What to do about nuisance neighbours and when to call police

Neighbours, when you get on with them, are lovely. But if you’re having drama with the people you live near, it can make your day-to-day life uncomfortable and unpleasant.

That’s why a lawyer has explained when you can report your nuisance neighbours to the police.

One person wrote: “How do you deal with harassment from a neighbour? I have been polite up to now, but it’s getting to the point again where it’s every day”.

The TikToker, @crimdlawyer, explained that if instances have occurred over two times, then “it can be reported to the police”.

He also highlighted: “A lot of cases of neighbour disputes are reported to the police where people have set up logs or CCTV cameras”.

He also pointed out that it “doesn’t have to be in a domestic setting” for the police to get involved – harassment can happen at work, or even be done by “the same person who walks past you” each day.

According to Citizens Advice, you can report harassment to the police. They can charge someone with criminal harassment if:

If the police decide to charge someone, they’ll send the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS is an organisation that can take people to court – this is called ‘prosecution’. If the CPS decide not to prosecute the person who harassed you, they must let you know. 

You can report harassment to the police on their website.

You can take someone to civil court if:

The court can order the person harassing you to stay away from you – this is called getting an ‘injunction’. The court can also award you compensation. 

If the person keeps harassing you after you get an injunction, they’ve broken the law – this means they could go to prison. 

You can go to civil court even if:

• You haven’t reported it to the police

• You reported it to the police, but the CPS decided not to prosecute the person who harassed you

• The CPS prosecuted the person who harassed you, and the court decided they weren’t guilty 

But what exactly constitutes harassment? According to DFA Law, “Harassment is defined as types of behaviour that ‘cause alarm or distress’, or ‘put people in fear of violence’.” They share that “this can include threats of violence or an actual act of violence, verbal abuse, threats or actual damage to property or possessions, as well as written forms of abuse or threats”. 

“Broadly, neighbour harassment is any act or behaviour from a neighbour that disturbs peace or security, or causes unnecessary inconvenience.”

You should keep a log of what happens, they warn, for example: 23/4/22 – loud music – 10.30pm to 1.30am – asked neighbour to turn down music several times but they refused with threats of violence, now seeking legal advice.

They also share that “There is case law for harassment, and for harassment to merit legal intervention, there must have been a ‘course of conduct’, or more than two related instances of harassment. 

“The behaviour does not need to have been violent, but must have caused some alarm or distress, or have an element of oppression.”