noisy neighour

[k8bailey]

The house next door was bought about six months ago, the guy who bought it is doing it up to sell, so he doesnt live there . He mostly starts work at about 8.30am which i understand is ok, (my partner is a carpenter and thats the time he starts work too) but on a few occasions the man next door has started work at 6.30 am and he often works untill about 9pm is there anything i can do about this?

we have already fallen out over my car being parked outside my house its a public road so i know he has no right to make me move the car but this means that i feel unable to ask him to keep the noise down, the noise im referring to is hammering, sawing, shouting and the radio which all seems to happen in the main bedroom right behind my head!!

[coco pops]

Don't think there is an easy answer. You could firstly enquire at your local council offices about noise laws .

[Whickerman]

You actually have a 'secret weapon' here - when he goes to sell he has to disclose any disagreements with neighbours. Threaten to make yourself a neighbour form hell so that it'll cause him trouble if he doesn't quieten down.

On the down side, the hours you talk about aren't unreasonable, and you may well find the council unsympathetic.

[Whickerman]

from.

[Sizmond]

I don't think making yourself the 'neigboour from hell' is your best chance of reaching an amicable agreement here. Most laws and bylaws allow noise after 7.30am and until 11 pm.

The thing is this would be a tort case. The English Legal system (civil) is very slow and by the time anything is done your neighbour will have probably have sold up and somebody else moved in - some tort cases have been known to take upto 3-4 years.

The best thing to do here, I suggest, would be to approach him again, tell him you are not happy with his nuisance at 6.30am (nuisance is a tort issue but that should be your last option really), if this doesn't work I would go to your solicitor and tell him/her. Solicitors can work on your behalf in an ADR system (Alternative Dispute Resolution). Your solicitor would write to him telling him firmly that you are not happy. The ADR would try to reach an agreement between you both, in a friendly 'Consilitation/mediation' type setting or am 'arbitration' setting - where the result is legally binding.

Im not a solicitor - this is just my advice as i have studied tort before.

Hope it all goes well for you.