REPORTING
NOISE
NUISANCE
ON CITY OF
LONDON
ESTATES
WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP
We will record all reports of noise but can only take action on noise complaints where the council can
investigate, gather evidence and independently witness unreasonable noise levels from your home, this
can be done using the noise monitoring app (The Noise App).
We can accept anonymous complaints but this does limit what we may be able to do to help.
WHAT WE DO NOT INVESTIGATE
Everyday living noise is not regarded as anti-social behaviour, even if this does cause a disturbance.
Everyday living noise could include, but is not limited to, noise from washing machines, moving furniture,
doors opening and closing, vacuuming and DIY work, children playing (with the exception of riding play
equipment, such as bikes and scooters, indoors). We will not investigate these claims unless the noise is
at unreasonable hours and persistent.
We ask that residents have consideration for neighbours in terms of levels of noise created in their
homes.
OTHER SOURCES OF HELP WITH NOISE ISSUES
The City of London Environmental Health Noise Team will investigate the following noise nuisance for
Golden Lane and Middlesex Street Estates:
• Unreasonable noise from pubs, clubs, bars and live events
• Noise from building sites or building works outside of permitted hours
For City of London Estates located outside of the City boundary, please
contact the Environmental Health Noise Team for your Borough. Click on
the links below to nd out more information on how they can help.
London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Lewisham
REPORTING NOISE PROBLEMS
Contact your Estate Ofce in the rst instance if you are experiencing noise issues. Estate Staff will note
all reports of noise but can only act on noise complaints where there is evidence provided. Once we
have evidence, we can investigate the sources of the noise nuisance, gather further evidence and
attempt to independently witness unreasonable noise levels from your home.
We must have evidence to investigate a noise nuisance claim, please speak to Estate Staff for:
• Noise Diary Sheets to record noise
• Advice on using The Noise App
• Borrowing a City of London Smart Phone, preloaded with The Noise App – to record noise
The noise recording device must be used from within your home (where you are experiencing the
disturbance). Recordings taken in communal areas or other parts of the estate will not provide us with
evidence of how you are affected by noise nuisance in your home.
City of London is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB). We take all reports seriously and
work closely with partner agencies, such as the police and other local housing providers to tackle crime
and ASB.
ARE YOU BEING DISTURBED BY NOISE
FROM YOUR NEIGHBOURS?
We may share some information with our trusted partners where it is necessary to help address your
concern, but it will be held securely and not shared further.
If you do not provide your contact details or do not want a visit to assess your noise complaint, your
complaint will be recorded only, however it may be necessary to telephone you or visit in the event of
any safeguarding concerns raised.
WHAT YOU CAN DO BEFORE CONTACTING US
If you are affected by an ongoing noise problem, consider taking these steps rst:
1. Try to solve the issue in a friendly way by talking to the person or company causing the noise if you
feel comfortable in doing so
2. If this does not work, you could try taking other informal steps such as mediation or an informal letter
to your neighbour; or
3. If you still cannot solve the issue, report it to the Estate Ofce by providing the required evidence to
build a case for noise nuisance
• Noise Diary sheets
• Monitoring the noise levels using the Noise App
NOISE ISSUES WE DEAL WITH CAN INCLUDE
• Loud music and parties
• Unreasonable noise from televisions, radios and playing musical
instruments
• Noisy DIY or building work outside permitted hours
◦ 8am - 6pm from Monday - Friday and 9am -1pm on Saturdays
• Noise from pets
• Use of home appliances at unreasonable hours (e.g. washing machines and vacuum cleaners)
WHAT WE WILL DO
When you report noise nuisance to us, we will assess the report before deciding the most appropriate
action to take.
We will:
• Contact you within 2 working days
• Review and assess the details of the incident and assign the case to a relevant ofcer
• Discuss the next steps, including the help and support available to you, this will include ways that you
can gather evidence of noise nuisance
• Agree with you how and when we will update you throughout the investigation
• Be open and honest about what we can do
• Be realistic about the likely outcomes of any action we take – particularly legal action
• Analyse the trends in Noise Nuisance reports on City of London estates and deploy the appropriate
services i.e. Neighborhood Patrol Team.
WHAT YOU MUST DO TO HELP US
Before we can investigate noise complaints, we must be provided with evidence that can be submitted
in two forms:
• We will ask you to maintain a diary of events with key
information such as time, date, location and description of
disturbances. The ofcer assigned to your case will discuss
the details of this Noise Diary with you and agree the next
steps. Click here to download Noise Diary sheets.
• Download The Noise App in the App Store or Google Play.
If you do not have a smart phone, you can borrow one
from the City of London Housing Team – please request
this from the Estate Ofce. Noise recordings will help us to
determine if the noise you are experiencing is considered
excessive and outside of what is regarded as everyday
noise. We will then investigate the source of the noise.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
We will use the information on the diary sheet and noise recording to:
• help us identify the best time to visit, if reasonable to do so, to witness the noise
• help us to identify the source of the noise
• help us to determine whether the noise created constitutes a statutory nuisance
Based on the evidence you provide us with, we may then contact the
household responsible for the alleged noise, informing them that we
have received a complaint and putting the details to them so they
can respond. We will keep your details condential, but in some
cases, it may be obvious who has made the complaint.
If there is evidence to prove that the resident is responsible for
causing noise nuisance, we will contact them to inform them of
the potential consequences. We will also ask them to consider
the impact their behaviour may have on other residents.
If the person responsible for the noise does not stop and we
have evidence to prove this, we may begin legal proceedings.
We will notify you if we take legal proceedings, as we may have to
reveal your identity.
PRIVATE ACTION
If you are affected by a noise issue, you can take private action under Section 82 of the Environmental
Protection Act 1990. You do not need a solicitor to take private action, but it can be time consuming
and stressful, so you should think carefully before committing to it.
For more information, speak to a solicitor, law centre or the Citizens’ Advice Bureau. Advice on the
process can be found here.
It’s important that you receive fair treatment and a positive experience
when you deal with the City of London Housing Service. If you have
cause to complain about a housing service, about treatment you have
experienced or issues using our services, we want to know.
The Housing Complaints Team are here to receive your formal complaints.
We are also happy to pass on feedback or compliments. You can contact
us by email at housing.complaints@cityoondon.gov.uk
We use your complaints to help improve our services so please do contact us if you feel
that there has been a service failure.
FEEDBACK, COMPLAINTS & COMPLIMENTS
City of London Housing Service
www.cityoondon.gov.uk/housing