Is a neighbour’s noisy building work destroying your peace and quiet? Here’s what to do next

To appease frustrated neighbours fed up with years of disruptive construction work at his Californian homes, tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s handed out noise-cancelling earphones to make amends.

Whether this tactic was successful or not there’s no doubt that the noise, dust and inconvenience caused by a neighbour’s building work can bring misery, stress and disruption to those living nearby.

Extensive periods of construction can be especially invasive and stressful if you do shift work, and need to sleep during the day, or work from home.

As one Clifton, Bristol resident said recently: “It’s not huge projects but locals maintaining their listed properties and trying to modernise as much as they can inside without breaking restrictions. We’ve had two flats either side of us constantly drilling to the point where our entire flat shakes and we can’t do any work from home or meetings.”

What rights do you have if a neighbour is carrying out noisy building work?

As a homeowner in the UK, you have the right to the peaceful enjoyment of your home.

Unreasonable or excessive construction noise from neighbouring properties may constitute a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or a private nuisance under common law.

When it comes to building or renovations, the Control of Pollution Act 1974 allows councils to outline restrictions on when noisy construction work can take place.

In most cases, this means any potentially intrusive building work can only take place between 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, 8am to 1pm on Saturdays and not at all on Sundays or bank holidays, unless it’s an emergency.

But this is a code, rather than the law, and not always easy to enforce.

How should you try to resolve problems over a neighbour’s noisy building work?

It is recommended that you first try to resolve any problems by talking the issue through with your neighbour, or by using mediation.

However, your local council has a duty to investigate noise from a building project if it is deemed to be damaging to health or a nuisance, known as a statutory nuisance.

If the council decides someone is causing a statutory noise nuisance they must issue a 'noise abatement' order. This tells the person what they must do to stop making a noise nuisance or else face further legal action.

If someone breaks an abatement order about noise from their home, they can be fined up to £5,000.

Otherwise, the only way forward is to look at the remedy for private nuisance and apply for an injunction to stop that nuisance and prevent it from reoccurring.

Why is expert legal advice so important?

If issues with your neighbour’s building works continue, despite your best efforts to sort out the problems, a specialist solicitor can help you understand your rights and work out the best way forward.

This may be through enforcing your rights through civil court proceedings.

Why choose Wards?

Wards Solicitors wins high praise in the 2026 edition of the independent Legal 500 guide of outstanding legal professionals for its exceptional professional service standards and high levels of technical expertise.

Our specialist dispute resolution lawyers have years of experience in all types of property dispute.

We're known and respected for our straightforward, pragmatic approach and will talk you through all your options, working with you to find a practical and cost-effective solution.

For further help, please contact Wards Solicitors' building disputes specialist James Murray