Trialling a new noise app to record noise nuisance
01 June 2022
Excessive noise can be a form of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and one that can be hard to evidence. We've been looking at how we can improve how residents provide evidence of noise nuisance that we can use in our investigations. We're in the final stages of testing a noise recording app called The Noise App, that will allow you to record and report noise you may be experiencing in your home. The app is secure, and you don’t have to leave your home to record any noise disturbances.
The Noise App is free to use and will let you record audio for up to 30 seconds on your smartphone. You will then be able send the recordings directly to our Neighbourhood teams so we can assess any reasonable steps available for us to take.
Why are we considering a noise recording app?
A noise recording app can be used to record noise nuisance every time there is a problem. It means that you will be able to record problems as they happen instead of using diary log sheets. This will help us to tackle the issue, particularly if we need evidence to go to court. It will also be very useful to help us show neighbours how they are inconveniencing people, which is normally all we need to do to address the problem. By having a secure system where we will be able to listen to your noise nuisance recordings and review your comments, all your evidence will be kept in one place and you won't need to worry about putting everything into an email to us with attachments.
Who can use the app?
If our trial and test of The Noise App is successful, we will make it available for residents with a current ‘open’ case of noise nuisance that has already been reported to us. You will therefore need to make an initial report before we will review or accept recordings made via The Noise App.
Reporting antisocial behaviour
If you need to report an instance of anti-social behaviour, like noise nuisance, it’s important that you provide us with as much information as possible so we can prove that there has been a breach of tenancy agreement or a general disturbance to the community. Each case is reviewed and advice and feedback will be provided. Enforcement action may not always be appropriate.
Until we have an approved noise recording app in place, please continue to report the noise nuisance with us in the usual way and record excessive noise instances on a diary log sheet. Check out our ASB toolkit to find out more information about reporting ASB and tackling noise nuisance.
