Do you have Britain's noisiest neighbours?
Our new study reveals where in the UK has the noisiest neighbours, and how much your neighbours know about you based on the noise you make...
Although insulation remains a key factor in keeping your house warm in the winter months, have you ever thought about how it contributes to blocking out noise from the outside world?
With this question in mind, we set out to determine just how much your neighbours could learn about you based on what they hear through the walls.
Maybe you’ve lived next door to them for years, or perhaps you’ve recently moved into a new home and don't know your neighbours very well yet. In any case, the people next door can be a very significant part of your life, and you might be shocked to realise how much they can learn about you based on what noise you make.
Through a survey of 2,000 UK adults, we've determined what traits Brits know about their neighbours based on what they’ve heard through the walls, as well as how often we are disturbed by the noise from next door.
In addition, we issued several Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to district councils around the nation to uncover the total number of noise complaints logged in each area between 1 April 2018, and 1 April 2023, as well as the causes of these, to identify the nation's noisiest places.
Where in the UK can you find the noisiest neighbours?
Our poll asked Brits how often they experienced noise disturbances from their neighbours, as well as how much they know about them based on what they can hear through the walls.
According to the research, 13.9 million Brits (20%) claim to be disturbed by their neighbour's noise at least once a week!
It seems that those aged between 35-44 are the ones most commonly experiencing a noise disturbance, with over one in six (16%) admitting to being disturbed by their noisy neighbour multiple times a day.
On the other hand, over two fifths (43%) of those over the age of 65 claim they are only bothered by their noisy neighbours a few times a year – lucky them!
After realising quite a few Brits experienced noise disturbances from next door, we wanted to uncover where in the UK you can find the nosiest neighbours.
Based on our research it seems that the cities with the nosiest neighbours are based in:
1. Belfast (40% said their neighbours disturb them at least once a day)
2. Edinburgh (21.7%)
3. Birmingham (18.9%)
According to our research, Belfast is the city with the nosiest neighbours, with a staggering 257,000 residents (40%) confessing to being disturbed more than once per day! A further 173,000 (27%) also reported experiencing noise disturbances from next door a few times per week.
But is the noise you make enough for your neighbours to get to know you? Apparently, the answer is yes! In fact, a fifth of Belfast residents alone claimed to have learnt characteristics about their neighbours because of their loudness!
You may even be shocked by how much your musical preferences might reveal about you. A Belfast-based respondent admitted, "I learned a lot about some of my neighbours’ musical preferences and what music they put on to disguise the sound of them having sex."
Next up is the city of Edinburgh, where 121,880 residents (22%) acknowledge having experienced noise disturbances from a neighbour at least once a day. One Edinburgh-based respondent acknowledged, " I know their music taste and also the details of their lives as they shout every conversation.”
And appearing in third place on the list, is the city of Birmingham, with 163,970 (or 19%) residents from this city reported having a noise disturbance from their neighbours on a daily basis.
What cities have the quietest neighbours across the UK?
Based on our research it seems that the cities with the quietest neighbours are based in:
1. Glasgow (57% of residents have never been disturbed by their neighbours)
2. Southampton (41%)
3. Leeds (38%)
Surprisingly, 98,000 residents of Glasgow (57%) revealed they had never experienced any noise disturbance from their neighbours at all, and a further 28% claim to have experienced noise disruptions from their neighbours only a few times a year.
As a result, it comes as no surprise that the residents of these cities are also the ones who know their neighbours the least, as 1.6 million Glaswegians (95%) claimed to be unaware of any traits of their neighbours based on what they hear through the walls.
Southampton residents also appear to experience minimal noise disturbance from their neighbours, with 41% of locals reporting that this only happens occasionally or a few times a year.
With more than one in five revealing they had never experienced any kind of noise disturbance from their neighbours, the city of Leeds comes in third place as the city with the least number of noisy neighbours. However, most residents who have experienced noise disturbance from their neighbours have one thing in common: the people next-door love football.
Whilst Leeds residents acknowledge football was one of the most prevalent reasons linked to noise disturbances, when we asked other UK cities, residents confessed that they knew which team their neighbour supports too, or that they’re fans of the sport...
"My neighbours love big football tournaments and have to turn the TV up loud with all the windows open so everyone can hear. I, on the other hand, hate football," said a Newcastle survey respondent.
Another respondent said: “They support Man United, play video games a lot, like heavy metal.”
“They watch a lot of football, either play Celine Dion or rap music,” said another.
Just how much can your neighbours really learn about you through the walls?
After establishing where the nosiest neighbours reside, we also wanted to determine just how much your neighbours can learn about you through the walls.
51% of Brits admitted to knowing exactly what kind of music their neighbours like, not only that but some of them could even pinpoint their neighbour's favourite artist and favourite song.
One respondent from Liverpool revealed she knew quite a few details about their next-door neighbours:
“My immediate neighbour (semi-detached house) has a difficulty with stairs and has 'hippy' music tastes, incense sticks, and loves Jazz. Our other immediate neighbour, detached, so there is an alleyway between us, listens to shows of a foreign nature and Sponge Bob SquarePants. The house behind us has a parrot, so we listen to that for hours on end when they put him in the garden, we get a repeat of what goes on in that house as well as the parrot's version.”
When it comes to more personal matters, 6% of Brits admitted to knowing when their neighbours are getting intimate, and 5% acknowledged listening to phone calls. Around one in thirty (3%) even confessed to listening to next doors' arguments, suggesting that maybe Brits are as nosy as they are noisy!
So, where in the UK has the most noise complaints reported?
By reaching out to a number of district councils around the UK we asked for the total number of "statutory nuisances" under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 made between 1 April 2018, and 1 April 2023, to determine which counties had the highest number of noise complaints.
The findings show that even though a fifth (21%) of residents in London claimed to experience noise disturbances from their neighbours only a few times a year, the country’s capital had the highest number of recorded noise nuisance reports, with 227,953 noise reports between April 2018 and April 2023, making it the noisiest city in the country.
Mentioned in over 61,000 cases, the most common noise complaint cause in Greater London was DIY (drilling, hammering etc), followed by parties (which was mentioned in over 26,000 complaints) and loud music (22,000 complaints).
The nosiest boroughs in the city of London and the main reasons for the complaints include:
Outside of Greater London, the county with the most noise complaints was Kent, which had over 34,000 incidents recorded, the majority of which may be attributed to domestic noise complaints, such as loud music, TVs, parties, pets, shouting and alarms.
On the other hand, Devon came on top of the list as the quietest county in the UK with only 697 noise complaints during April 2018-April 2023.
What can you do if you have a prevalent noise disturbance?
If you’re unfortunate enough to have restless nights from a noisy neighbour, we spoke with Bahareh Amani, partner at London solicitors, Hodge Jones & Allen, about guidance for filing claims and handling noise issues.
Bahareh said: “Having noisy neighbours is frustrating for many, and can seriously impact the enjoyment of your home, whether you are a homeowner, or tenant. In most circumstances, it is difficult to prove that the level of noise is outside day to day normal living activities and sounds. However, in other instances, you may be able to seek assistance from the local authority to investigate the levels of noise, which could then give rise to being able to bring injunctive proceedings against your neighbour. Alternatively, the council could issue a statutory nuisance claim against your neighbour depending upon the severity of the noise nuisance. If the noise is of such a level and consistency, it could also give rise to a civil claim for nuisance and/or harassment.
“It is very important when considering whether you should bring a claim against your neighbour, to keep a full diary and log of the incidents and disturbances and what action(s) you have taken - if any. I would caution taking matters into your own hands by engaging confrontationally with your neighbours before having taken legal advice on your rights, as that could give rise to a counter allegation of harassment.”
Other ways in which you can minimise noise disturbance and upkeep your privacy
We recommend that one of the best ways that Brits can minimise noise disturbance caused by their neighbours is through insulation. Regardless of whether you live in a flat, a new-build or are currently building your home, we’ve detailed top tips for upkeeping your privacy and muting the sounds of the outside world.
1. If you live in a flat, then putting a rug on the floor could reduce your below neighbour's noise as the material will absorb sound waves. It’ll also mean you’re quieter for them too.
2. Using sound-absorbing acoustic tiles for the walls is another option you can implement to reduce noise entering or leaving your home. These often come in a range of geometric forms, which are perfect if you want to give your house a more modern look.
3. If you’re building your home or doing renovation work then you could utilise insulation building materials, which will allow you to keep unwanted sound outside your home. Wool rolls are designed to offer exceptional insulation and noise reduction, as well as sound absorption. Glass mineral wool roll is perfect for insulating walls and floors, whereas normal soundproofing roll would be ideal for ceiling cavities or the void in partition walls.
Whichever option you decide to go for, being able to both keep the noise out of your home and ensure privacy are two very important factors to preserve your peace of mind and ensure your home truly is the place where you can unwind and be yourself.
Our Study Sources and MethodologyIn order to determine the total number of "statutory nuisances" under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 made between April 1, 2018, and April 1, 2023, we made FOI requests to district councils across the UK and 68 district councils provided an answer by May 22nd 2023.
District population was determined by the 2021 consensus found in: https://www.varbes.com/compare/compare-population.
UK Population as of 2023.