Feel the noise
Question
Are there legal limits concerning how loud I can play music in my house? I live in a residential area, and neighbours are saying I'm breaking the law whenever I turn up the volume.
Answer
A nuisance caused by noise will depend of the circumstances of each case, which means no legal limits are laid down. For example, in a detached house with a large garden you can be a lot louder than in a terrace or flat. In addition, the time of day the noise occurs will determine whether or not there is a nuisance.
As a rule of thumb, if you can hear the music outside when the windows are closed it is probably too loud. Or, if you play music in one room (making sure all the doors and windows are closed), and you can hear the music in the next room, again it could be too loud.
You will only find yourself in trouble if a complaint is made to the local council. They will investigate and try and resolve the issue by giving advice about reducing noise by using insulation, etc. If this fails and the noise continues then they will consider prosecution. It is also possible for the neighbours to seek a private prosecution and they could do this without warning you.
If you live in rented accommodation then it is possible that you could be in breach of contract and the landlord could then try and have you evicted. However your landlord would have to go to court to do this. It may also be possible for the local council to seek an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) which could lead to an eviction or other sanctions.
Question answered by CAB
