Noisy Neighbour Problem

LegacyUser

Hi,

I wasn't sure where to post this but seeing as it affects me personally, I thought I'd post it here.

Basically, I've been living next to a noisy neighbour for many years now and the problem has really worsened in the last few months.

It seems they can't listen to music unless it is full volume, they can't close doors without slamming them or have people over without inviting 40-50 people and drinking/shouting/all sorts.

Everyone is entitled to party and every now and then, I have no objection to. Its the regular music that drives me insane. As I write this, I'm listening to music being played next door as though I'm playing it here myself. This happens almost daily for about 3-4 hours in the afternoon.

I've approached the neighbour on several occasions (particularly when they've been playing music as loudly at about 3-4am). I've always been civil and for the most part they've been civil too, though they've never actually turned down the music etc. The guards have also been called on several occasions - the music stops for about 20 minutes then starts up with some wall banging/other form of revenge.

We rent our house from the local county council whereas they've bought their house. We've brought up the issue with the rent man a few times before but he's come back with the answer that because we rent and they own, we are in no position to make a complaint through the council. Is this true?

Can anyone give me some suggestions because I really feel that I can't live here anymore. It's really affecting my quality of life.

Thanks in advance.

hellyeah

just an idea post this up on the property section as i have seen plenty of threads on there regarding noisey neighbours and solutions.
Hope things work out for you, as an apartment owner myself i can understand how depressing and annoying noise can be.

davmol

I had much the same problem with new tennant neighbours.Theres 3 young un's.Our house's partition wall is not great at all for dampening noise from next door and we can hear alot.Theres also alot of impact noises that comes through ie slamming doors.

I called in next door and asked them coudl they stop slamming the doors as they were doing it at 1/2am when myself and my partner were asleep.Knocking into them didnt seemto matter,the previous situation continued.They lie on as i think they are students.We started to slam doors very early inthe morning and generally gave them a taste of their own music.As time went on their noise gradually subsided to an acceptable level.

Big Bag of Chips

Posting from my phone so excuse the lack of text formatting!

The dept of environment, or whatever it is called these days, is who you can make a complaint to.

Citizensinformation.ie will give you advise. This is from their website

"Under Irish law, you are entitled to bring complaints about specific
neighbourhood noise to the District Court.
Types of noise coveredNoise such as that coming from other homes, workshops or local businesses
that is continuous, repeated, loud and occurring at such times and of such
duration that it affects the quality of life of the person is covered in Irish
law.
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 1994 (SI No. 179 of
1994). While the law does not specifically mention an exact level or
standard of noise that is illegal, it is clear that if neighbourhood noise is
affecting the quality of life of a citizen, then you have a right to complain.
Your local authority has the power to investigate complaints about
neighbourhood noise and also has specialist equipment that measures levels of sound."

Search for "noise pollution".

+1 on Big Bag of Chips post OP. Sorry you're going through that. Ongoing problems like this can affect every area of your life.

Before getting into a legal battle, it would be a good idea to write a polite letter to your neighbours outlining how their behaviour is affecting you and your family and your quality of life and asking them to desist. Keep a copy, and of any response you might get. If this doesn't have any effect, a second follow up letter, letting them know that you intend to take further action if it doesn't stop should also be sent. Your local citizens information centre would help with those if you need it.

Although you're probably dealing with the housing department regarding your tenancy, I believe it's the environment section of each council that is responsible for noise pollution, so perhaps write, email and phone that section until you get the person responsible for following up on noise pollution.It would be a good idea to apply for a transfer, to demonstrate how distressed you are by the noise. It doesn't necessarily mean you would get one, but it will back up your position in terms of how strongly you feel about the nuisance noise.

Keep a record of every call that you make and every piece of correspondence, including complaints to the council. You'll need to keep a record of each time the Gardai have been called out and then get a letter from them confirming times dates etc..

If you have to go to court you'll need proof of unacceptable noise so record the noise at different times, preferably with a video camera with date and time stamps.

Hope this gets resolved for you soon.