You don’t want to be labelled a complainer, but sometimes your neighbours’ children can be more of a nuisance than a blessing. Older neighbours may remember a time when you could pay an unruly child’s parents a visit and you would know that any issues would be swiftly resolved, but these days you have to be extremely wary of what you say and do about children in the neighbourhood.
Before taking any action against your neighbours regarding their children's behaviour, it's important to understand your legal position using our free Neighbour Rights Checker.
What to Do About Noisy Children
Whether you appreciate it or not, there’s not much that you can do about excessive noise during the day from children. Kids are exuberant by nature and it would seem a little bit churlish to try to curb normal noise levels, even if the screaming and shouting is getting a bit too much.
If it really is becoming an issue, your only course of action is to ask their parents nicely to have a word with them. If you work shifts or simply need peace and quiet to concentrate while working at home, a quiet word might be the best way forward. Explaining that you need to sleep some afternoons may make the parents try to keep their offspring’s noise down.
Noise is a common complaint – recent research by Noise Concern revealed that 43% of people had been bothered by some form of neighbour noise.
Excessive noise levels were also blamed for forcing about half a million people to move in 2006, just to get away from their annoying and Noisy Neighbours, according the Environmental Protection UK. At the time, their representative Mary Stevens said that many problems with neighbours were simply a result of being inconsiderate, and could easily be resolved by using a little common sense...
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Your first course of action, especially if the damage was clearly accidental, is to make a conciliatory approach to the child’s parents.
As far as the law is concerned, you can technically sue a child for the cost of the damage if they are old enough to understand what they were doing, but this kind of legal action is rare and somewhat frowned upon by the courts. It’s also a fact that not many children have the cash lying around in their piggy bank to pay for the cost of a broken window!
If damage has been done, and an approach to the perpetrator’s parents hasn’t been successful, you can consider suing the parents of the child. This is only appropriate in cases where there has been negligence on behalf of the parent(s) – for example, if they trusted their child with something dangerous like an air gun. They could also be considered liable for the damages if you can prove that they failed to exercise the control expected of a parent, given the child’s age.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
“Can I Have my Ball Back?”
It can be irritating but it’s just a fact of neighbourhood life that kids playing ball games will occasionally mislay one into your garden. If children throw or kick a ball into your garden or onto your property, you should hand it back to them, keep hold of it for them to collect from you, or throw it back over if you find it later on.
The children should not trespass onto your property to pick it up, although in practice many probably do. If there is any damage to your garden caused by kids trampling over it, you would be entitled to compensation for any financial damages that were caused.
Still need more information? Read more about civil injunctions, criminal behaviour orders, parenting contracts, penalty notices and parenting orders in our feature: children and anti-social behaviour.
Common questions
What can I do about neighbours' children screaming in the garden?
Children playing and shouting is normal, and councils almost never treat it as a noise nuisance. If it happens late at night, or is unusually persistent and disruptive, a calm conversation with the parents is the right starting point. Pick a quiet moment and frame it as something you would like their help with.
Is there a child nuisance law in the UK?
There is no law against children being noisy, but anti-social behaviour by under-18s can fall under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. That covers damage, threats, intimidation and persistent late-night disturbance. Local authorities, the police and housing officers all have powers if a child's behaviour goes well beyond ordinary play.
How do I complain about a neighbour's child without causing a row?
Speak to the parent in person and avoid criticising the child directly. Stick to the effect on you: woken at night, garden damaged, things thrown over the fence. Most parents are mortified and act quickly. If you cannot face a doorstep chat, a short polite note works almost as well.
Last time it was at 3am in the night, my bedroom is against this wall and some nights it is impossible to sleep even with white noise. The kids often come into my front garden to get their ball, which is fine during the day but often at night also. Am I being unreasonable at being tired at this?
Scream all day, Do you really think that all parents of autistic children don't try? Ignorant people you are! Shall i muzzle him? Tape his mouth shut? How would you like me to stop him screaming? And yes I have tried asking, telling, begging, threatening. Does any of it work?! NO! because he is AUTISTIC. He has a learning difficulty. So take your heads out of your arses and perhaps try not to tarnish all us lazy parents to autistic children with the same brush! And perhaps maybe educate yourselves on autism before making stupid comments like the above!
My neighbours have threatened to shut our f***ing kid up for us, told us he should be in a nut house, we shouldn't live here with a child like "that", all sorts. I am scared to go out in the garden with my child for fear of further abuse. And no, I can't move.
Education, or rather, the lack there of, in basic common courtesy, common sense, empathy, respect and humility has been replaced with misplaced entitlement, arrogance and aggression.
It's #mememe not #metoo.
There really ought to be a mandatory educational course for new or expectant parents.
One has to to drive and operate heavy machinery, and bringing up, caring for and living with children is just as dangerous and much more hard work...
It's getting more depressing and more incomprehensible how the very BASICS of humanity are not only ignored and rejected by the public but also by the bodies who are meant to assist in enforcing it.
In fact, poor behaviour has become practically encouraged.
Orwell's Animal Farm barely had an inkling of where we are headed.
There are nice people out there, but sadly, bad apples are contagious.
I've lived next to 'parents' who allow their poor 5yr old autistic child to not only CONTINUOUSLY loudly squeal and scream while violently banging walls, (with any apparatus he can find and/or his own body parts) but also let him climb up on to 12ft+ tall garage roofs and jump about completely unsupervised. This is 6-7 days a week between the hours 4:30am-11:30pm.
While I completely appreciate looking after a child is very stressful and a lot of work, and more so when the child is mentally and/or physically disabled, basic parenting is always required. It is a parents job, not the government or council or school system. Being a parent is a big and hard job, but hugely rewarding when done well.
Treating others how you expect to be treated isn't rocket science.
It's heartbreaking how poor parenting and general behaviour is not only rife but so many seem completely ignorant of the effect it has on the children and everyone around them.
It's a pandemic that's a lot worse than COVID. Much, much worse.
Best option is to move and if you are a homeowner and don't report it to the council as it will have to be declared when you sell and may put off a buyer. Other effective options are loud music when the noise gets too high and insulation.
Suffering in silence is not an option, make their lives as difficult a Good luck, its an absolute nightmare but don't lose your temper and stay within the margins of the law. Unfortunately, problem neighbours are everywhere now as no one wants to do anything to help you.
Ask Problem Neighbours a question
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