Neighbours SHOUTING - what can I do

project_c

Need some advice about my neighbours. They're nice enough people, but there are 4 of them in a tiny house, 2 boys and their parents. The whole family shouts at an insane volume whenever they're at home, the kids run around the street screaming, their mum stands in the street shouting, and the noise that's bleeding into every room of our house is slowly making me lose my mind. It happens from the moment they wake up until they leave the house, and then as soon as they're back in the house until the moment they pass out at night.

Basically your standard issue Great British Nightmare Family from Hell.

I now need to know what my options are in terms of taking legal action against them. Can the council do anything about noise disturbance if it's just an entire family shouting and screaming? If not, what else can I do?

ps. please do NOT suggest the following:
- soundproofing (done this on our bedroom wall already, can't do it elsewhere in the house)
- move out (not in financial position to sell/buy for at least another 2 years)
- talk to them (I have and I will again, won't make any difference)
- murder them / chop off my ears / other hilarious comments

shaun_from_Africa

The first thing you should do is to start a detailed log of the noise including the times.
This is probably something that the council will ask about if/when you contact them.

theonlywayisup

As above. Keep a log. Get in touch with your local Environmental Health office and ask them to come and measure the noise.

An employee of mine was in a similar position and had sound recording equipment left by EHO for a week. When the equipment was collected, information collated and notice sent to the offender, the result was a Noise Abatement Notice. This stopped the problem dead.

Whilst his wasn't a 'shoutathon' it was noise caused by vehicles being ridden around the land (motocross bikes).

Annie1960

Social services if you think the children are not in an appropriate environment?

saterkey

Mine is dog howling, spoke to neighbours but he just walked away from me, left notes saying its unacceptable etc, after a night of howling from 7 till 2 we called noise nuisance out who stayed for a while, put a note through their door and rang them next day. Upshot is if they didn't stop it somehow they would get 5k fine, as they are renting landlord got warned to about being fine so presume they got warned of eviction too. It is better now nut council gave us a sheet to note down every instance to call them out every time and agree to go to court if necessary.

JP1978

Some people just dont realise that they make so much noise, possibly are not doing it intentionally, just they way they are and what they are used to.

If mum shouts at kids, they will shout back. If her mum shouted at her, she gets used to shouting.

Davesnave

If you go down the formal route via the EHO, then you have to weigh up the potential down-sides, which will include a worsening of relations with your neighbour. Remember, there are worse things a neighbour can do than shout, but what, exactly, will depend ontheir personalities.

A racing certainty is that if the council intervenes, and the measures they take don't work to your satisfaction, you will have to declare the complaint should you then decide to sell up. I wouldn't want to bet on the chances of an EHO being able to serve an enforcement notice for humanly generated noise of a non-violent nature.

That might make your property much harder to shift and ultimately mean offering a discount on the price.