Hints and Tips on Dealing With Troublesome Neighbours

Originally written by Sarah Clark, updated by the editorial team on 19th May 2026

Start with a conversation, not a confrontation

Most people want to get along with their neighbours. But not every neighbour is easy to live beside, and problems can build up quickly if left unaddressed.

The temptation when something goes wrong is to react straight away. Resist this. If you have been kept awake by loud music or found rubbish dumped in your garden, wait until you have calmed down before doing anything. Approaching someone when you are angry rarely ends well.

Once you feel ready, ask your neighbour if you can have a quick word. Keep it casual and friendly. Many disputes start because one party genuinely did not realise they were causing a problem. They may not know how much sound travels through the walls, or that their dog barks all day while they are at work.

Give them a fair chance to put things right. A simple conversation resolves many minor issues without any lasting bad feeling on either side, though some situations will require more persistence.

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Put it in writing if talking does not work

Sometimes a conversation is not possible or does not produce results. You might feel uncomfortable speaking face to face, or your neighbour may have dismissed your concerns. In these situations, a letter or note can be useful.

Keep your letter polite and factual. Describe the problem clearly, explain how it affects you, and suggest what you would like to happen. Avoid accusations or threats. The goal is to open a dialogue, not to escalate the situation.

It helps to keep a copy of any letters you send. If the dispute continues and you need to involve a third party later, having a record of your attempts to resolve things informally will work in your favour.

Written communication also gives your neighbour time to consider what you have said without feeling put on the spot. Some people respond better to this than to a doorstep conversation.

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

Bring in outside help

If direct contact has not worked, there are several options for getting outside support.

Mediation services can help neighbours talk through their differences with a neutral third party. Some local councils offer community mediation, though availability and cost vary by area. You can find details through your council's website. This is often quicker and less stressful than formal complaints or legal action.
Your local council may be able to help with certain problems, particularly noise nuisance, rubbish, and antisocial behaviour. Contact the Environmental Health team for noise or waste issues, or the Anti-Social Behaviour team for ongoing disturbances. Councils have powers to investigate complaints and can issue warnings or fines where appropriate.
If you rent your home, your housing provider may have procedures for dealing with neighbour disputes. The same applies if your neighbour is a tenant. Their housing provider may be able to intervene.
Citizens Advice can provide free guidance on your rights and the options available to you. Their website covers a wide range of neighbour issues.

Mediation is particularly beneficial because of its good success rate and ability to preserve neighbourly relationships that might otherwise be damaged permanently by formal complaints or legal proceedings.

Know when to take formal action

Some problems are too serious for informal resolution. If you are being harassed, threatened, or your neighbour's behaviour is affecting your health or safety, you may need to take formal steps.

You can report antisocial behaviour to your local council or the police, depending on the nature of the problem. For persistent noise issues, councils can take enforcement action under statutory nuisance laws. For harassment or criminal behaviour, the police are the right starting point.

Legal action through the courts is possible but usually a last resort. It can be expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is never guaranteed. Before going down this route, get proper legal advice. A solicitor experienced in neighbour disputes can tell you whether you have a realistic case and what it might cost. This is particularly important for boundary disputes or disagreements over shared access, where the law can be complex.

Whatever approach you take, keep records. Maintain a detailed log of incidents, including dates, times, and descriptions. Take photographs where relevant, though be mindful of your neighbour's privacy when doing so. This evidence will be useful if you need to make a formal complaint or pursue legal action later.

Neighbour problems can be draining, but most can be resolved without things becoming too unpleasant. Start gently, keep records, and seek help early if the situation is not improving.

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 238 questions

Ask Problem Neighbours a Question

ProblemNeighbours Editor 18/05/2026 at 10:13 am

@AD What you're describing goes well beyond a neighbour dispute, it's harassment, threats and animal cruelty, all of which are criminal offences. If the local police aren't taking it seriously, put everything in writing to them, ask for a crime reference number, and request the matter be reviewed by a sergeant or inspector. Report the animal abuse to the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 with dates, times and any photos or vet records, as their evidence often pushes police to act. Contact your council's Anti Social Behaviour team too, and ask Victim Support (08 08 16 89 111) to help you log incidents and apply pressure. Keep a written diary of every incident, it's your strongest tool when agencies finally listen.

AD 27/02/2023 at 1:01 pm

I moved house 7 month ago due to bad neighbours, I let the person know about the issues, unfortunately they didn't tell me about there's. My neighbour has made threats of violence, constantly banging thru my bedroom wall from 4 am until 8.40 am, watches my house all day, has been the cause of the death of one of my cats, he waited outside for me to find her thru someone phoning my number, he just laughed & gloated at my heartache & misery, beat another up to the point she couldn't walk, then recently I caught him whack her with his hand, he's constantly terrorising my cats even when lying on their own doorstep. He's told people not to talk to me & to try & scare me, I'm a 59 year old woman on her own & he's 72. From the day I moved in he constantly day & night has threatened to get rid of my cats & kill them. For someone who wants me out of my home, he's constantly causing so much sleeplessness & stress that I can't fix the house up so that I can get another exchange. I contacted police but they are all for him. This is the worst experience of my life, it's cost me so much money at the vets. There was a time I'd be forgiving, not anymore. There's too many wicked people out there & the law is always for them. My life & my cats lives have never been the same, it's devastating. The law needs to change.

ProblemNeighbours Editor 18/05/2026 at 10:13 am

@What can we do You make a fair point about rising above it, as reacting often gives troublemakers exactly what they want. Keeping a written log and reporting serious issues to the council, environmental health or your landlord is usually far more effective than confrontation. And you're right that we should all check our own behaviour too, noise and nuisance can go both ways without us realising.

What can we do 16/01/2023 at 8:33 am

Unfortunately we live in a world that lacks respect for one another and gossiping is a great past time people are becoming more separated and isolation is a real thing for some people some people are determined to bring hell on other's and thay injoy the results unfortunately there are plenty of people that join In many because thay have no back bone to tell the gossiping person thay don't want to be involved rather thay join in become friends and I think its to protect themselves understandable but not helpful to the victims I myself have a gossiping neighbour and has managed to be friend others so am the target because I don't get involved also am sure my gossiping neighbour is worried I could tell people her issues and problems I really do feel name and shame could bring more problems volence is never the answer ever personally ignoring what can only be people with mental health issues is the best way if volence or damage to property happens be careful to take the right road go to solicitors housing landlords the people that are doing this are only to happy to see your reaction and hope it's a negative one so thay can carry on been horrible and life is to short no one should be made feel uncomfortable in there own home but unfortunately it happens either learn to live peacefully and except your neighbours are gits and get on with your life or move there not going to change so you need to put your wellbeing and family health first and if your the sort of person who says why should I move then deal with it in a peaceful manner am very understanding to people's concerns but something we bring it on are selfs because of how we deal with thing's a barking dog will bring destress in time so be mindful your dog could be bringing destress to other's damage property brings destress and heartace depending on what's been damaged so be mindful of other's property and if your neighbours are gossiping troublesome people be mindful and don't get involved and if things get out of hand either move or go to local office landlords or whom ever look after yourselves and other's don't get angry or even your then just as bad
Wish you all well and hope we all have are issues resolved

Lil 06/12/2022 at 5:23 pm

I have a neighbour who lives right below me who has been living there for just over a 1year now we used to be good friends until I found out she's a druggie who's uses class A drugs! Problem is when we used to be mates and borrow money from one another and then we fall out for example we feel out with each other beginning of the year and I owed her £20 when we started talking again she's asking for £120 but this happens every single time and still happening now considering we haven't actually spoken for almost 2 months. I'm only 26 the youngest in yh block and she's an 40 year old women please help me. Sorry if I haven't explained properly

Furious 12/09/2022 at 7:18 pm

My troublemaker neighbor Doris of Omaha, NE kept harassing me and my elderly Mom for 15 years and Doris kept LYING to her neighbors, her Bridge players, her friends from Methodist Church and even strangers and her family and her relatives about us and they believed that EVIL old religious witch!! How sad!! They looked at our house when they were outside. Doris is 86 years old. She live with her drug addict son at her house.
Whenever, my Mom and I visit my young late brother’s grave on his birthday and on his death day, Doris sent her stalkers to stalk us at the cemetery for 15 years even though Doris never met my late brother and my late brother never met Doris and her stalkers. They are all pure EVIL and hope they will all Burn in Hell!! They deserve it!! Doris’s stalkers put ugly flowers on my brother’s grave on his birthday and death day on purpose. The stalkers were watching me and my older sister putting up our own real red roses on our late brother’s grave by his headstone, not their ugly fake flowers. They were in their cars watching us at the cemetery until we were done and then they leave. How Evil and Heartless are they!! Doris’s stalkers did not visit any graves but they were watching us. Doris doesn’t want to walk far to my late brother’s grave so she send all of her DUMB Stalkers to do it for her Dand they do it. What is so Special about this Evil old Witch?? Jeez!! We don’t know her friends (Stalkers) and they don’t know us. We know Doris because she is our Neighbor from Hell! They won’t stop harassing us. We mind our own business. Doris never get sick because she is EVIL!!! Doris wished bad health problems on us because she is a Witch! Doris is very Dangerous to us because we have health problems because of her, her evil family and friends. Pray for us. Thank you.

Dunno 04/08/2022 at 4:26 pm

What to do when I live next to a former drug dealing antisocial creature, called Natalie Ellis, who is in bed with most of Thames Valley Police. Her daughters Cydni Browne and Paige Montana are cut from the same cloth.

Missphit 26/07/2022 at 10:51 am

My neighbours used to have a large trampoline in a very small space and play with a ball in it. The result being the ball would come over the wall smashing multiple ornaments and lights. Also cracks started appearing on the wall. My husband pointed it out and they replaced the trampoline with a hot tub. They play football now in the front lawn despite me pointing out there is a park just up the road. The back of the goals is next to my shrubs which they often miss. They are constantly in and out of my garden retrieving the ball and trample through plants/shrubs
They do not have a garden. The father plays with the children. I am sick fed up of all the neighbourhoods children coming in and out of my garden and talking to them makes no difference. What can I do?

Stu 23/06/2022 at 11:39 am

No fence now for 3years, his garden over grown flowing into mine, very large tree came down so all dry wood and branches which was set on fire(took fire brigade 3hrs to put out) now rats living under them. Damage to my property and goods no help from his insurance. Still having fires drinking and smoking weed early hours. Can't let my dog outside again no fence so gets out on to street. Tried to speak to him, tried to get my landlord involved still nothing advice please.

added l 01/06/2022 at 11:31 am

Ruthi -- clearly your dog making noise and disturbing your neighbours so train your dog to not to bark or get rid of to stupid dog.
Same like my neighbours 7 days a week 24 hours a day dog barking or dog crying,no one has to listen your stupid dog noise...

Messy neighbor/frien 23/05/2022 at 7:26 pm

I have a neighbor who is also a good friend. Problem is this, when he finishes mowing, he always sprays off his mower and let’s the wet grass flow down to our curb making a very messy appearance! Can’t understand how he doesn’t notice this as every other curb around our area is clean and free of messes.
Please help me to figure out a way to let him know without harming a good friendship!!

Fedup 21/05/2022 at 9:02 pm

My neighbour is telling people not to talk to me also tells lies about me makes as much noise as she can housing won't do anything how can I stop her

Ruthi 04/05/2022 at 9:09 am

My neighbour is known in the neighbourhood as a difficult man but we have had a reasonable relationship with him for the 5 years, as long as things went his way. However about 15 months ago we bought a puppy, having lost our 14 year old dog. Since then our neighbour has become extremely aggressive towards us, shouting and swearing, hurling vile insulting language, banging on the wall furiously day and night every time he hears our dog bark - he barks within the range of any other normal behaved dog! We have repeatedly tried to reason with him, to no avail, eventually involving the police, who have been to see him regarding his behaviour, but his attitude is “I don’t give a damn what the police say if I hear your dog even woof I’ll bang, swear, and verbally abuse you”. I’m at my wits end, I’m stressed, anxious and can’t relax in my own home with him constantly breathing down our necks just because we’ve got a dog, who is a delightfully friendly, happy little Poochon. I’m retired, and my husband is registered blind, which the neighbour takes every opportunity to mock him for. Please can you help us to know what to do, he’s making our lives hell.

Fish 01/05/2022 at 10:35 am

Iv been having trouble with my neighbour for the last 5 years . It all started when I caught her 30 yr old son naked trying to break in my house this was very frightening. The police done nothing … then I noticed she started dressing like me dyed her hair the same as mine .. trying to do her garden like mine . Everything sheets towels etc all the same as me .. then she got 2 dogs which she makes bark from morning to night . She has jack Russell’s that have the most loud & annoying yapping . After time I lost my hair had panic attacks & even had a cancer scare which lucky it wasn’t it was down to stress.. iv had mediation which hasn’t worked .. I have a disabled sun with autism who hates the noise from the dogs as he hates loud noises .. every morning she loves to wake him up .. ..police council & mediation hasn’t worked Iv had enough of her never meet anyone so weird & strange as her she stalks me when I’m in the garden as soon as she hears my voice she barks the dogs if my windows open she barks the dogs if I’m in the shower and she sees the steam coming from the vent she will bark them .. But I’m not moving I’m not letting her bully me out of my home as I know that’s what she wants

Nightmare 19/04/2022 at 9:19 am

I have lived in my property for only 1 year everything was fine until she let kids in her back garden to throw eggs at my house. Asked her politely if she could stop them just to be told " I can't stop them going in my garden....its only eggs!"
Tells me everything I need to know about her, trouble is the younger generation have no respect for anything. In the year I've been here I've never once complained about her shouting very loud at her mother who has dementia at 1 in the morning waking my daughter up..that's why I'm logging everything that happens I'm not going to stoop to her level

Carl 27/03/2022 at 8:06 pm

It has been about 4 years of neighbours inviting random people to use their house as though it is a nightclub, playing loud music, shouting and cursing, arguing, scrapping and all this occurs all the way through the night right up until 11 o clock in the morning mainly in summer with only 1 or 2 days of almost quiet a week. I suffer with anxiety and my dad is a 70 year old man and neither of us can cope with this hell on earth that never comes to a close. We have both called up noise patrol on several occasions and got given a box twice to record their behaviour and we got a lot of evidence on it, however this still is not enough to stop them and the council even sent them a letter telling them they have to be quiet and issued them with a final notice but they only go quiet for a short while before they start up again. This weekend was a warm one and this is the time that it gets really bad just before summer. Friday night my sleeping pattern was once again ruined by the sound of shouting and music which made me feel anxious but last night they started lighting fires in their yard and the smoke wafted into my bedroom while I was in bed and found it difficult to breath. I closed my window but had to open again only to have more smoke come in, just before they all started arguing and fighting with each other. My room now stinks of smoke that was recently decorated with nice new smelling furniture. I cannot take this much longer and something has to be done now, I cant have another summer of this none stop anti social behaviour, it is so unbelievable that they are allowed to do this in a residential area with elderly people living in this small, once quiet street. These people have absolutely no respect for any other person which really annoys me.

Fed up 26/03/2022 at 4:48 pm

Unfortunately I feel nothing is ever done about nightmare people and if thay own there property differently nothing will be done my neighbour's are gossiping troublesome people who are are hell bent on drama and there grow adults middle aged too am convinced there's a mental health issue with one of them police councils housing associations are not interested moving is the only option and a lot of us simply can't afford to so what is the answer

Nasruddin 25/03/2022 at 9:08 am

For almost five years now both me & my girlfriend has suffered infrequent disturbances from our neighbour. He is an absolute nightmare to live next door to. We have been in touch with the police, the local council, his family, his mental health nurse, in fact everyone we can possibly think of apart from “The A Team”, (Google it if you’re too young).

Anyway, he has various people visit at anytime in the day, which he is entitled to - don’t get me wrong, he has his own life to live & we respect that but when it impacts ours we suffer, however his what we are led to believe his “best mate” pops round maybe once every fortnight or so to was his car round his, this “best mate” has a suspended sentence for growing cannabis, so make your own mind up about who goes round there & for what reason.

Also we have designated car parking spaces outside our house & another one of his mates, has for maybe two months now parked his SORNed vehicle in our space.

We have a noise abatement notice served against him but because of the infrequent nature of the disturbances the council apparently are unable to prosecute, recording equipment has been installed & we have been able to capture evidence but not enough of it.. it’s been FIVE years almost now, not enough evidence?, really?

His family only visit once in a blue moon & in the past they’ve counted on us to look out for him & his welfare, we had a key & on one occasion o almost had to break down his front door because his smoke alarm was going on for too long, he fell asleep whilst cooking, it started to burn on the stove whilst he was heavily asleep & as he’s deaf didn’t hear the smoke alarm going off, currently off work with stress & anxiety with it all.

Bubbles 21/03/2022 at 12:49 am

I have a neighbor that is banging on my wall and cursing at my kids. Scaring my children when they are playing. My daughter tells me that she is scared. Now, I am at the point now to call the cops on her.

Help? 19/03/2022 at 1:36 pm

I also want to add the private subject I was talking about was an intimate one.

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