Carrying out DIY repairs and home improvements can generate a significant amount of noise and disturb your neighbours. We recommend that all noisy DIY activities are restricted to:
Monday to Friday 8 am to 8pm
Saturday 9am to 7pm
Sunday and public holidays 10am to 5pm

What are noisy DIY activities?
When you are using the following tools make sure the noise doesn’t become so loud or frequent it prevents your neighbours from watching the television or sleeping.
_ Hand tools such as hammers, saws and chisels.
_ Power tools such as drills, saws and sanders.
_ Specialist equipment such as power saws, cement mixers, pneumatic drills and hammers.

Are there any activities I can do after hours?
Any activity that doesn’t cause noise or vibration, for example painting, varnishing or clearing up, that is if done quietly.
But don’t forget noise that is acceptable in the day may seem intrusive at night.

What about DIY on party walls and floors?
Pay special attention to noise when working on party walls or floors even wallpaper stripping, rewiring and sanding may also be classed as noisy.

What can the Council do?
We will visit to assess whether the noise is loud enough to be a statutory nuisance.
This will depend on:
_ the type of noise
_ how loud it is
_ how often it occurs
_ the times at which it occurs - if outside the recommended hours we are more likely to view it as statutory. We may also ask the complainant to keep a noise record. In the first instance we will issue a warning letter. If the problem persists and is judged to be a nuisance we may serve an abatement notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 80). Failure to comply with a notice can lead to prosecutions and fines up to £5,000. If the problem persists we will confiscate noisemaking equipment.

What can I do to keep the noise down?
_ Talk to your neighbour
Apologise in advance and let them know what to expect the length and nature of the work, as well as agreeing convenient times to work.
_ Be considerate
Take your neighbours’ circumstances into account, anticipate when the noise will be less of a problem, especially if they are elderly or have small children who go to bed earlier in the evening.
_ Try to work as quickly as possible
You can’t expect your neighbours to put up with noise for months on end.
_ Using a radio?
People often like to do DIY to music but keep the volume down, particularly in
the evenings.
_ Use the best tool for the job
Old or inappropriate tools often make more noise, always switch off equipment when not in use it’ll last longer as well as reduce noise and save energy.

Remember your neighbour may want to do some DIY in the future so show them the same consideration you would expect