Respecting your neighbours

Our Community Safety team are responsible for tackling antisocial behaviour and helping to protect local people in our communities. 

Responding to noise complaints

Around 35% of all our antisocial behaviour (ASB) complaints relate to noise nuisance. We hear about everything from all night parties and dogs barking to people playing loud music.

If we receive a complaint about noise, our priority is to talk to the people involved so we can understand what’s happening and help to resolve the issue.

• If the accused person isn’t an NCHA tenant: Please report your concerns to your local council’s ASB team or Environmental Health.
• If they are an NCHA tenant: Report it to us so we can investigate at: communitysafetyteam@ncha.org.uk

We want to work with our tenants and local people to sort any potential situations before they escalate. It’s best for everyone involved if we can find a positive solution together.

NoiseApp

If noise is causing a long-term problem, we may ask the complainant to download NoiseApp and advise them how to use it.

NoiseApp is a reputable tool where people can use their mobile phone to record evidence of disruptive noise levels. It can be very useful in helping us tackle ASB by providing evidence of noise that exceeds what’s reasonable.

If we’ve advised you to use NoiseApp, please be aware we’ll send the accused person a letter to inform them a complaint has been made and their neighbours may be using NoiseApp. We’d always suggest that the first step is to try and have an honest but respectful conversation with the person(s) concerned.

We can use NoiseApp data to help a person understand how their behaviours are causing distress to those around them so they can make changes. If noise continues after repeated verbal/written warnings, we may take legal action and use NoiseApp as evidence in court.

In one case, a tenant’s behaviour was causing anxiety to their vulnerable young neighbour who’d just purchased her first house having finished university. We supported the neighbour to gather evidence using NoiseApp, which proved the tenant was in breach of a court injunction and led to eviction proceedings.

We’ll always try and work with people to find positive routes forward. However, the wellbeing and safety of the wider community is equally important. If someone is posing a risk or ongoing disruptive behaviour that’s negatively impacting people’s lives, we have a duty to intervene and take the appropriate action for the protection of community members.

Get in touch

If you have a concern about ASB in your local community, please contact our Community Safety team at: communitysafetyteam@ncha.org.uk