Problems with your neighbour
How you should deal with problems with your neighbour and who you report it to depends on what the problem is.
Whatever the problem, we advise trying to deal with it privately in the first instance and then through mediation.
1. Talk to your neighbour
The quickest way to address any issues is to speak to the neighbour yourself before you involve anyone else.
You can write them a letter if you don't feel comfortable speaking to them in person. If the problem affects other people, you can involve them too.
2. Check if your neighbour has a landlord
If your neighbour is a tenant, they will have either a private landlord or housing association that owns the property. Try to get in contact with them to see if they can help you to resolve any issues.
3. Use a mediation service
Mediation is a service that helps people to discuss and resolve their issues privately. Its us usually quicker and cheaper than going to court.
Alternatives to Conflict is the independent mediation service for Buckinghamshire residents.
4. Report the issue
If you have tried resolving the issue privately and through mediation, you can report it to the correct authority.
Who you report it to depends on the issue.
If anti-social behaviour is happening now, you should call the police on:
- 999 if someone is in immediate danger or there is a situation that could become violent
- 101 if it is not an emergency
If the situation is not an emergency, you can also report anti-social behaviour to Thames Valley Police online.
Anti-social behaviour is defined as:
Behaviour that is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people not in the same household.
Anti-social behaviour can affect one person or groups of people. It can also include:
- fear of crime
- concern for public safety
- public disorder
- public nuisance
Report anti-social behaviour to our Community Safety Team at the council.
Check where the boundary is
You can check the property boundary in the legal documents you got when you bought your home.
This will help you find out who owns a wall or fence and whose responsibility it is to maintain.
If you don't have them, you can buy the legal documents from the Land Registry. You can also buy the documents for your neighbours property too.
If you disagree with your neighbour about where the boundary is, RICS can help with boundary disputes.
If the wall or fence is safe and there’s nothing about repairing it in your legal documents, it’s up to you whether you do what your neighbour’s asking.
Working on a wall on the property boundary
If you or your neighbour want to do work on a wall that is on the property boundary, you should check if it's a party wall on GOV.UK.
Work could include building a new wall, cutting into a wall or knocking down and rebuilding a wall.
If it is a party wall, there is a set process on how you should give notice to the neighbour and agree the work.
Planning permission
If your neighbour is planning building works to their home, they may have applied for planning permission for it. If you disagree with it (for example because it would cause a loss of light into your property or would overlook your property), you can comment or object to the application online.
If you don't think they've applied for planning permission but should have or have altered what was permitted in their application, you can report a planning breach to our Planning Team.
Dangerous structures
If your neighbours property could be dangerous to the public and they are refusing to fix it, you can report a potentially dangerous building or structure to our Building Control Team.
High hedges
To be considered an issue under 'High Hedges' legislation, a high hedge must be:
- a line of at least 2 trees
- over 2 metres in height
- mainly evergreen or semi evergreen
- affecting the reasonable enjoyment of your property
Find out about the process to follow and report a high hedge to our Planning Team.
Trees
The following issues are dealt with by our Environmental Health Team at the council:
- noisy neighbours (including loud music, barking dogs or construction work)
- smoke from neighbouring properties (including bonfires)
- dust
- smells from neighbouring properties (for example due to a build up or waste or lack of maintenance)
You will have to keep a diary of the ongoing issues before you make a report.
Check who owns a parking space
Check the legal documents you got when you bought your home to find out who owns a parking space.
If you don't have them, you can buy the legal documents from the Land Registry. You can also buy the documents for your neighbours property too.
Report parking problems
You can report a parking problem to us online.
If someone is blocking your car in you can report this to the police by calling 101 to request it's removed.
Potential solutions to parking problems
For more long-term solutions, you could also: