Inconsiderate neighbour - looking for advice.

worded

I had raving neighbours once.

They didn't let me sleep at weekends so at 10am when they were coming down I used to get a biscuit tin and a hammer drill and put it beside their bedroom wall. Randomly id switch it on/off.

A chain saw inside the house (you wearing ear protect) would be another option

We reached an understanding very fast.

What's good for the goose, good for the gander. Give them a taste of their own medicine

DareToBeARose

For all the kind, supportive, consoling words - I really cannot thank you enough. It gives me a weird sense of not being left to fend for myself in this matter; which is what I had been feeling until I posted about my situation here.

Also, anonymously venting to complete strangers has had somewhat of a purging effect for me. Thank you all for taking the time to read my post and making the effort to respond to it.

I am not sure giving them a taste of their own medicine would help. I could even be shooting myself in the foot with it.

I am going down the 'legal' route, as many of you have suggested. I got in touch with the Environmental Health officer of the local council. On their advice, I have started making notes of the dates, times, type and effect of the noise nuisance. I have also started engaging with the Gardai on this; have sent them multiple emails already with evidence from the various chats on Facebook where the female admits that the male does like loud music.

Also, someone else who lives down the street I met recently, who already has contact with a Garda detective on some other matter has volunteered to be an unbiased witness for me when the noise nuisance occurs. This better than having to call 999, I think.

I am actually dreading weekends these days which is usually when the noise nuisance peaks. Hope this weekend will be better. Fingers crossed!

Just have to accept the parking situation, I suppose.

C3PO

OP - are your elderly parents actually living in the house with you?

DareToBeARose

I also came across this on Citizens Information website - anti-social behaviour of adults

DareToBeARose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170438#Comment_123170438

Yes, they are.

C3PO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170445#Comment_123170445

In that case, I agree that the behaviour of your neighbours really is very inconsiderate! However, I imagine that the burden of proof will rest very much with you and that the Gardai will be very slow to do anything official other than perhaps warning the neighbours. You may have to take a civil case!

emo72

Who clicks into this thread thinking god I hope they're not talking about me.

homer911

OP, have you spoken to your neighbours in #3 and would they be prepared to join your civil proceedings?

dulpit

Before going down the route of civil proceedings, surely a conversation, face-to-face, is warranted?

DareToBeARose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170913#Comment_123170913

The female was very unpleasant on the Facebook discussion.

On Saturday 1st February 2025 morning around 10 a.m., the female was not at home (her car was gone) when the loud music started. I decided to have a word with the male directly and went to their door and rang the door bell. He just sent his young child to peep out of the living room window to see who was at the door. I waited there for over 5 minutes for the male to open their front door so I can have a word with him. It was only the young child who keep peeping out to see if I had left, which I had to do eventually. The loud music did stop, however. He knows he is causing a nuisance and keeps at it if he can get away with it.

When I have to physically go in to the office and my parents are home alone, I worry if they are being subjected to the noise when the male sees I am not there by the absence of my car.

DareToBeARose

I have been meaning to. They are not at home much. I hardly ever see them.

DareToBeARose

A warning from the Gardai might do the trick.

Although they acknowledge my emails, I am not sure if the Gardai have done anything about it.

I do want to go in person to speak to one of the Community Engagement officers or even involve a Councillor.

DareToBeARose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170682#Comment_123170682

I have been meaning to. They are not at home much. I hardly ever see them.

DareToBeARose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170477#Comment_123170477

A warning from the Gardai might do the trick.

Although they acknowledge my emails, I am not sure if the Gardai have done anything about it.

I do want to go in person to speak to one of the Community Engagement officers or even involve a Councillor.

DareToBeARose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123168846#Comment_123168846

Last Sunday morning, I was having a lie-in with my earphones in, listening to a podcast on my phone. I could hear the drums from the neighbour over and above this. That is how bad it is.

DareToBeARose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123166733#Comment_123166733

I am not that naive or out of touch with reality. I hear barking dogs through windows, airplane noise, the odd motorbike, emergency vehicles' siren, etc. They are there and gone after a minute.

This thumping drums and bass noise is just so annoying. It's like an invasion of my privacy. The sense of lack of control over my own private space is so distressing too.

One of their children is less than a year old. I have never heard this child's cries. Or the usual everyday living noises of the neighbours - their conversations, coughing, water pump or any such thing. It is not as if the construction of the party wall is poor.

I have asked the site foreman - he assures me that the party wall has passed the current acoustic and air leakage standards, which are quite onerous in Ireland these days.

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123171004#Comment_123171004

The Gardai won't get involved in a noise complaint.

DareToBeARose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123172240#Comment_123172240

It was the local Garda station that told me to call emergency services when the noise nuisance happened again. This is the guidance I got from the Council too.

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123172467#Comment_123172467

You think the local gardai will call into your neighbour if they're playing loud music at 10am on a Saturday morning? I'd be stunned if they said they would.

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123172508#Comment_123172508

A number of years ago I had to call the guards due to excess noise with a former neighbour. They called out alright. Wasn't a very quick response time which is fair enough. But they did call.

DareToBeARose

They did this evening in our case too. Fingers crossed, the neighbour will get the message.

Markcheese

Can I suggest that you go the route of trying to get a disabled parking bay outside your house - before the whole noise issue goes legal or doesn't go legal -

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170993#Comment_123170993

They are not at home much, but are still playing loud music frequently?

Markcheese

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123173238#Comment_123173238

No , neighbours on the other side of the noisy neighbours aren't in much ,

I'm assuming there's not much you can do to about the noise from your side- in fact if you up the noise reduction on your side ,all you'll do is make their side quieter, so they're even less likely to see that there's a problem..

DareToBeARose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123173366#Comment_123173366

The person with the noisy hobby should ensure they are not disturbing others. It is such people who are not fit to live in close-built urban environments.

Markcheese

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123173657#Comment_123173657

I'm wouldn't disagree with you , but if spending a couple of grand would significantly reduce the noise problem from your noisy neighbours,and stop you losing your mind then I'd be tempted to give it a go .. - if I could afford it ,

How much is a basic noise meter ? - is it worth logging the noise in certain rooms , and possibly even outside , ? ( Outside would give you a useful baseline if you can any noise reduction/ sealing work done ..

DareToBeARose

How unfair is that - I need to spend money to sound-proof a modern house because the neighbour decides to listen to annoying music at anti-social sound levels.

GalwayBmw

People are essentially jerks, and there’s not much you can do about it. I have to say, though, you’ve been quite unlucky to have it happen on such an even surface. Places like this won’t offer you any valuable advice.

ebbsy

I had this problem a very long time ago - I had discussions with the landlord at the start but ended up going down to the garda and giving them his phone number. The tenants moved out.

If the OP is going to go down the legal route I would suggest the compensation route if possible- this tends to make people wake up.

It's not a good situation. Been there.

DareToBeARose

To be honest, I had done my own research. The reason for the post was two-fold

1. To see if I had missed anything

2. For a sanity check and support/consolation, if any forthcoming.