Noise Control on Housing Estates

Most complaints to housing officers about other tenants involve noise. Common causes are parties, stereos, videos, televisions and car radios that are too loud, barking dogs, noisy children, do-it-yourself repairs, slamming car doors and revving engines.

Think of your neighbours and always try to keep noise down. Loud noise on a regular basis will upset other tenants. It is against your tenancy conditions to cause a noise nuisance and, in many cases, against the law. Report regular noise nuisance to your housing office.

You should also complain about noise nuisance to the Noise Control Service. A Nuisance Team Officer will discuss the ways you can deal with the problem and, if they confirm the nuisance, they may serve a noise abatement notice to stop the noise. Anyone breaking an abatement notice can be prosecuted. The Noise Team Officer can also give you advice about taking your own legal action against someone causing a regular nuisance. In order for the Noise Team to take legal action they must witness the nuisance from inside your home. They will take action against those responsible for the noise if they confirm the nuisance. During office hours you can contact the Noise Control Services. They also run an out-of-hours service via the First Call Service.

Contact Information

First Call - Noise Patrol
Phone: 020 7926 5999
Email: firstcall@lambeth.gov.uk

You can report noise nuisance out of normal office hours.

This service is available from 10.00pm - 3.00am, Sunday - Thursday and 10.00pm - 5.00am, Friday - Saturday.

First Call normally answers the phone within 15 seconds. First Call will take the details of your complaint and pass them on to the Noise Service.

Noise officers aim to respond within 2 hours and they will arrange to visit your home to assess the noise. If the noise is loud enough to be considered a statutory nuisance, the noise officers will visit the person making the noise and ask them to stop or to reduce the noise.

If that does not work, the noise officers can serve an abatement notice on the person responsible telling them that they are committing an offence if they ignore the notice. If the notice is breached then the person responsible may be taken to court and fined up to £5,000. The Council may also seize noise making equipment under a court warrant.

The Housing Department can also use evidence of noise nuisance witnessed by a Noise Team Officer in order to evict a nuisance neighbour.