is wrecked by our house shaking from what sounds like bodies slamming on the wall or floor until 10 most nights

Taha 21/11/2023 at 10:20 pm

My upstairs neighbour with 3 kids makes too much noise(in one bedroom flat) . The younger one who is 3 years old keeps running all the time still we tried to understand but my son with ASD couldn't sleep properly because of the noise. Children from upstairs sleeps around 10pm, until then too much running, stomping and jumping. I tried to talk to her (the lady) soo many times but she always replied saying, they are kids they'll run and you have kids too or just call police.

I literally don't know what to tell her, it's not fair not getting enough sleep after all if you've to go to job early morning and support the child with needs.

Jj 05/11/2023 at 2:47 am

I'm at my wits end I live in upstairs flat and my downstairs neighbor who I was engaged too but ever since the split he has caused nothing but problems for me and my auntie as he constantly slams his doors , stomp round like an elephant and every time he has someone new he makes sure we know about it weve put up with this now for 5 years and it's getting to the point were we are afraid to make noise during the right hours my auntie wont even put a picture up on the wall until he is out incase he makes more noise we both have medical needs and it's killing us she suffers from seizures due to stress I have depression and anxiety I have no idea what to do anymore and I need help

Sassy 28/06/2023 at 8:48 am

My upstairs neighbour doesn’t ensure her children go to bed at an appropriate time probably out of it on weed. Then 7-8 in the morning constantly shutting and screaming at the kids cos they can’t get up swearing and tell them she’s fine with them it’s awful I can hear it in my bedroom word for word and wakes us up. I’m sick of her voice.
She is unreasonable to deal with even though she says she’s not. We had a leak from her washing machine she is yet still to pay for

Issy 26/05/2023 at 11:46 pm

A neighbour has been shouting in our communal garden after 11.30 tonight. I believe he was trying to attract the attention of another neighbour. He was standing in the middle of the garden shouting up at her window. Is he allowed to do this at that time of night?

Fedup 24/05/2023 at 9:54 pm

My neighbour has been doing construction work out of Brent council hours. Numerous complaints have gone over to the council. But clearly they choose to do nothing.

Minny 21/12/2022 at 9:25 am

There's a young man directly across from me ,that is constantly screaming foul discusting words ,smashing things ,kicking punching the colour bond fence , Plays loud music with filthy language in it .screams at the elderly lady inside the unit he lives in , Has mates doing burn outs every time they leave this property. Lights fires on the nature strip using petrol . Ive complained to the dept of housing, and had to call the police in regards to this man lighting fires , nothing seems to get done .

Bernadette orourke 29/09/2022 at 7:37 pm

I'm being harrased by neighbours parking his cars vans getting his friends to park outside my home the rore there ingens which frightened me I've told housing for over year they have done nothing I'm scared I can't stand at my door him an his brothers shut names at me

Jo 10/09/2022 at 6:13 pm

After talking to neighbour about the constant machine I. E. Routers shop saw. Hammers and other tools noise daily..
It still continues..
He denied it..said it wasn't him.. (A BLATENT DENIAL).. THIS continuing dinn
Is affecting my and others quality of life..
I live in a village location.. Not a industrial sight..

Jo 10/09/2022 at 6:12 pm

Sweets 26/07/2022 at 2:53 pm

My daughter orchyd tell me she know long time that them people at 40b was racist from long time and my son mario know that them people at 40b is racist people my daughter orchyd tell me who that woman think she is to come and do that push my door onto my shoulder and I in pain with both of my shoulders and in pain with my arm and in pain with my wrist and still in pain with both of my shoulders and still in pain with my arm and in pain with my wrist now still.??

Nice 08/06/2022 at 11:54 am

I call the police to ask if the police went to them people at 40b the police tell me it logged I tell the police 23 years I have lived at my house for 40 Tressillian Road that the housing tell me to ignore them people at 40b to don't listen to them people at 40b I tell the police I have ignore them people at 40b and I haven't been listening to them people at 40b the police tell me they advise me as well to ignore them people at 40b and to don't listen to them people at 40b anything more happen to call the police I thank the police date 8/6/2022

Sal 12/05/2022 at 9:58 am

My upstair neighbour turns an electric device which causes vibration, shaking the walls as well as the noise, like a drill, 4 hours in every morning and every afternoon.I get headache, earache, my stomach turns and I feel I will go mad soon. I wrote him a note. The housing officer and police can do nothing as the noise is in social hours. This noise is not like any other, so unbearable.

Nice 03/05/2022 at 7:17 pm

Also matchsticks is also been throwing outside my bedroom window by them at 40b the woman and one name William and the one with the dark hair that have been smoking and throwing them cigarette butts outside in the front and putting wood outside in the back garden with rusty nails that could fall on or walk on with rusty nails inside the wood that shouldn't have even been out there in the first place date 3/5/2022

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