UK noise complaints › Barnet

How to make a noise complaint in Barnet

Report noise to Barnet Council online, or call 020 8359 7995, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its out-of-hours number, 020 8359 4605, is listed for Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Barnet Homes residents should contact Barnet Homes first. Antisocial behaviour goes to the Metropolitan Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

Last updated: November 8, 2026

How to report noise to Barnet Council

Reporting routes, from the council's own page (last updated 7 July 2026)
Route	Details
Online	"Report a noise nuisance online": your name, address and phone number, a description of the noise and the address it comes from
Phone	020 8359 7995, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Out of hours	020 8359 4605, "available on Saturday from 12pm to 8pm"
Barnet Homes tenants and leaseholders	Barnet Homes first: talktous@barnethomes.org or 020 8080 6587, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays
Antisocial behaviour or domestic abuse	The Metropolitan Police online or on 101; 999 in an emergency

Sources: report a noise problem, read live, with its online form; Barnet Homes; the Met. The council will not share your details "with the person making the noise".

What Barnet can and cannot investigate

The council investigates noise that could be a statutory nuisance, "loud or frequent enough to affect your enjoyment of your home", and notes that "music that is fine during the day could be a nuisance at night if it stops someone sleeping." It lists "building work (from construction sites and home improvements)", "loud music or TV", "dogs barking loudly late at night", alarms "ringing for no reason or not being dealt with", and regular deliveries or collections at private premises "between 11pm to 6am".

It cannot investigate household noises such as "washing machines, vacuum cleaners, or kitchen appliances", "slamming doors or cupboards, or moving furniture", "children playing (including in playgrounds)" and "crying babies", or street noises such as sirens, roadworks and "moving traffic (we can investigate commercial deliveries)".

Before and after you complain

"Sometimes people don't realise they are causing a noise problem. Many issues can be resolved by speaking to the person directly." If it happens often, keep a record of when the noise occurs and how it affects you, on the council's noise log sheet. Afterwards, "We usually try to speak to the person causing the problem, either in person or by letter. Most of the time, this works, and the problem stops," and "In most cases, one of our noise officers will call or email you". If it goes on, the council follows the statutory nuisance process set out in the government's guidance.

Barnet Homes residents

Barnet Homes investigates noise caused by its own tenants and leaseholders: "loud music, noise from parties, dogs barking, noises caused by laminate flooring and incidents of screaming and shouting". It will ask you to complete a diary sheet, works with the council on a statutory noise nuisance, and "will not investigate one off incidents or reports of noise from children playing during the hours of 8am to 11pm." For building hours in nearby boroughs, see builders' working hours.

The law behind a noise complaint in Barnet

Noise from homes is a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which the council must investigate at any hour; there is no daytime decibel limit. From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the Noise Act 1996 also lets it act on noise above 34 dBA measured inside your home. The UK guide to reporting noisy neighbours covers the steps, notices and fines, and UK noise laws the hours; for particular noise see barking dogs, loud music and builders' hours. A reading from the free online decibel meter can sit beside each entry in your diary; the council measures with its own equipment.

Sources

Barnet Council: report a noise problem (last updated 7 July 2026), read live in a browser on 2026-11-08, with its online form and noise log sheet; Barnet Homes, antisocial activity; GOV.UK, statutory nuisances: how councils deal with complaints. All read 2026-11-08. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice; the legislation and Barnet Council's decisions control.

Who do I call about noise at night in Barnet?

Barnet's out-of-hours noise number, 020 8359 4605, is listed only for Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. At other times report it online or on 020 8359 7995 in office hours, and call the Metropolitan Police on 101 for antisocial behaviour, or 999 in an emergency.

I rent from Barnet Homes. Who do I tell about a noisy neighbour?

Barnet Homes first, at talktous@barnethomes.org or 020 8080 6587 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays), if the neighbour is a Barnet Homes tenant or leaseholder. It will ask you to fill in a diary sheet.

What noise will Barnet Council not investigate?

Everyday household noise such as appliances, doors, moving furniture, children playing and crying babies, and street noise such as sirens, roadworks and moving traffic. Antisocial behaviour and domestic abuse go to the police.

UK noise guides and other councils

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