What is Classed as a Dispute with Neighbours?

Neighbour disputes can be difficult situations for any individual to find themselves in. Living closely to someone who is making you uncomfortable in some way can be extremely stressful. Thankfully, there are some legal recourses that people can use to resolve their disputes with their neighbours.

What is classed as a dispute with neighbours?

Some common types of disputes with neighbours include:

• Noise complaints (such as loud music or animals)
• Antisocial behaviour (such as graffiti or waste dumping)
• Harassment
• Property boundary disputes

What can I do about noisy neighbours?

For things such as noise complaints, which can include things like loud music or even extreme cases of barking dogs if the problem is consistent, the best thing to do is to begin taking records of when the issue occurs. For example, when loud music is played late at night. Be sure to include details such as the date, time and length of the disturbance.

A first port of call is to try talking to your neighbour directly, if you feel safe to do so. If a solution or compromise can’t be reached, then a mediator can be employed to assist in resolving the dispute. Your council may be able assist in finding a mediation service to help. If the dispute escalates, it can end up in civil courts.

What about antisocial behaviour or harassment?

A dispute with neighbours can arise over antisocial behaviours. These might include harassment or dumping their waste on your property.

You can report a neighbour to the council for these behaviours. Each local council will have specific rules and processes for how to make a report. Again, it is important to record details about any disturbances to help your case, including how it affects you and any images if possible.

A note to yourself might look like:

3/4/24, 12.30am, neighbour harassing me continuously by banging on door, making me unable to sleep.

If you build up a record of notes like these, then if you do decide to make a report on your nuisance neighbours, your case will be much improved if the dispute requires legal action.

What about property disputes?

The first thing to know in any property dispute is where the boundary between the properties is. This might be defined by a boundary hedge or party wall, which are sometimes shared between both properties. These have specific guidelines.

DFA Law can help you with neighbour disputes you are experiencing using our expert knowledge of the law in this area. Explore our personal dispute resolution services to learn more.