Why keeping a record of nuisance behaviour matters
Antisocial and nuisance behaviour can make daily life genuinely difficult. Noise at all hours, intimidation, property damage or persistent disturbances can leave you feeling stressed and unsafe in your own home. The effects on wellbeing and quality of life are real and worth taking seriously.
Defining nuisance behaviour can be complex, as perceptions vary. Something that feels intolerable to one person may seem minor to another, and local authorities will only act on behaviour that meets certain legal definitions. This is why keeping a clear, factual diary of incidents can make a significant difference if you decide to make a formal complaint.
A well kept record shows a pattern of behaviour rather than a one off event. It provides dates, times and specific details that authorities need to assess the situation properly. It also demonstrates that you have taken the matter seriously and documented it in a reasonable way.
Without this kind of evidence, councils, housing associations or the police may find it harder to take action, though this depends on the circumstances. Your word alone may not be enough, particularly if the person causing the problem denies it or claims the incidents were isolated. That said, corroborative testimony from other witnesses can sometimes support a case even without extensive written records.
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The goal is to create a factual, consistent record that anyone reading it can understand. Stick to what actually happened rather than how you felt about it, and avoid exaggeration or emotional language.
For each incident, note the following:
- The date and day of the week
- The time the incident started and, if relevant, when it stopped
- A brief description of what happened in plain terms
- Who was involved, if you know
- Whether anyone else witnessed it
- How it affected you or your household
- Any action you took, such as asking the person to stop or calling a non emergency line
Keep your descriptions simple and specific. Note the type of disturbance, when it occurred, how long it lasted and what effect it had. That kind of entry is far more useful than a general complaint.
If you have any supporting evidence, keep it safe alongside your diary. This might include photographs, screenshots of messages, or notes from conversations. Audio or video recordings can sometimes be helpful. In the UK, you can generally record incidents in your own home without consent for personal use, but using these recordings as evidence in legal proceedings or publicly may require consent or a lawful basis. If you are unsure, seek advice before relying on recordings.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
How your diary may be used
Local councils have legal powers to deal with antisocial behaviour, though what they can do depends on the nature and severity of the problem. For noise complaints, environmental health officers may investigate and issue noise abatement notices. Councils can also issue Community Protection Notices or apply to the courts for injunctions in more serious cases. Mediation is sometimes offered as a voluntary process to help neighbours resolve disputes, though this is not a formal enforcement action.
Housing associations also have their own procedures for dealing with tenants who cause persistent problems. If you rent from a social landlord, check their antisocial behaviour policy, which will usually explain how to report issues and what evidence they need.
The police may become involved if the behaviour is criminal, such as harassment, threats or damage to property. A clear diary of incidents will support any report you make.
When you submit your diary to any of these bodies, they will use it to assess whether the behaviour meets the threshold for action. This threshold varies depending on the type of complaint, so it helps to check your local authority's website for guidance on what they consider antisocial behaviour and how they handle complaints. GOV.UK also has general information on antisocial behaviour and the options available to residents.
Practical tips for keeping your diary
Your diary is one part of an overall approach to handling nuisance behaviour, not a complete solution on its own. It works best alongside other steps such as reporting incidents to the relevant authority and seeking advice where needed.
Consistency matters more than length. A short entry for every incident is better than a detailed account written weeks later from memory. Try to write things down as soon as possible after they happen.
Use a notebook, a spreadsheet or a notes app on your phone. Choose whatever method you will actually stick with. Some councils provide diary sheets you can download and print, which can be a useful template.
Be honest. If you are not certain about a detail, say so. Writing "I think it was around midnight" is fine. Making up precise times undermines your credibility.
Do not include speculation about why someone is behaving the way they are, or comments about their personal life. Stick to observable facts.
If the situation is making you feel unsafe, contact the police. You do not need to wait until you have a complete diary before seeking help. In serious cases, your safety comes first.
I've had my drainage system checked out twice, once privately, and once by the water authority. Everything is running clear and there's no fault that could explain the presence of sewer gas in my house. I don't have a good relationship with next door but I have told them about the problem. They say they have no smell of sewer gas in their house, but since the time when the problem started, their bathrrom window has been left open as wide as it will go, and is left open all day and into the evening, even in really cold weather.
Water authority tried to check next door's drainage system as they did mine, but couldn't get access. They left a card for the neighbour to contact them to make an appointment for them to come back but the neighbour hasn't responded. Water authority have told me they cannot insist on getting access to the drains and there's nothing more they can do.
Next door have a history of drainage problems following a blocked manhole and a sewer flood at their property in 2015. In 2017 they had their drains relined but the firm carrying out the work does not have a good reputation in the industry.
I contacted Environmental Health for advice. They told me they have no power to act in relation to smell pollution from residential premises. They passed the case to the council's drainage team. They sent someone to see me and they checked the manhole my waste goes to (it's now been checked 3 times). They couldn't get access to next door's manhole. I expected they would come back and try again, but when I asked for a progress report they said they's sent the matter back to Envirnmental Health the same day they visited me.
The sewer gas is having a real impact on my quality of life in the house. I have had 3 bouts of illness since Nov 2018 (gastic bug, flu, chest infection, and recurrent sore throats). I've never has so much illness in such a short space of time. I'm retired so at home a lot. I have to keep windows open during the day even though it's too cold for this. This doesn't get rid of the smell but it helps to dilute it. The gas is worse at night and sometimes keeps coming in throughout the night so it's hard to sleep. I wake up with a headache, feeling sick, and with my tongue tingling.
I've drawn a blank in terms of getting anything done about the problem. The neighbour doesn't acknowledge that there is a problem and won't give access to their drains for this to be checked out, and neither the local council or the water authority have any power of enforcement.
Is there anything else I can try
We rent privately, myself my partner and our little dogs live in the property.
Our landlord is an elderly gent who lives 200 miles away,he is 86 a genuine and honest man.
We have a fixed tenancy for 5 years and are 13 months into our tenancy.
The garden was in a very bad state when we took the tenancy, it had many years of overgrowth and the property needed complete renovation. The landlord paid for all the interior renovation and my partner did all the redecoration and made it a nice little home for us.In the 13 months we have lived here we have made a lot of friends, know a lot of people and love them all.
The immediate neighbour has consistently made complaints to our landlord about us, that we are on drugs,that we are smashing the place up;that we are rude and disrespectful, that we are not liked. Most of these comments and statements are through phone calls to our landlord, it is now becoming a daily occurrence.My partner had a mental breakdown last year as a result of this behaviour and also working tirelessly to make this little place our home. The neighbour is also verbally attacking our landlord making libellous statements about us to him and questionig his ability as a landlord. Today we have been working in the garden this neighbour has been on the phone within an our complaining about the noise and that he likes to sit in his conservatory quietly at the weekend, please note everyone is working in their gardens not just us. He watches our every move and knows everything we are doing it seems. We have tried speaking to him on numerous occasions,with regard to the accusations he makes one of which was criminal damage, again not true and he turns anything we have talked about around reporting back more untruths an libellous statements. He is not liked at all by many people. Now I am finding I cannot sleep, have had a constant headache for the past 5 days and feel so harassed by him and his wife. I cannot feel peace in our home, he creeps around the side of his garden to view ours.
The neighbour who also lives behind him is also experiencing problems and finds them staring at her through their bedroom window.
There is so much more to say .
I have begun to write down incidences and I have also collected character references from other people in our road who know us.
I feel exhausted by it all and every day is taken up with him. My partner recently broke his leg so things have been challenging. I cannot afford hefty legal bills nor can we move.
I just don’t know what to do and really need some help.
Thank you so much.
They are always at my door asking for money for either bus fare of a bottle of cider which results in them arguing sometimes violently and I'm caught in the middle of it what do i do?
I was actually filming our driveway to see who was scratching family cars and forgot about it. The thing is our house is semi-detached, neighbours house extends infront beyond, so window and house opposite can be viewed on camera, one filmed accidently in dark, can I use this as legal evidence and does it infringe privacy rights. I swivelled camera towards their window momentarily when I heard them and found out who it actually was.
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