# Noisy Neighbours



## Jen000 (11 Jun 2007)

Can anyone please advise...? I'm renting a place alone at present, I've a very demanding job, but unfortunately cannot sleep as I have, I don't know how many foreign nationals living beside me, they continue to blast music every night, now seem to be getting a kick out of it because I've asked on a few occasions to lower the noise. I've rang the garadi, promised they'd send someone out twice, but never did. Anyone know where to go from here...


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## Brooklyn (11 Jun 2007)

Have you tried contacting the landlord?


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## CCOVICH (11 Jun 2007)

There are a number of previous threads on the issue-use the search facility.


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## Olly64 (11 Jun 2007)

there was something on gerry ryan about this a while ago, it seems that this is a thing with eastern euopeans, or another thing is having the car stereo on with the doors open and they are in the house, i dont think much can be done, i think what was said that its more a council issue than the guards, the guards can ask to turn it down but i think they cant do anything further, maybe if you try your local council or local authority


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## Swallows (11 Jun 2007)

Jenn,

 move out and go somewhere where you will get some peace. The racket is unlikely to stop and anyway you will only continue to stress yourself. Tell the landlord why you are moving.


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## TDON (12 Jun 2007)

Swallows said:


> Jenn,
> 
> move out and go somewhere where you will get some peace. The racket is unlikely to stop and anyway you will only continue to stress yourself. Tell the landlord why you are moving.


 

I agree. You will never win this one. As someone else said the Gardai can ask them to stop but really haven't much more they can do about it. That is unless you want to have them arrested for breach of the peace, for you not being able to enjoy the comfort of your own home. There are a lot of technicalities about the law in this and it would end up that you'd have to hire a solicitor to represent you. So the question is, do you need the hassle of this and in the meantime, you'll still be living beside them. You've learnt for the next time you move how well you must survey your prospective new environment.

Also, I don't know what type of noise it is but I know someone that was living next door to a rented accomodation. Hers was her own with a mortgage and when new tenants moved in they used the house as a place of worship. There were cars parked everywhere askew, gospel singing on speakers, chanting & roaring & shouting. She was able to get it stopped because they were using the place basically as a business and didn't have planning permission. But she had to go to the county council as the landlord wouldn't do a thing.


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## ragazza (12 Jun 2007)

Hi Jen,

I feel your pain, since I have a pack of noisy Ecuadoreans living in the apartment below me.

Moving out probably is your best bet, but before taking that step :
 - get the contact details of the landlord of your neighbours' house.
 - write them a letter detailing all the disturbance the neighbours make, and ask the landlord to speak with them, asking them to tone it down. Phone the landlord if possible to explain the situation, and see what they are prepared to do.
 - talk to your landlord, and explain that you'll have to move out if the noise doesnt abate, and ask your landlord to also speak to the other landlord. 

Its ridiculous that in Ireland there is no official way to deal with people like this. I live in Spain, where after putting up with the noise for 4 months, and repeatedly asking them to turn down their music, I called the community police. (There's even a special phone number to ring for cases like this). The police arrived 1/2 hour later, checked the papers of all the people living below, and warned them they were disturbing the peace and were in danger of being arrested. Since then I've barely heard a peep from my neighbours.

Best of luck, but if it doesnt work, just move out. The sleepless nights and stress just arent worth it.


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## ClubMan (12 Jun 2007)

ragazza said:


> Its ridiculous that in Ireland there is no official way to deal with people like this.


What about...

[broken link removed]


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## TreeTiger (12 Jun 2007)

Having a bunch of noisy Polish neighbours renting a few doors away, I feel your pain. By the way I have nothing against Eastern Europeans, but don't want to spend my summer listening to their choice of music even when I'm indoors with the windows closed.  The police have come around a couple of times when they've been phoned at 1am, but this is a 24/7 nuisance.

I've come up with this http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/NoisePollution/ on the Dept. of Environment website, some of which says

*Noise Pollution - Neighbourhood/Domestic*
Noise nuisance caused by neighbours makes up the vast majority of noise complaints in Ireland. Once again, the source of a neighbourhood noise complaint most often dictates the way it should be addressed, depending on whether the individual causing the noise nuisance is a private rented tenant, a local authority tenant or a private home-owner.

*Private Rented Tenants:*
In the case of noise nuisance being caused by individuals in private rented accommodation, the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 imposes minimum statutory obligations on landlords and tenants of private residential tenancies. Tenant obligations under the Act include an obligation not to engage, or allow visitors to engage, in anti-social behaviour which is defined as including persistent noise that interferes with the peaceful occupation of other dwellings in the neighbourhood. The Act also imposes an obligation on landlords to enforce the tenant obligations. 

There is provision in the Act for third parties who are adversely affected by a failure on the part of a landlord to enforce tenant obligations to refer a complaint to the Private Residential Tenancies Board in accordance with the procedures in the Act. If an alternative legal remedy, such as the remedy provided for under the Noise Regulations (see below) is being pursued then the PRTB cannot intervene.
Since December 2004 all privately-rented properties must be registered with the PRTB. You can check if a property is registered by contacting the PRTB."

The Private Residential Tenancies Board has a website: www.prtb.ie and they can be contacted at 01-888 2960 from 10am - 1pm and 2pm - 4pm weekdays.


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## dubgirl (12 Jun 2007)

Hi Jen,

I feel really bad for you. I've had the same problem before and its unbelievable how much it can stress you out.

If you don't want to move out you can try to find out who their landlord is and state your case to him (or maybe even get your own landlord to talk to him). When I had the same problem I emailed the PRTB asking for the landlord's contact details (they will have this information if the landlord is registered with them.) They told me that although this information is protected under tha data protection act, they will sometimes grant it in cases of antisocial behaviour
You have to request the information in writing from them and also state the reason you require it. The address is  Mr. Andrew Bogie, PRTB, Canal
House, Canal Road, Dublin 6. 
 
If this doesn't work I think the next step would be to take them to the district court but this would probably take some time and a lot of effort. 

Personally, I think the best thing you can do is speak to your own landlord and explain the problem to him. Ask if he can suggest a way to resolve the problem and if he can't then just give him your notice and move out. Seriously I know how much stress this type of thing can be and it just aint worth it.

Good Luck  
Dubgirl


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