In reality is there anything I can do about noisy neighbours?

[Cosmos45]

Just that really.

I live in a detached house on a rural lane and my next door neighbours have two children aged 4 and 6. We have a large garden as do they and we are not near each other with gardens running adjacent (to give some perspective). So physically they are quite a long way away from us.

There was a lot of noise a while ago, this is a whole story in itself and resulted in us (me mainly) losing it completely on the last Bank Holiday and since then admittedly the loud bellowing father and his loud music has abated completely.

However, the children haven't. I get that children make noise, I really do, however this seems excessive. We can be indoors, all the windows shut and as I said a long distance away from them but still hear the children screaming and shouting. I can even often hear it over the TV or radio that I sometimes put on low for a distraction.

I am sat in my lounge at the moment and I reckon their garden is I don't know, 30 metres away and I can hear them screaming, shouting, yelling, I can hear what they are yelling to each other. I can make out the words. That's surely not right is it? I can hear them whilst I am on conference calls, my friends hear them when they pop round to the garden and comment on it, one friends little boy even commented how loud the screaming girls are next door. i have just emailed a couple of neighbours who are opposite them on the other side of the road to try and gauge how they are coping. I can't work out if we are unnaturally sensitive (I have lived here over 10 years though and not had an issue before with children in the past) or whether there is some sort of weird amplification going on. By that what I mean is they built a large brick 8ft tall solid wall around their property and I am beginning to wonder if it is something to do with the positioning of our house and the sound is somehow bouncing off that wall.

I looked on the local council website and it basically seemed to indicate that there was nothing that could be done during day time hours with loud children.

I know a lot of people will say we just have to suck it up and live with it or move, but that again in reality is not an option. Any suggestions or ideas?

Have you got the doors/windows open? Is there some kind of open air vent that’s letting the noise in?

No, we can hear it with doors and windows shut, which is a massive shame as we had lots of bifolds fitted and patio landscaped so we could enjoy the outside space more.

Do the Council still loan out noise meters or is there a phone app? Then you would see how loud it really is. My brother had one to gather evidence about his neighbour but that was about 15 years ago.

The council will not take action against noise from children.
No court will prosecute against children's noise I'm afraid.

You could report it & the council may have a word to bring attention to the issue however that'll be as far as it goes.

I don't think there's anything you can do about kids playing noises. That's just normal isn't it? My kids are playing in the garden just now and I'm sure my neighbours can probably hear them. They're not screaming though and never do, that's not on.

I really want to hear about what happened on the bank holiday.

Is constant screeching, screaming and yelling acceptable noise though? I wouldn't mind if it was playing but they seemed to have been taught well by the dad that everything is at full volume, all of the time.

Acceptable is hard to define. I was a teacher for years and spent many a lunchtime on the playground so my idea of ‘screaming children’ is likely to be different to someone who is used to peace and quiet. And two girls of that age probably have very high pitched voices.

What you describe as screeching and yelling they might describe at squealing and whooping with glee though?
It probably seems louder because it bothers you.

Yes, I fear I have to just live with it. My dream home as well, we spent £££'s renovating a 500 year old listed cottage and sadly the old neighbours moved out and new neighbours moved in. Incidentally the old neighbours had children and dogs but didn't make noise anything like these new people. In lots of different incidents they have ruined the relative peace for a lot of people. Not just with noise but other anti social behaviour. Ho hum.

It’s starting to sound like you have several issues with these people, which may be making the noise seem louder - as in everything they do puts you on edge. What do other neighbours think?

@SecondStarFromTheRight - the thing is I try quite hard NOT to let it bother me. I don't go outside in my garden throughout the summer, I keep all of the windows closed, i haven't sat outside in my garden during the summer for a number of years now. They have quietened down in some respects, they installed outside speakers throughout their garden and were blasting music all weekend and bellowing above it to each other but thankfully this has stopped. But i am pretty sure my friends children are not as loud as this, there is a lady opposite with 4 children and I can hear them sometimes but it is just a different level. It sounds like kids playing. This sound is like kids screaming blood curdling screams - honestly yesterday is sounded like one of them was being murdered..

It’s really hard isn’t it. I don’t want to get into a stressful fit for tat war situation with our new neighbours but they are really noisy!
We have lived here for 11 years and had about 4 other sets of neighbours in that time (semi detached) houses are old army and solid concrete, literally bomb proof. Never heard a single sound /shout/music /baby crying or anything from the neighbours.
New neighbours move in - 4 kids ages 9-21, constant doors banging, screaming/swearing/shouting until gone midnight, music blaring, then they now have a hot tub so that’s bubbling away all evening and they are even louder in the garden, they have 2 dogs that bark and when all the bloody time, he recalled his boy racer car for ages at time, constant DIY noise etc.
We are really hoping that there’s a slim chance we can get a deposit together and be able to get a mortgage and move next year.

I have two children (5&3) and as soon as they get too loud I shush them and tell them no one else wants to hear their noise! I mean I love them and it would drive me up the wall having them make that sort of noise

In any case no idea if you can do anything about it but I hope they grow out of it soon so you can enjoy your home (which sounds awesome btw and I’m very jealous!)

@GrannyBags - Its a long and story tale but about 5 sets of neighbours have made complaints of one nature or another about them. From setting off fireworks on NYE's in farmers field without permission and causing a neighbours horses to gallop wildly round the field with one injuring herself. Screeching loud sports cars up the road and making people's windows and gates rattle at 6.00am, causing flooding in the road due to bad renovations. Pumping out music for 9 hours on a Sunday and inviting loads of extra children over and hiring bouncy castles etc. This is just for a party but can be a random Tuesday afternoon. There is a long list and we have quietly kept out of all it, until now, I am starting to feel at my wits end with their behaviour. It is so selfish - all of it.

Did they have planning permission for the wall?

@Cosmos45

No, we can hear it with doors and windows shut, which is a massive shame as we had lots of bifolds fitted and patio landscaped so we could enjoy the outside space more.

A stealth boast isn't going to get you sympathy here OP. Children playing out make a noise, it's one of those things just like your lawnmower makes a noise.

@betteliefsen - really not a stealth boast at all. It's just simply galling that you build and renovate your dream home and then can't enjoy much of it because the neighbours kids sound like they are killing each other.

They do sound very selfish. I’m not sure you can do a lot about the children, but that seems a bit like the tip of the iceberg. Have you or the neighbours tried talking to them? What stopped the music in the garden?

Sounds like you may be more sensitive to the noise because you dislike their father so much. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s anything you can do about children playing in their own property within daytime hours.

Yes they did get planning permission for the wall but again that seems to cause a lot of neighbourly disgruntlement. Because it looks awful and appears to be 8ft one side but the council say it is the required 6ft (or whatever the guidelines are). We stayed out of all of that, there were about 4 separate objections and complaints about it to no avail. I will add he also built 55% instead of the 40% allowed extra footprint and that was partly due to our writing to the council to support his planning for a large extension. It does face our property but we were fairly laid back and because they are in a large plot we couldn't see much of a difference between an extra 15%. I know my other neighbours have been horrified at our generosity. That was obviously a mistake though.. This extension has meant the outside dining/patio/seating area has become their focal point where they make lots of noise. In a previous discussion with him about it his response was "he thought we didn't mind the noise" and admitted other neighbours had made complaints about him in the past.

As someone who lives in a terraced house with back to back gardens I know all about neighbourly noises. It’s just something that is part and parcel of living with a near neighbour.

I doubt there’s anything your council can or will do so either speak to them directly or just accept that’s the level of noise they make.

@GrannyBags - the music in the garden stopped because I then played loud music in my garden and he came round to ask me why I was making noise and we had a rather heated discussion about it. It has improved, I will say that thankfully it is better than it was, but honestly the noise is just so different to anything I have heard before. I think I do not have a choice but to just live with it or move.

I hear you, OP - I can imagine its awful, with them being 4 and 6 it might be that as they grow up, they aren't as 'silly' and quieten down a bit - although you might be waiting a while.

It’s a shame but I think you are right. Perhaps they will move out? The people behind us have a tiny yappy dog that wakes us at all hours of the night and I was thrilled to walk past last week and see a For Sale sign.

Could it be their voices are echoing off trees, fences and walls? I wonder if you could build something to break it up? A shed?

We have noisy neighbours- I went to complain and as I stood in their garden realised my voice was echoing. I felt so silly - although have been reassured by mutual neighbours that their music was definitely too loud. (We were indoors windows / doors shut and could hear the words to their booming garden music)

Some people are just loud and if you don’t learn to live with it / block it out - you’ll find yourself wishing for rain