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Have a noisy neighbour who wrecks your head? Here's what you can do about it

Most of us have had one at some stage.

THE FREE LEGAL Advice Centre (Flac) has compiled a document for people who have to deal with very noisy neighbours.

In most cases, making a complaint about this is a civil matter as opposed to a criminal one and there is no need to involve gardaí.

However, Flac said this can become necessary once “noise goes beyond being an annoyance and the neighbour’s behaviour causes fear, danger, injury or loss”, in short: anti-social behaviour.

If your neighbour is behaving in an anti-social way, you can contact the gardaí who may issue a warning. If this is ignored, you can take the case to the District Court.

In privately-rented accommodation, the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) should be contacted, while help can be sought from your local authority if you live in council housing.

Here is Flac’s advice for dealing with a noisy neighbour:

  • You should first talk to your neighbour about the noise and loud music and explain how it is affecting your family – keep a note of these discussions (date, content, and so on);
  • Keep a noise diary, detailing the time, date and nature of the noise, how long it lasted and the effect it has had on you, such as an inability to sleep or difficulty doing your job due to tiredness;
  • You could obtain a report from an engineer who measures noise and sound as evidence of disturbance. This is generally strong evidence supporting a complaint, but does involve an additional cost;
  • You can write to your neighbour, setting out details of the noise and how it is affecting you. It is a good idea to suggest mediation and/or legal action if the matter cannot be resolved. Remember you should keep copies of all correspondence with your neighbour.

Any complaints of a serious, anti-social or criminal nature should be reported to the gardaí in the first instance to ensure a record is kept.

If attempts to resolve the complaint with your neighbour are unsuccessful, you may bring a case to the District Court. You are not required to have a solicitor represent you in Court – you can represent yourself. The cost of bringing this application is €22.

The judge may decide to hear a brief summary of the case and adjourn it for a period to allow the parties to enter into mediation. If this fails, the case goes back before the judge for a full hearing.

More information can be found on Flac’s website.

Annual report

Flac launched its 2014 Annual Report this morning.

It shows there has been an 81.7% increase in the number of calls the organisation has received about housing or landlord and tenant issues. There were 2,140 calls about this topic made last year.

The most frequent subject people called about was family-related legal issues (3,215 calls). There was a 20% decrease in the number of calls made about credit and debt issues (1,297 calls altogether).

flac calls Flac Flac

Speaking at the launch of the report, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald noted that a mediation bill is currently being drafted. It will introduce an obligation on solicitors and barristers to advise parties in disputes to consider utilising mediation as a means of resolving them.

Poll: Is banning swearing in public a step too far?

Column: Our world has never been louder – and noise can be dangerous

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49 Comments
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    Mute Grot Master
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:20 PM

    Malfunctioning house alarms do it for me. At least 5 a day in my estate.

    438
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    Mute The Throwaway
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:43 PM

    You might have a civil case. A modern alarm is legally to be programmed to go off after 15mins. They’re not allowed to go for hour upon hours.

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    Mute Hank Schrader
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    Jul 6th 2015, 1:35 PM

    Most alarms, if not all, will stop after 15 mins, but if it’s a faulty sensor then often it can reset itself and then go again.. and again. The other problem is that if your in an apartment or badly sound proofed semi-detached then you will hear the internal buzzer continuing for hours.

    98
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    Mute Ben Dawkins
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:26 PM

    Summer holidays can be painful when you arrive home after a day’s work and have a group of someone else’s kids screaming outside your house.

    349
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    Mute phil
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:30 PM

    Its not noisy parties that annoy me. Its the not been invited to them thats the real annoyance. In fairness a knock on the door a week before a party or event to tell the neighbor that there is a party and there will be noise but they can come round and join in can go a long way.

    277
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    Mute Ben Dawkins
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:32 PM

    Exactly, most problems can be solved with the minimum of effort and courtesy.

    157
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    Mute John S
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    Jul 6th 2015, 3:17 PM

    Yeah but it’d take me ages to eat enough eggs to cover the wall….

    73
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    Mute Julian King
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    Jul 7th 2015, 2:52 AM

    Empty egg cartons won’t do much to dampen the noise levels but will help with recording quality in the studio.

    4
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    Mute Stephen Doyle
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:44 PM

    I just turn off their electricity in the service room. It’s a laugh hearing them all confused on what happened then they have to go down to the service room and flick the switch. When they start the party again I switch it off and will do it all night if needed.

    231
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    Mute Dave Davis
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    Jul 6th 2015, 6:49 PM

    I do the same. Tried to get an electrician friend to install a radio controlled switch on the mains box so I wouldn’t have to go all the way down but he wouldn’t. I’m considering locking the main box next time. I wouldn’t mind if it was a party but it’s 3 gamers up all night in the same room with their PCs blaring, windows open and screaming at each other like it’s the end of the world. Fully grown men mind you. Although, killing the power does strike the fear of God into them as they’ve no surge protectors. Losing a saved game or corrupting a hard drive is the price they pay. If you’re going to scream at a person 2 feet away from you, close your windows after midnight. The joys of apartment living.

    78
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    Mute Denis Reidy
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:18 PM

    Never mind noisy, it’s the nosey ones that annoy me.

    195
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    Mute Eoin Fleming
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:21 PM

    Complain to them once and if it persists,the next time they’re noisy and it stops,then blast the loudest techno against the dividing walls.

    151
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    Mute Jenny
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    Jul 6th 2015, 3:16 PM

    I live beside a couple who bang doors and windows at all hours and my house vibrates each time they do. This morning at 9 they decided to bang on one of the doors for a good 15 secs (longer than it seems) and wake us up…really frustrating as we are on holidays and trying to enjoy a hard earned monday lie in. maybe if the lazy wife got a job instead of sitting on her ar$e all day sponging off people like us she would have more consideration.

    117
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    Mute Lauren Masterson
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:11 PM

    I’m lucky enough to say I don’t have a noise neighbour. Maybe I am the noise neighbour ?

    103
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    Mute Justin Devaney
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:33 PM

    My upstairs neighbour called to my house at 4am on Tuesday night, lucky I was still up playin the drums or I would have missed him.

    326
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    Mute Jack Dunne
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    Jul 6th 2015, 5:45 PM

    Flac off then!!

    8
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    Mute Marc Power
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:58 PM

    I Have no insulating between my neighbour above and me. landlord Won’t do anything as he says it’s normal City noise. I can even hear the nasty details of the neighbours boinking….luckily that’s very quickly over

    91
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    Mute Marc Power
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    Jul 6th 2015, 1:28 PM

    Thanks pontious but it’s an old Georgian place with high ceilings

    33
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    Mute Mike O Neill
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    Jul 6th 2015, 4:12 PM

    Carpet on walls, inflatable mattresses on ceilings? What do the in-laws say when they drop over to your house?!

    78
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    Mute mickmc
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:59 PM

    Use to live in an apartment and the pair directly under us let just had a noisy sex life. He was obviously very good at it if you know what I mean.

    69
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    Mute Alan
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    Jul 6th 2015, 2:14 PM

    Mines quite noisey too. I do be roaring at her trying to get the ride. She laughs back even louder.

    91
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    Mute Very fond of
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:20 PM

    I live in a terraced house. My next door neighbour (who lives alone) on one side is profoundly deaf and the house on the other side is unoccupied – so music can be played as loud as I like whenever I like

    67
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    Mute Johnny Boyle
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    Jul 6th 2015, 2:49 PM

    Contact the PRTB??? For what???
    So you can wait weeks for a response.

    67
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    Mute In The Name Of....
    Favourite In The Name Of....
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    Jul 6th 2015, 1:06 PM

    It’s neighbours cats digging up my plants and living their sh it all over the place that causes issues for us.

    57
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    Mute fusha2020
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    Jul 6th 2015, 1:16 PM

    Sprinkle white pepper around cats don’t like it, or a cup of cold water will scare them off

    28
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    Mute In The Name Of....
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    Jul 6th 2015, 1:20 PM

    Tried pepper.. Worked for a whole. What you mean about the cup of water?

    18
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    Mute Mark Ryan
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    Jul 6th 2015, 1:49 PM

    I think he means throw cold water on them

    38
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    Mute The Throwaway
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:42 PM

    It’s like noisy parties. Noisy parties have nothing to do with the Gardai at all. Gardai have NO legal powers at all to stop them. Yet people keep ringing and tying up resources. It’s entirely a civil matter.

    44
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    Mute Mark Ryan
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    Jul 6th 2015, 1:26 PM

    there are noise pollution laws but all remedied through civil courts. Noise pollution in Dublin is under direct remit of dublin city council. You cannot commit a public disturbance in your own home. If it is ongoing disturbance from a house the gardai can use ASBOs. however this most be over a period of time.

    36
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    Mute The Throwaway
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    Jul 6th 2015, 5:05 PM

    As Mark Ryan stated, there’s no ‘public place’ in a persons home.
    Most criminal laws stop when it comes to a dwelling. The ‘home’ is given a special place in the likes of the constitution as well as laws. That is why for the most part a warrant is needed to enact aspects of criminal law inside a home (bear in mind that there a number of options open to Gardai to enter, search and arrest inside a home without a warrant).
    But when it comes to noisy parties and the like, Gardai have no legal powers to do anything except call to the house and say ‘pretty please turn down the noise’, but if the occupant chooses not to then that’s that.

    17
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    Mute Diane Cauldwell
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    Jul 6th 2015, 12:23 PM

    then you can pee against the wind

    40
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    Mute William Grogan
    Favourite William Grogan
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    Jul 6th 2015, 10:27 PM

    What about screaming kids?

    34
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    Mute Anna Dimitrova
    Favourite Anna Dimitrova
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    Sep 3rd 2016, 10:00 AM

    I have these neighbour that are very noisy during the late hours of the night (1am,2am,3am). I’ve confronted them on multiple occasions but it seems like they don’t understand that their noise levels at those hours are wrong.
    I am also a noisy neighbour (I’m a singer) but I’m noisy during hours where most people are at work,school,out, etc. This would be between 12 in the afternoon to about 7 at night (not constant).
    Each time I’ve confronted them about their music, yelling, playing with kids at those hours, they’ve always fought back with the fact that I sing but refuse to mention that I do it at a reasonable time in the day.
    How do I get them to understand that their noise levels at night time is disrupting the peace in this apartment complex. The other neighbour is too scared to talk to them so I’m always left alone confronting them.
    I haven’t called the police or anything because I feel like it will only make things worse. How do I deal with these people? They refuse to listen to me.

    14
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    Mute billy dunne
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    Jul 6th 2015, 5:52 PM

    Tell them to keep it down once if it continues sledge hammer to their stereo

    14
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    Mute Michael Sands
    Favourite Michael Sands
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    Jul 6th 2015, 8:20 PM

    What about the people who are so so bitter than they love spreading slander about people they hate because they are so bitter, a spoonful of sugar will not help them? Is that not anti-social behaviour too and when do you go to the Gardaí after they knife you? There are so many weirdos out there, so wouldn’t it not be better to let the gardai know before they go psycho on you, as spreading made up stories about people who are suppose to be rapists, pedos etc to strangers because of the only reason that they do that is because they are so bitter. Isn’t it not really them trying to encourage others to commit a crime on their behalf because they are too weak to do it themselves?

    10
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    Mute Brian Jimp
    Favourite Brian Jimp
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    Jul 6th 2015, 5:57 PM

    You need an EMP generator.

    8
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