Noise Rules for Shared Housing and HMOs in Wales

If you’re living in shared housing or a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in Wales, it’s important to know the rules around noise. Understanding your rights and responsibilities can help you maintain a peaceful home, address issues quickly, and avoid trouble with your landlord or housemates. Below, we explain Wales’s legal noise rules, what you can do when noise becomes a problem, and how official bodies can help.

What Counts as Unreasonable Noise?

Not all noise is illegal. Noise only becomes a problem when it’s considered a “statutory nuisance,” which is noise that unreasonably and substantially interferes with your use or enjoyment of your home, or could harm your health.

Examples of Noise Nuisance

• Loud music or television, especially late at night
• Barking dogs
• Frequent parties or shouting
• Loud DIY or building works during night hours

Most councils in Wales measure ‘night hours’ as 11pm–7am. However, loud noise outside these times can also be classed as a nuisance if it happens often or lasts a long time.

Your Legal Rights as a Renter in Wales

Welsh tenants are protected by specific legislation covering rented accommodation. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and general environmental health laws set out the key protections tenants have regarding noise and nuisance.¹

• You have the right to enjoy your home without unreasonable disturbance
• Landlords and other tenants must not directly or indirectly harass or disturb you
• Everyone in the property must avoid creating a statutory noise nuisance

Your landlord should provide contact details for reporting urgent noise issues. In HMOs, there are extra management rules placing a duty on landlords to address anti-social behaviour, including noise, under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Wales) Regulations 2006.²

What to Do if You’re Affected by Noise

If you’re dealing with noisy housemates, visitors, or neighbours, you have several options to resolve the issue:

• Speak calmly with the person responsible if you feel comfortable
• Keep a written diary of noise incidents, with times and dates
• Contact your landlord or letting agent about the problem, especially for ongoing or severe issues
• If the issue continues, you can contact your local council’s environmental health team – most offer an online reporting form for noise complaints. Visit your council’s website for details.

For persistent noise problems in HMOs, your landlord can face fines or enforcement action if they fail to respond once made aware.

Making a Formal Noise Complaint

If informal steps do not resolve the issue, you can make a formal complaint to the council. The procedure is:

• Submit a complaint via your local council’s environmental health department (often an online or paper form)
• The council may ask you to keep a diary or may install a noise monitoring device
• If the council agrees there’s a statutory nuisance, it can serve an ‘abatement notice’ requiring the noise to stop

To find and use your local council’s complaint forms, use the official Report noise pollution to your council tool provided by the UK government.

Statutory Nuisance Application (Form N161)

If the council does not act, you can apply to the Magistrates’ Court yourself using the Application for an order to abate statutory nuisance (Form N161). This form is used when asking the court to require that noise stops. For example, if repeated complaints to the council and landlord have not solved late-night party noise, you might use this process. Download Form N161 and instructions from the UK government website.

What Is the Tribunal for Housing Disputes in Wales?

For most disputes about tenancies, you can contact the Residential Property Tribunal Wales, which covers appeals and disputes under housing law in Wales. However, noise issues are usually addressed through your council’s environmental health or, in serious cases, the courts.

Action Steps: Resolving a Noise Issue in Shared Housing

• First, talk to your housemates if you feel safe doing so
• Notify your landlord in writing if the issue continues
• Report persistent problems to your local council (report noise pollution)
• If unresolved, use Form N161 to seek a court order
• You can seek advice from Shelter Cymru or Citizens Advice

Following these steps helps ensure that you act within Welsh law and protect your rights.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What can I do if my housemate is always making noise at night?
   First, try talking calmly with your housemate. If this doesn't help, inform your landlord or letting agent and keep a record of incidents. Report ongoing problems to your local council’s environmental health team using their online complaint form.
2. Do HMO landlords in Wales have extra responsibilities about noise?
   Yes. HMO landlords have a duty to manage the property and respond to anti-social behaviour, including noise, under specific HMO management regulations.
3. Can I be evicted for making too much noise?
   Repeated noise complaints can lead to warnings or possible eviction if you breach your tenancy agreement or cause a statutory nuisance.
4. What if the council doesn’t act on my noise complaint?
   If your council does not address the problem, you can apply directly to the Magistrates’ Court for an abatement order using Form N161.
5. What law protects Welsh renters from noise issues?
   The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and local environmental health legislation provide protections for renters regarding noise nuisance.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways

• Welsh renters have rights to enjoy their home free from excessive noise.
• Start with informal resolution, then escalate through your landlord and local council if needed.
• Use official complaint processes and keep good records to protect your tenancy.

Understanding the rules and following the right steps can help you resolve noise issues more effectively.

Need Help? Resources for Renters

• Report noise pollution to your council – Find the correct council team for your area
• Shelter Cymru – Advice for renters
• Citizens Advice Wales
• Residential Property Tribunal Wales – For housing disputes and appeals
• Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 – Full legal text

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1. Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016
2. Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Wales) Regulations 2006

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