A late-night party, a dog that won’t stop barking or an overgrown garden can soon turn into a landlord’s problem when the neighbours start complaining about their tenants.
Most complaints can be dealt with relatively easily as long as they are tackled early enough. But persistent noise, antisocial behaviour and disputes involving the property can sometimes result in action being taken by the council, the police or even the courts.
So what should landlords do when a neighbour makes a complaint?
Keep an open mind
Catherine Behdad, landlord support compliance specialist at the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), told Homebuilding & Renovating that the first rule is not to assume that either side is necessarily in the right. Landlords, she says, need to approach complaints with an open mind rather than going straight to the tenant with the neighbour’s accusations, which can create bad blood on both sides.
She advises landlords to start by asking the neighbour for specific details of what has happened, including dates and times, and only then speak to the tenant to get their version of events.
If there is a genuine problem, an informal conversation may be all that’s needed to resolve it. But if complaints persist, she recommends landlords keep records of correspondence and individual incidents.
This is especially important if the problem eventually results in possession proceedings. According to the latest government guidance, evidence can include diaries, witness statements, photographs, videos and noise recordings, with statements and reports from neighbours considered to be some of the stronger evidence.
Noise and nuisance
According to Behdad, noise is one of the most likely causes of a landlord receiving complaints from neighbours. Loud music, parties and persistent barking are some of the more common examples, but the occasional disturbance will not necessarily be considered antisocial behaviour.
If, however, noise becomes persistent and excessive, neighbours can report it to the local authority. Councils can then investigate and, if necessary, issue an abatement notice.
Gardens, rubbish and pets
A rental property’s outside spaces are another common source of neighbours’ complaints.
There is an important distinction, however, between neighbours disliking an untidy garden and rubbish, vermin or neglect creating a genuine nuisance. Accumulations of rubbish and smoke can become a statutory nuisance only if they cause serious interference with a neighbour’s enjoyment of their home or are potentially harmful to health.
If the tenants are responsible for maintaining the garden, it should be made clear in the tenancy agreement. Behdad points out, though, that landlords need to be realistic about what they expect tenants to do and provide the equipment needed to maintain it.
Persistent dog barking can become a statutory noise nuisance, too, although there is no fixed threshold. Councils will consider a number of factors including how loud the noise is, how long it lasts, how frequently it happens and the time of day.
Keep in touch with the neighbours
One of the simplest ways of keeping any problems under control is to make sure neighbours know how to contact you or your managing agent.
Behdad, who is herself a landlord, says she gives neighbours on either side of her rental property her telephone number so they can contact her if something is wrong and she can try to deal with the problem before it escalates.
This is particularly useful advice for landlords who do not live close to their properties. A neighbour is likely to be aware of persistent parties, rubbish or other problems long before the landlord is.
When the problem is the neighbour
Sometimes it will be the tenant contacting their landlord because they are having problems with a neighbour rather than the other way round.
Behdad says tenants can be reluctant to approach neighbours themselves and advises them to raise the problem with their landlord instead.
There are limits to what a landlord can do where they have no control over the neighbouring property, but they can help tenants identify the appropriate route.
Persistent noise and other potential statutory nuisances can be reported to the council, but she says threats, harassment and criminal behaviour should be reported to the police.
Where the neighbouring property is rented, contacting its landlord is another route to resolving the problem.
When landlords need to become involved
Some neighbour disputes are about the property itself rather than its occupants.
Trees, fences, shared driveways and boundaries are all potential areas of conflict and normally require the property owner rather than the tenant to deal with them.
If neighbours cannot agree over a boundary, however, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recommends seeking specialist advice. Using a chartered surveyor or mediation can provide a considerably cheaper route than allowing a disagreement to end up in court.
What if the complaints don’t stop?
If a tenant is persistently causing serious issues and informal intervention has failed, landlords can begin proceedings to regain possession of their property.
Since 1 May 2026, Section 21 can no longer be used in England. Instead, landlords need to rely on one or more Section 8 grounds.
Section 8’s Ground 14 covers nuisance and antisocial behaviour and allows a landlord to apply to court immediately after serving notice. However, it is a discretionary ground, meaning the court will decide whether it is reasonable to award possession.
Ground 12 can be used where the tenant has breached the tenancy agreement and requires two weeks’ notice. For specified cases of serious antisocial or criminal behaviour, mandatory Ground 7A may apply. This has a much higher threshold, but where its conditions are met, the court must award possession.
Landlords can apply to court immediately after serving notice under Grounds 14 or 7A, although a possession order cannot be made until at least 14 days after notice was given.
This is why keeping records from the outset is important, as they could ultimately be needed to support a possession claim.
