A Step-by-Step Guide to Resolving Problems With Student Neighbours

Students get a bit of a bad reputation (sometimes unjustified) but living next door to a student property can cause problems. If you are having issues with student neighbours, then depending on the problem you can contact the landlord, university, police, or council. This covers the common disputes and how to deal with them.

If you are a student or landlord, then I have also included a section on how you can try and reduce your chances of getting a complaint.

A lot of us have been there, I was a student myself and I have lived in various student properties. I can’t deny that I would stay out till the early hours of the morning while my neighbours would have to get up for their 9-to-5 jobs. However, we always tried to keep the noise to a minimum, but I knew a lot of students who weren’t so considerate.

You have to keep in mind that this is most likely the first time they have left home and don’t have their parents to answer to. It is a fun time for students and so you have to find a balance where you can both live in harmony. However, if issues are left unresolved, it can turn into a living nightmare.

It might be a good idea to go around with some chocolates and meet them face-to-face just after they move in. If they get to know you as a person, they may be more considerate in the long run.

I appreciate that not all disputes can be resolved just by talking and sometimes you may need to seek help to resolve the problem.

The most common complaints about student neighbours are:

1. Noisy student neighbours
2. Anti-social behaviour
3. Not disposing of rubbish
4. Overgrown gardens
5. Poor property maintenance

Let’s take each point and look at the common issues, how to deal with the problem and who to contact.

Noisy Student Neighbours

Loud student neighbours are the most common problem. Understandably, students and non-students usually have different sleeping patterns and this can result in a clash of lifestyles. Everyone needs a good night’s sleep and when this is taken away, tiredness and frustration can impact your health and cause tension between neighbours. Living with constant noise can also impact your mental health.

The common noise complaints are usually from loud parties, blaring music, loud talking in the night, slamming doors, running up the stairs, and TVs on loud in the middle of the night.

If the noise is happening regularly then how do you deal with rowdy, noisy student neighbours?

1. Talk to the students first and explain politely that the noise is disturbing you and try to come to a compromise.
2. If talking to them doesn’t help, write to the students (ensure to keep a copy of the letter). In the letter explain the specific noise(s) that is causing the problem and the impact it is having on your life. In the letter, you can state that you will be contacting the landlord, council, and university if it doesn’t improve.
3. Contact the landlord or managing agent if there is no improvement. If the noise is coming from a hall of residence, then you can contact their customer service team to make a complaint. Most tenancy agreements have a noise/anti-social behaviour clause that the landlord can enforce.
4. Contact your local council to make a complaint about the noise nuisance.
5. Contact the university; you will need to google noise complaint and the specific university and the university website will confirm who you need to contact.
6. Keep a log and evidence of the noise, with the date and time. You can also buy devices that measure the noise level that you can include in your log. These vary in price but there are budget-friendly options on amazon.

This is not a quick fix and every night that passes with disruption can feel like an eternity. While you are going through the motions some things can help. After living in a noisy student house, I have tried various products to help block out the noise and they do help in the interim.

The following could help you deal with noisy student neighbours:

1. Noise-cancelling headphones. These have improved dramatically and I have the ‘Beats Noise Cancelling Headphones’ and I can’t recommend them enough. I have tried numerous noise-cancelling headphones but I found these to be the best. They are in the higher price bracket but for me, these help me sleep and work in noisy situations and they are used daily.
2. Ear Plugs. If you don’t want to sleep in headphones then try earplugs. There are so many different types and these should soften the noise and help you sleep. You can purchase these from Amazon or high-street stores such as Boots.
3. White Noise Machine. These are good at sound masking and while they won’t block out loud noises completely they should help reduce the noise. Some people use fans or dehumidifiers instead of a white noise machine.
4. Soundproofing. You can also consider soundproofing your room, while you are waiting for the issue to be resolved. DIY soundproofing products are now easy to get your hands on and can be extremely effective.

If the council gets involved, they can issue an abatement notice to the student neighbours, and if it’s not complied with then they can issue a fixed penalty notice with a fine. If the student doesn’t comply with the abatement notice or pay the fine, then they could be prosecuted. They could also remove the source of the noise, such as speakers.

Anti-social Behaviour from Students

The majority of students like to work hard and play hard and enjoy letting their hair down. Anti-social behaviour happens everywhere but can be more prevalent in student areas where lots of individuals are drinking, smoking and taking drugs at the same time.

Anti-social behaviour can include students gathering in the street, verbal abuse, loud parties, littering, swearing, or fighting.

If you are living in a student area, anti-social behaviour may be happening on a regular occurrence. However, universities are actively working with students, police, and communities to improve anti-social behaviour.

Anti-social behaviour is a criminal matter and if you feel threatened, then you should call the police.

Just like all other issues, keep a log of the incidents and gather as much evidence as possible.

As well as contacting the police, if you a subjected to anti-social behaviour, then you can contact the university. When students join the university, they most likely would have signed a code of conduct. The code will state that students have to maintain the university’s reputation. If they are in breach of this then the university could start disciplinary proceedings and the student could even be expelled.

If you are a landlord:

If you are a landlord, you are not directly responsible for the tenant’s behaviour, as it is impossible to know what they are up to all the time. You can’t control how your tenants behave but you do have a duty of care to the university and the local community.

If you don’t try and improve anti-social behaviour, then it won’t be long until you build up a bad reputation, which could impact your property business.

Try doing the following to reduce complaints of anti-social behaviour:

– Purchase student houses in heavily populated student areas. If you buy a property surrounded by residential properties, there is more chance of a complaint.

– Talk to your tenants the day they move in about the importance of respecting the community and their behaviour, particularly keeping noise to a minimum at night time.

– Have an anti-social behaviour clause in your tenancy agreement. They could be in breach of their tenancy agreement if they do not appropriately conduct themselves.

– Deal with complaints from neighbours in a professional and timely manner and follow up with the students.

– Install a noise monitoring device, such as a Minut, to try and regulate parties. You need to inform your students when they move in that it is installed and it only records noise levels, not conversations. You can’t stop your tenants from having fun or having parties but if a party was still going on at 3 am, you would receive a notification. You could then talk to the tenants about ending the parties earlier and keeping the noise down after 111pm. The device sends the data straight to your phone which you can keep as evidence if your tenants don’t accept that they have been loud.

Student Neighbours Not Disposing Of Rubbish

It’s quite common in student areas to see old bin bags left in the front garden after being ripped open by animals. This is not only unsightly but can attract rodents and also smell, especially in summer when it is hot.

As the university is usually the first time the students have lived on their own, they may not be in the habit of putting the bins out or may miss the bin lorry if they tend to get up later in the day. It only takes a few weeks of missing the bins for bags to start piling up.

The students must remove their waste and it might be worth reminding them of this. If strong smells are coming from a build-up of rubbish this could be deemed a ‘statutory nuisance’ under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the council will have to take action to get rid of the smell.

If there is a rodent problem due to the rubbish, your council will also have an obligation to resolve the problem.

Talk to the students first, if this doesn’t help then contact the landlord and or council to try and improve the issue.

If your problem is that students are putting rubbish in your bin, I have an article you can read here, explaining how to deal with this.

Overgrown Gardens, Bushes, and Hedges

Now I don’t like to assume or generalise, but it is most likely that students haven’t had the responsibility of looking after a garden before. It will be the student’s responsibility to maintain the garden and there will be a clause in their tenancy agreement covering this. Some student landlords will send in gardeners to ensure it doesn’t get out of hand but this is quite uncommon.

If students are left to their own devices then it is highly likely that the garden will not be maintained and grass, hedges, bushes, etc will overgrow and can become an eyesore.

You should first talk to the students to see if this can be resolved mutually and if not, then contact the managing agent or landlord. If for example, weeds are encroaching on your property then you can contact your local authority’s Environmental Health Department.

Poor Property Maintenance

If you drive down a street that is heavily occupied by students, you may notice that a lot of the properties are not well maintained.

This could be due to various factors but is mostly down to the fact that students are not as ‘fussy’ as professional tenants. The landlords could also live overseas so are not even aware of what state their property is in. However, the student market is changing and students are expecting higher standards. Councils are trying to tackle this problem, and HMO licensing should improve this in the coming years, as property standards will be regulated.

If you have real concerns regarding a property, then you could bring it to the council’s attention.

HMO Regulations for shared houses

In the UK, if the landlord wants to rent a property out to more than three people, then they would need an HMO license.

The HMO regulations vary depending on each council, but generally, if there are three more people in the house then the property has to be regulated. The HMO licensing is in place to ensure that the landlord and the property meet certain criteria, such as a minimum room size, the facilities offered, safe electrical systems, and correct fire regulations.

Depending on where your property is located, landlords may need to apply for full planning permission to convert the property into a HMO. If you believe that your neighbour is running an illegal HMO, then you can contact the council to check they have the appropriate planning permission.

If the landlord has purchased the property and you have received notice of the planning application, then you do have the right to object to this. It should be noted that not all student properties will need planning permission, (even if it is classified as a HMO) as in some areas you can develop the property under the Permitted Development Rules.

How to get Landlords Contact Details

If you have tried talking to the students about an issue which is unresolved, your next step will be to approach the managing agent or landlord. If you don’t have the contact details, then you can use the Land Registry and or HMO register to try and find the owner of a property.

I would recommend asking the students for the contact details of who manages the property first, but if there is an ongoing dispute, they may refuse to give these to you.

Finding a landlord/owner of a property is not that straight forward but I have prepared a full separate article you can read here.

Tips for students on how to reduce your chance of a noise complaint

If you are a student reading this and have had a noise complaint by a neighbour, try the following to resolve the issue.

• Warn your neighbour if you are having a party and let them know what time it will finish.
• Give your neighbour your mobile number, so they can contact you if there is a problem.
• If you want to listen to music, TV, or play game consoles, either keep the volume down or better still, wear earphones.
• Turn down the bass on your speakers.
• If possible, put your TVs and speakers on walls that don’t adjoin the neighbouring property.
• When you are leaving or returning to the house at night, keep your voice down, and avoid singing or chanting in the street.
• Move inside after 11 pm from the garden, as sound travels more easily outside and you will most likely be keeping someone up if you are chatting in the garden after a few drinks.
• Don’t keep taxis waiting in the street, as their lights and engine could disturb the neighbours.

You should note that a conviction for anti-social behaviour is a criminal offence, and when you are applying for jobs, you will have to declare this on your applications. This could dampen your career before it has even started.

Remember that you may live next door to children, older people or individuals who have to get up for their 9-5 job. Try and be respectful, while enjoying yourself.

Conclusion

If you have just found out a property investor has purchased next door and is turning it into a student property, don’t panic. Students can make very good tenants and neighbours. Like any neighbour dispute, communication is key and most students will want to keep you happy.