Being Bullied by a Neighbour? What You Can Do

Originally written by Sarah Clark, updated by the editorial team on 16th May 2026

When a neighbour's behaviour crosses the line

Feeling intimidated or harassed by someone who lives nearby can affect every part of your daily life. Your home should be a place where you feel safe, and your neighbourhood should be somewhere you can come and go without fear.

Neighbourhood bullying takes many forms: verbal abuse, threats, spreading rumours, deliberate attempts to annoy you, or targeting members of your household. The term bullying has no strict legal definition in England and Wales, but behaviours associated with it can still be pursued legally if they fall under harassment, assault or other criminal offences.

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Dealing with children being bullied by neighbours

When a child in your household is being bullied by other children nearby, your response will depend on the nature and frequency of what is happening. A single disagreement between children, while upsetting, may resolve itself without adult intervention. Keep communication open with your child and watch how things develop.

If the behaviour continues or becomes more serious:

Talk to your child about what is happening and let them know they can come to you with concerns.
Help them think through simple responses: walking away, telling an adult, or staying near others when outside.
Consider walking with your child to and from school or supervising outdoor play for a period.
If appropriate, speak calmly to the parents of the other children to see if the matter can be resolved directly.

Not all parents will be receptive, and raising the issue directly may sometimes make things worse. If the bullying involves physical violence, threats, or is significantly affecting your child's wellbeing, you may need outside help.

Schools have safeguarding duties and policies on bullying. If the children attend the same school, speak to the class teacher or head teacher. Where bullying takes place online, report the content to the platform and keep screenshots as evidence.

In serious cases involving assault, theft, or criminal damage, you can report the matter to the police. The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is ten, so children aged ten and over can be held responsible for criminal acts.

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

When adults are targeted

Bullying between adults can be harder to address, particularly if it involves subtle behaviour designed to intimidate without crossing obvious legal lines: spreading false information, making offensive gestures, blocking access to shared spaces, or repeatedly doing things intended to annoy you.

Before taking formal action, consider whether a direct conversation might help. Some disputes arise from misunderstandings about noise, parking, or shared boundaries. If you feel safe doing so, approach your neighbour calmly and keep the conversation factual.

If direct communication has not worked, try mediation. This is a voluntary process where a neutral third party helps both sides discuss the problem. Your local council may offer a free or low cost mediation service, or you can find a mediator through the Civil Mediation Council. Mediation works best when both parties are willing to engage and is not suitable where there are ongoing threats or a significant power imbalance.

If mediation fails, you may need to escalate: make a formal complaint to your council's antisocial behaviour team, report to the police, or seek legal advice about civil remedies. Keep a record of the steps you have already taken.

Recording incidents and reporting

Keeping a written record of incidents is one of the most useful things you can do. Include dates, times, descriptions of what happened, any witnesses, and how the behaviour affected you. Where possible, keep photographs, video recordings, saved text messages, or screenshots. If in doubt about privacy laws around recording, focus on written records and speak to a solicitor or advice service.

If your neighbour's behaviour amounts to harassment, you have legal protections under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Harassment involves a course of conduct (at least two occasions) that causes you alarm or distress. It is both a civil wrong and a criminal offence: you can report it to the police or apply to the civil courts for an injunction.

Antisocial behaviour is a broader category covering conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. Your local council and the police share responsibility for dealing with it. Report problems to your council's antisocial behaviour team, who can issue warnings, community protection notices, or civil injunctions. If you rent from a housing association or the council, report to your landlord as well.

In cases involving threats of violence, assault, criminal damage, or hate crimes, contact the police on 101 for non emergencies or 999 if you are in immediate danger.

You do not have to deal with this alone. Citizens Advice can provide free guidance on your options. Victim Support offers help to anyone affected by crime or antisocial behaviour. If the bullying involves discrimination based on protected characteristics, organisations such as Galop or Tell MAMA can offer specialist support. For mental health support, contact Mind or the Samaritans.

If you are considering legal action, speak to a solicitor. Some offer a free initial consultation, and you may be eligible for legal aid. Check GOV.UK for current eligibility criteria.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Neighbour Rights Checker lets you check your legal rights in any neighbour dispute. Takes 1 minute. Try it now →

Showing 20 of 547 questions

Ask Problem Neighbours a Question

ProblemNeighbours Editor 09/06/2026 at 7:21 pm

@DuvetDay Going to the press can work, but local papers are usually a better starting point than nationals, as they often pick up community ASB stories and may push the council into action. Try emailing the newsdesk at your regional paper with a short summary and any evidence you've got, like diaries, recordings or letters. The BBC's Shared Data Unit and ITV regional news also cover this sort of thing. Be aware once it's out there, you can't take it back, so think about whether you want to be named.

DuvetDay 09/06/2026 at 7:17 pm

Is it a good idea to give your story of nuisance neighbours to the press? I have asked the Police, my council's Anti Social Behaviour Team and my MP for help and none of them have. I have quite a story to be told. How could I get an investigative journalist to take this up?

ProblemNeighbours Editor 17/05/2026 at 1:27 pm

@Kitkat That sounds genuinely awful, and it's clear she's the problem, not you. Start documenting everything: dates, times, recordings of the shouting, photos of the cameras pointed at your space. Speak to your landlord in writing (not just texts) about the unauthorised daycare and the lease breaches, as that's something they can actually act on. If the cameras are filming your private entrance, that's a data protection issue worth reporting to the ICO.

Kitkat 11/07/2025 at 3:59 am

So I moved into a middle class neighborhood into a new city 2 years ago after great loss of losing my grandparents and sister to co vid 19 and sold my condo and moved out into a new city taking the risk to build a better life for myself and I managed to find a decent basement suite in a good neighborhood and worked 2 jobs to pay the rent as it is very high in these neighborhoods things were great at first lots silent nights and pleasant days with my chior and very busy but I was happy because I had my own private space and my cat enjoyed our own space as well . 7 months later the French family moved out upstairs and low and behold a trashy unstable divorced mess of a woman moved into . Met her and something felt very off fake and unsettling about her . I felt drained and uncomfortable around her and she just kept dumping her problems on me like it was my fault when I was just meeting her out of kindness and curiosity . She played victim and was immediately asking me for favours for things and airing out her problems ghat were not my concern . Trashing her ex husband complaining about how her young children were a holes and that she just looping in her victim mindset … I felt uncomfortable and just left and went on with my day until I helping renovate the upstairs and she was illegally running a day care when she didn’t even pay rent or damage and wasn’t allowed to move in yet . Anytime my landlord called her out she would play Victim and use her kids against us playing on the fact that we have good kind hearts . She would come at night with a trailer and creepy guy and enter in through garage . The sad part is that we weren’t even done doing renovations and she was having groups of people and running an illegal day home when I was working or at chior practice and would lie to my landlords face when i texted him and told him she’s already here and was already not impressed . Again with the using her kids for sympathy so we let it slide … she moved in and had a bunch of grubby men beers in hand moving her in and she was very jealous and condescending towards me and I just avoided and ignored her and was in and out of my house as I have a separate entrance . Constant random people party’s cops were here a month in she has was digging in the compost bin complaining about how I was composting a paper bag . Constant banging . I wake up everyday to this narrasistic neighbour upstairs screaming in rage at her children 6 am . Shes tried to turn all the neighbours against me got new wifi installed and refused to share the password and tells everyone she owns this house . She’s disrespectful lazy and is constantly complaints and looks for handouts . I am a quite disaplined single working person and she’s made my life hel because I have boundaries and refuse to accord her to my peace . She broke the landlords lawn mower so I can help cut the grass she installed cameras all over the house to monitor me and harasses my friends when they come to get me or

Paw 15/02/2025 at 1:27 pm

I'm being persecuted for having a ADHD burnout
Young neighbor has joined the Neighborhood bully team towards me because she thought she was being nice getting me the equivalent of 8 roll up cigarettes now wants a fight please help I don't know what to do with

rich2 15/11/2024 at 11:52 am

I have a brother and sister who constantly bullie me even though I have been seprated from them 2001 they will not let me have a job they have stopped my mobile service they do have friends in the police. my home is wrecked the authorities are not willing to help they stop social services from seeing me.

sal 01/04/2024 at 7:14 pm

I'm almost 70.
Dealing with bullying neighbours down stairs.
The landlord won't anything, the police don't care. The CAB advisor seemed
annoyed and irritated when I tried to explain what is happening, so I gave up
There doesn't seem to be any help for adults that are suffering like this. Most
of us have had a lot of stress and physical problems because of it. Children
seem to be in the news about bullying, but adults seem to not have any help.

Roni 20/02/2024 at 7:48 pm

I'm being terribly bullied I suffer with mental health also I'm disabled,, the people who are bullying me I don't no why but they throw rocks at 1st now it's stones this has been going on for over a year and half if not more ,,, they are buying there property and I'm in a housing association, I don't seriously no what to do I've never had anxiety but my god I suffer every day I've lost lots of weight pls can someone help me pls I'm 59 years old and I live on my own it's scary, I feel this isn't my home but more like a prison pls pls any help I would be great full many thanks veronica x

Serap 08/12/2023 at 7:21 pm

My problem with my neighbor started 11 years ago when I tried to do remedial work done on my external wall tried to eliminate the damp in my living room by their side of the servitude alley . I live in an end of terrace house and between me and my neighbor there is an alley which they said they controlled the boundary because it is in their land. Every attempt I have done over the years to have repair the damp was blocked by those two brothers and their mother who lived in next door. I even took them to court and had a court decision that I have a right to do remedial work to maintain my house however they told me that I lost they will never let me do have any work because i am tress passing their land. Several times the brothers came at my door took my picture, told me that their good will punish me and came to loudly banging at my door and window. I was and I am terrified and extremely depressed now that I can't feel safe in my own house. Recently I had government founded company approached me and was agree to do external wall insulation and unfortunately without telling me the company sent scaffolding company to take the scaffolding up around my house including the wall on their side. This made them crazy mad and came at my door banging and banging then my window as well. I was terrified and called the police, the police was not interested in and told me that I should call the council so I called my dear friend about it and he called the police and explained my situation then they opened a harassment file. The neighbor then put a letter through my letter box and saying " I have gone about wrong way" last year their mother died from heart attack and they were accusing of disrespect their dead mother. one of the brother was telling me in his letter that he is going to police to resolve the matter as if they were the victim while they have been bullying me and terrorizing me. Now that the company ECO TARGET back off and not doing the work they said they could and the scaffolding company took the scaffolding down on their side of the wall but they let the front and back side of the scaffolding up. Now the company has decided that they will not do any work, the scaffolding need to be taken down however the next door neighbor have been barricaded the gate and not letting scaffolding company they their scaffolding down. They need to use the alley to remove and take the scaffolding out from the back side of my house. It need s only one hour fro the company take it done and remove but it has been a month they have been unreasonable, uncommunicative and unreasonable. They even don't live in the house but they know I am a single woman with nobody to protect me. I have no families, no support circle so they know it and they say they can do it because they can. I am so desperate and depressed can sleep, lost 6 kilos. I have osteoarthritis and asthma which damp cause terrible pain and escalates my condition but he told me that he does not care that he w

Wish 30/11/2023 at 10:05 pm

Is a older man and lady she is Italian and he is mixed ethnicity. I am younger by 30 years or more and ever since I came they have been nosey given a welcome card when moved in. I thought this was nice but odd as soon after my thoughts was right . Every morning she would say in the hallway (converted house thin walls and shared door way to enter) "is he home!?"

I understand they have lived in the property for 20 years but is a council property forst of all that you don't own so don't get to choose who lives on top of you!

This soon turned nasty as he told me when I first moved in that the lady in the place before me was very nice at first and then changed on them and became very nasty (ring a bell) I thought at the time way are you telling me about the neighbour before . I always take note how people speak about others as you'll be next . And boy was I right..so i am now enemy no1. After not wanting to engage with gossip and chit chat . The gentlemen has become very nasty and started doing strange things name calling and moving things . Leaving old food in front of my door and screaming n*igga and f******* retard while banging the door in the mornings . I guess he wants a reaction I have been very good . Have spoken to councillor but not much use as they want to go to police and press charges I explained I have to live there still and don't want to add gas to the fire . I am also not having the best experience with police as being profiled and treated like a criminal has been my experience from a young kid growing in London. I think these people are not happy
They don't leave the house . Once a day to walk the dog and he screams at her for not giving him sex it is very embracing to hear and feel sorry for her he says she wont let him touch her so I see why he takes it out on me I guess I have to be the bigger person and believe this is a lesson i will not fail this test i will stay positive and wish them love and peace as you give what you put out i believe.. i have come along way the old me would have called my cousin to day hello but honestly he is a sad old ugly man inside and out so why would I add to the stress of a person like that . One day he will answer for his actions every thing has a consequence. Stat strong if you have neighbour issues it is all apart of this school we call life . Stay strong and have faith you'll be rewarded for it !!

Anon 10/11/2023 at 4:20 pm

I'm being bullied by my neighbours. There are three flats involved. They surround me. My bedroom is adjacent to one neighbour's living room. I live underneath another neighbour and my kitchen is adjacent to the final and most important neighbour. These people have taken it upon themselves to cause me mental anguish by laughing vindictively at me all night long from 11pm to 6 am 7days a week. You might think I'm being petty but this is a coordinated attack on my sleep and welfare. The laughter is loud and vociferous, and constant. There is no respite it is constant laughter. I've contacted the appropriate bodies for the informal complaint but have been literally laughed off as a petty minded git. It's no joke though the people in these three flats have given themselves the mission of mentally torturing me through laughter! Why? I cannot say.

Yes I am mentally ill. And that can mean two things. A; I'm making this up in my own head. Or B; the perpetrators know this and are having fun with the idea that I would be seen as a mentally ill person making this up in my own head.

Can you please believe me when I say it's not A?

I'm not conjuring a fantasy through delusion. I'm not overreacting to a few giggles. This is full on nasty vindictive laughing in the dead of night purely made to intimidate, mock , jeer and mentally torment me.

And there's nothing I can do about it.

David D 04/11/2023 at 9:28 pm

I agree wholeheartedly with Agma's comments below. Society is breaking down and people's behaviours are changing for the worst.
Had enough of our next door neighbours who are drug addicts, inconsiderate, immature and lack any social curtesy. Police are useless, council mean well but appear to be powerless. The only option we've had is to take civil action, which we're part way through and it is costly. If this is what we have to do to be able to live without being harassed so be it, I hope it goes to court and we win and the judge makes the neighbour pay our legal costs as well as theirs.
There's my dream

Agma 02/11/2023 at 6:58 am

The truth is problem neighbours cannot be completely avoided unless you are well heeled and can afford to live in a detached rural property. If you are surrounded by neighbours, there is likely to be some sort of issue at some point; so if you are fortunate enough to have good neighbours around you make sure you value them and let them know you hope they don't move becouse it can turn the moment someone new moves in who turns out to be a nightmare.

Harassment and bullying is usually a secondary reaction to a prior incident or issue between you and someone else. I am someone with a strong personality and will retaliate within the margins of the law to someone trying to bully or harass me, but I understand many are older, younger, or with families, who are not in a position to defend themselves. This is far more of a widespread problem now than 20 years ago becouse the morals, respect, and values of this country's society are breaking down due to all-levels of entrenched division and declining standards of education.

Councils and police deflect, delay, and downplay, all approaches of noise and abusive complaints, and this is ruining many, many lives across the country. Liberalism, soft touch politics, and an ineffective justice system is behind our increasingly warring, vacuous, and fraying communities; and the problem is only getting worse as governments and their associate departments are in denial due to their ruinous policies and methods of national and local management.

Corri 30/10/2023 at 6:45 pm

I have been having trouble with my neighbours for over 4 years I am disabled I have server heart failure after having two heart attacks I can’t have anyone visit my home without them being intimidated they are not aloud to park near my home the neighbours have cars which they park outside my house to stop anyone to park near my home they have threatened me in the past where I have reported to the police and my local council they play loud music all day take drugs and they cars they have army taxed but still nothing done about it the police told me they wasn’t taken the threats any further as they was watching the house they live in and looking on the internet the male who lives there has done armed robberies house burglaries drug dealing and has attacked police officers in the past tits unbearable to have to live like this I have lived in my property from being born and never had anything like I am going through now and yet there is no help out there against these low life’s it is now having an impact on my health I am a prisoner in my own home

SW2023 13/09/2023 at 10:09 am

I am amazed at how widespread the problem of bullying neighbours is. I bought my house (semi-terraced) in a new development 15 years ago. Since then one of my neighbours has harassed me no end. We share a very very short boundary wall. The northern side of my property faces a common driveway used by all neighbours. Because they do not have an exterior wall (but they have 2 gates) the developers put their post box, doorbell and entrance light on my wall. Big mistake! They consider the wall theirs. They changed the wall without saying a word to me. I saw it and unfortunately did not take action to keep the peace. But this made it worse because it convinced them perhaps that it was their wall. They've cut and poisoned plants that I have growing along the wall. I spoke with them, and the husband had the audacity to tell me that I should have come to them if I had problems with the wall. I politely told him that in fact since it was my property he should have spoken with me before touching the fence. After this the wife took to sweeping leaves, paper, cigarette butts, whatever was in the driveway, in front of my gate. I again ignored these antics and this riled her up even more. So she started throwing stuff over the wall into my property. At this point I reported it to the police and sent her a cease and desist from my lawyer. She was so enraged she started a stomping regime on the staircase which is on the shared internal wall. I couldn't invite people over because it was so embarrassing having this disturbance. I didn't stomp back or hit on the wall because I thought if they knew how much it affected me they would continue this behaviour. They then turned to complaining about my surveillance cameras. My lawyer responded but they were not happy at all. Now the wife takes to shouting obscenities in front of my property. She's also been spreading lies to the two neighbours that she's friendly with. While she doesn't speak to the others (there was some falling out or the other) she does not harass them.

I agree with people here who say that ignoring them drives them crazy but it comes at a cost to your personal wellbeing. You need strength of character to not respond to some of the utter nonsense. No one should have to go through this and the police are helpful to a point. If I hadn't bought the house I would have already moved.

Mosscat 04/09/2023 at 6:58 am

For the last two years, I’ve been abused and attacked and have serious injuries to my left hand. Side of my body is 75-year-old man, and 74-year-old woman will not leave me alone. I have tried to take a personal order keeps putting it off I am scared for my life. I want to move to be back with my family but I cannot afford and no one will help me, I’m inside 24. Seven fearing for my life

Mosscat 04/09/2023 at 6:56 am

For the last 12 months, two years, I’ve been verbally abused and attacked at my fence by the neighbour I’ve taken a personal protection order to try and protect myself the 75-year-old man, and 74-year-old woman I cannot even go out my back door without them abusing me they throw rubbish over my fence. I can’t even get my clothes in or hang my clothes out or even put my hose on to water plants, I have planted for my granddaughter when she visits. I’ve been to court twice and the judge has put it off for another month. I am so scared for my life. I have all the windows and doors locked and too scared to go outside, unless my neighbour across the road is home , I want to move, but I can’t afford to, as I’m a pensioner bearable to live and I am scared for my life .

M 02/09/2023 at 4:43 pm

I'm also being harassed and being mentally tortured by our upstairs narcissitic neighbours, stamping on the floor constantly shouting and singing all night, deliberately keeping us awake every single night, trying to imtimidate us they think they own the whole building, they listen to everything we do, they don't work, hanging around outside our door whispering, also now turned another neighbour against us who is a criminal , we are frightened to go in and out of our flat, as we feel very threatened, they really want to hurt us, landlords don't do anything or the police, it's been going on now for 9 months now, it's affecting our health, and I feel absolutely exhausted, very hard to find somewhere else to live, how are they allowed to get away with it, it's shocking?

Niky 31/08/2023 at 2:21 pm

For the last couple of months I have been harassed by my neighbors son and his girlfriend. I have called my landlord and all he says is he will talk to them. That doesn’t help. I can’t do anything and I mean anything in my house. If I take a shower, wash dishes or do laundry they yell and scream at me to turn my water off or they will shut it off for me. I have to turn my tv up just to drowned them out. I have been called a N lover (my husband is Black). They have threatened to beat my ass, cut my potbelly pigs throat, they have said that they violated my 4 1/2 year old potbelly pig. I had to put her down a month ago. They tell me to get out of their house and they are staying with mommy. They yell and scream 24/7, pound on the walls, stand outside my front door, and my window to listen to what I’m doing. I can’t even call my family without them listening. They have said that he will break in my house and rape me and my pig. I have called the cops and nothing gets done about it. I lost my job because of the situation. Can someone please help me this has gotten out of hand I’m scared to leave my apartment. I have put cameras in my backyard along with a motion sensor and a camera at my front door. My husband and I don’t bother anyone we go to work and come home, mind our own business. I’m desperate, scared please can someone help

Bazer 31/08/2023 at 1:04 am

My have yesterday moved in kicking my door paralysed down my right side I'm 51 . They in the 20's sick of it . I think they have done something wrong to my Cat.

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