What to do if you have a noise problem near your home or at work.
Talk to the person responsible
Try to talk to the person responsible, as they may not realise they’re causing a problem. See our tips to resolve a noise issue. You could also use a service such as the mediation and community support service.
Sometimes a polite and friendly note through the door is enough to help the nuisance stop. We’ve created a letter template to help.
We might be able to help if you're unable to resolve the issue by talking or mediation.
What we can investigate
We only usually investigate noise complaints that:
- happen regularly
- are persistent
- cause disturbance to a persons' daily living routine. Such as disturbing sleep.
Our reporting form will help determine whether we can investigate your noise issue. If it’s a noise issue we can’t help you with, the form will signpost you where to go to for further help and guidance.
To help speed up the initial assessment, please complete a nuisance diary for at least 14-days. You can submit the diary along with your complaint.
Example of noise that we can investigate
We can investigate noise from:
- Loud music
- Excessive shouting or banging
- The use of musical instruments which is loud, prolonged.
- Unreasonable times DIY/Construction noise
- Unreasonable noise from licensed premises
- Noise from machinery
- Car or house alarms sounding for no good reason
- Excessive animal noise (for example, barking dogs)
- Excessive noise from business or commercial premises
Types of noise that we can’t investigate
In general, we can't investigate one off complaints or noise that's happening now. Types of noise that we can't investigate include:
- If you don't know where the noise is coming from, or if it is in a shared area, and you don’t know who is making the noise
- Children playing
- Babies or small children crying
- Noise from pedestrians passing by
- Isolated gatherings or single noise incidents
- Temporary works or DIY home improvements when carried out within reasonable times
- Everyday reasonable living noise
- Noise from moving traffic, trains, or flying aircraft
- Road or rail works carried out as urgent repairs
- Road or rail works which are part of a wider scheme, where reasonable steps are being taken
We cannot take into account any special sensitivities of a complainant, such as ill-health, or a night worker trying to sleep during the day.
Report a noise problem
You will need to download a 14-day nuisance diary to submit a complaint. You will also need details of any actions you have taken, such as time and dates of any conversations.
Report a noise problem here or by calling 01926 456741.
Noise from council tenants
Please visit the noise nuisance and harassment in council-owned properties page if your complaint is about a council tenant.
You can contact the housing department on 01926 456129. Housing Services aim to help council tenants live peacefully in their homes. A housing officer will investigate the issue and consider if the tenancy agreement is being broken.
Noise policy
The aim of the noise policy is to provide an effective, trusted, fair, and consistent service which is accessible for all Warwick District council residents
Guidance for other noise
See the below guidance for other types of noise and how to report it.
Noise at work
If you have a noise issue at work, talk to your employer as they may be able to help you. If this doesn’t help, contact our health and safety team on 01926 456741.
Noise from rowdy behaviour
The police enforce rowdy under the Public Order Act 1986. Visit the Warwickshire Police website.
Anti-social behaviour
Visit our anti-social behaviour page if you feel you are suffering from targeted or personal anti-social behaviour (ASB).
Noise made by motor vehicles
Vehicle noise is limited by The Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use Regulations) 1986. Vehicles must be fitted with an efficient exhaust silencer. Road users must not make excessive noise, or run the engine unnecessarily when stationary. The regulations create a number of offences which are enforced by the police. Visit the Warwickshire Police website to report these issues.
Noise from roads, trains, or planes
We are unable to investigate complaints of noise from roads, trains, or planes. Visit the government website for more information, including how to raise your concerns. Noise from roads, trains, or planes.
Noise from building activities
Building work can be noisy, and many jobs cannot get done without some crashing and banging. Individuals or building firms can not annoy neighbours during all hours of the day and night.
The biggest step anyone can take to avoid causing a noise problem is to be reasonable about their hours of work. We suggest that people need rest from noise at the weekend and in the evening.
Our suggested hours of noisy working are:
- Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 5pm
- Saturday: 7.30am to 1pm
- Sunday or Bank Holidays: no noisy working at all
Builders can be on site outside these hours, but the noisiest work should not be carried out. There may also be emergency situations where noisy work is required.
House alarms
House alarms are noisy by design. Alarm owners need to check that their alarms are not faulty and become a nuisance.If an alarm is regularly going off for more than 20 minutes, try speaking to your neighbour to get this resolved. If the alarm continues, start making a record using the nuisance diary. Please record where the noise is coming from, when it is happening, for how long and how often.