How to Deal With Noisy Neighbours

Noisy neighbours can have a major impact on your life, as it can develop into a major problem. The annoyance can lead to stress-related illness and an inability to do everyday things like sleeping or studying. Many people are unaware of the steps that should be taken to deal with this nuisance in an effective manner. Below, under different headings, are outlines of suggested ways to deal with neighbourhood noise.

Noise from neighbours takes many forms – it could be a dog barking, loud shouting, DIY, alarms and of course noise from parties.

Address the problem reasonably

Among the different routes that are open to making a complaint, resolving the situation informally, is often seen as the best. A central reason for this is that if you have bought your home your neighbours could be around for a while and it’s advantageous to keep relations civil. Airing your grievances could solve the problem and save you time and money complaining about the noise to other authorities.

It is important to be reasonable when approaching a neighbour about their noise problem. By offering to be flexible, for example, they might reduce their noise at a particular time of the day. Don't deal with the problem while a party is going on however; instead call the Gardaí - but all they can do is ask them to turn the music down. 

Continuing Noise

If your neighbours persist, the next step is to write out a clear letter where you logically list your woes. This is the beginning of taking things to a more formal setting. Writing the letter is a good way of outlining what you have already done and how you have tried to solve the issue.

A noise pollution log is also advisable to show the level of nuisance caused by your neighbour and if you bring it further in the future, this will be very useful.

Use the Law

This path is laid out in other sections of noise. A general overview is that under Irish law, you are entitled to bring complaints about specific neighbourhood noise to the District Court.

The law in Ireland governing this area is Section 108 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 and the Environmental Protection Agency Act (Noise) Regulations 1992. Bringing the issue to the notice of the authorities maybe the only way to get the problem sorted and the Gardaí can help enforce whatever the decision the courts reach. See the citizen's information website here. 

 

What can I do about barking dogs?

If excessive barking becomes a nuisance to anyone, then it is an offence. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government advises to take the following steps to deal with nuisance barking:

In a good-neighbourly manner, let the dog’s owner know how the barking affects you. They may not have realised what was happening. If that approach fails, action can be initiated under the Control of Dogs Act, 1986 by contacting the Clerk of the District Court to make a complaint. To do this, you must first inform the dog owner in writing using a prescribed form, which can be obtained from your local authority.