What do I do if neighbour keeps arguing with me? Legal rights explained
Outdoors, A Neighbor’s Domestic Dispute Escalates To An Angry Argument. A Young Woman And Man Stand (Image: Getty Images)
Countless people across the UK find themselves dealing with troublesome neighbours on a daily basis. But what options do you have when the disruption escalates into relentless abuse?
That is precisely the predicament facing one woman who rang LBC’s Legal Hour seeking guidance on how to handle a neighbour who “shouts abuse” at her every time she walks past his home.
Sonya asked barrister Daniel Barnett about her legal rights, describing the ordeal as a “long-standing problem”.
She said: “We have lived here for decades but in the cul-de-sac which is just to the left of where we live there’s a neighbour who from within the cul-de-sac always shouts abuse at us when we walk past.
“We were just wondering whether there’s anything we can do to stop this from happening. We were considering you know calling the police but we just weren’t sure what you would advise.
Mature adult man (male age 40-50) looking through window suspicious of neighbour make secret phone call to government hotline (Image: Getty Images)
“One thing would be to ignore it but it’s been going on for decades and it seems to be a complete habit that this neighbour has to shout abuse.”
Daniel advised against contacting the police, given that the abuse is neither threatening nor violent. Having established that she did not feel comfortable approaching the neighbour directly, he strongly recommended reaching out to her local council as the first course of action before seeking legal representation.
He told the caller: “The next thing to do is to report this to your local council, because most councils have procedures to deal with anti-social behaviour and your local council will almost certainly be able to help.
An angry neighbor shouting, blaming, yelling at each other in their homes in village. People. Neighborhood argument (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“Because the abuse isn’t threatening or violent, the police aren’t going to be interested in this.
“I think your best bet, Sonya, is the local authority, they have people who are very good at dealing with this sort of thing.”
He also urged Sonya to check with her neighbours as to whether they had experienced similar problems with this individual. Daniel added that if they have, she would find herself in a “much stronger position” when approaching the local authority.
The barrister advised that legal action should only be pursued as a “last resort”, primarily due to the considerable expense and time involved.
He also urged Sonya to check with her neighbours as to whether they had experienced similar problems with this individual. Daniel added that if they have, she would find herself in a “much stronger position” when approaching the local authority.
The barrister advised that legal action should only be pursued as a “last resort”, primarily due to the considerable expense and time involved.
He said: “Your last resort is to take legal action and seek an injunction to stop the abusive behaviour. But that’s a real last resort. It’s very expensive and time consuming.
An angry neighbor shouting, blaming, yelling at each other in their homes in village. People. Neighborhood argument (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“Possibly he’s committing an offence under the Public Order Act 1986 although it needs to be quite bad for that to be the case.”
The Public Order Act 1986 is the primary legislation governing public orders, protests and civil disturbances in England and Wales.
Should Sonya’s neighbour be found to have breached the act, it would most likely fall under section five, which covers harassment, alarm or distress.
