Advice for the community

Living next door to a household that is active at different times to yours can prove difficult. If you are having issues with the noise that your neighbours are making, as a first step, you should talk to your neighbour and ask them to reduce the noise. Having contact details for your neighbours means you can contact them directly and immediately if they are disturbing you.

If the noise is not reduced and your neighbour is a tenant, you can contact the neighbour’s landlord or the managing agency, which you can find on the RentSmart Wales website. If the problem persists, it is useful to keep a record or diary of the repeated disturbances, which can be used as evidence if further action is necessary.

It’s important to note that local authorities can help with noise nuisance, but they can only act against amplified noise, such as television and speakers, not vocal noise or noise associated with living in a property, such as doors closing and people using the stairs. If you feel that your neighbour is creating enough amplified noise to cause a nuisance, you can ask an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) from your local authority to investigate. They can measure the level of noise and give an expert opinion on how it rates as a noise nuisance. Further advice from Swansea Council, as well as a form for reporting noise issues, is available on their website.

As is the case above, in any instances of problems surrounding parking and the right of access, we suggest reaching out to your neighbours and opening a line of communication if you feel that there is a better arrangement for all parties.

Unless there are local parking restrictions that give the right to a particular space, residents do not have automatic rights to a parking space on a public road, even if it is outside of their house – rented or owned. However, all residents have a right of access to their drive or garages. If there is a shared drive, then each person has a right of access and neither should block the drive.

The local authority and the police have wide powers to remove vehicles that are illegally parked, obstructing the highway or are abandoned. You can find further information on the Swansea Council website on how to report these instances.

Households in a neighbourhood have a responsibility to maintain their property – whether owned or rented – in such a way that it does not affect the health, safety or enjoyment of their neighbours.

As with the other parts of this guide, local authorities will send out an Environmental Health Officer to assess whether accumulation of waste or deposits on a premises has become a statutory nuisance. If this is the case, the local authority can serve abatement notices. If these are not complied with they may be found guilty of a criminal offence.

Again, it is recommended that neighbours discuss any concerns privately before submitting a report to with authorities, as there may be a legitimate reason for someone’s behaviour, the solutions for which may foster better relationships and a greater understanding.

In the context of housing, anti-social behaviour is defined as acting in a way that can cause nuisance or annoyance to anyone. There may be a fine line between anti-social behaviour and disputes between neighbours over relatively minor inconveniences, although these may, if persistent, become anti-social behaviour.

Anti-social behaviour can include:

• intimidation of neighbours and others through threats or actual violence
• harassment
• verbal abuse
• abusive behaviour aimed at causing distress or fear
• noise
• dumping rubbish
• animal nuisance, including dog fouling
• vandalism, property damage and graffiti

If you want to take action against anti-social behaviour you should first try to establish who is responsible for the behaviour. It is also important to establish whether the behaviour is deliberate or unintentional.

Any landlord can take action against anti-social behaviour, although it is more likely that local authorities and housing associations will be willing to do so. The police can also take action about any anti-social behaviour, which is a criminal offence and can prosecute under certain circumstances. To report any anti-social behaviour you can use this form, or call the non-emergency line 101. Of course, if you feel as though you or another individual are in immediate danger, then we urge you to call 999.