What you can do
It is important to accept and understand that people are entitled to lead different lifestyles.
Many neighbour disputes and complaints are misunderstandings or one-off events, which can be easily resolved by just speaking to each other.
If you have a dispute with your neighbour, before making a formal complaint, we encourage you to try to discuss the problem with them if you feel comfortable/safe to do so.
If you’re worried about speaking to them, you could consider writing them a letter, explaining the problem clearly and sticking to the facts.
If you decide to talk to/write to your neighbour about a problem, it may help to consider the following:
- explain clearly what the problem is and how it is affecting you and your family
- stay calm and be as polite as possible
- don’t use abusive language
- be open to suggestions for resolving the problem and come to an agreement to suit all of you
- leave the situation if it becomes too heated.
If the problem affects other neighbours, why not involve them as well. It can be easier to settle a dispute if the complaint comes from a number of people.
If your neighbour is a social housing tenant, you could also contact their housing association:
- Sanctuary Housing or call 0800 131 3348
- Bromford Living or call 0330 1234 034
- Midland Heart or call 0345 60 20 540
- Walsall Housing Group or call 0300 555 6666
- Platform Housing or call 0333 200 7304
If you have tried to speak/contact your neighbour to tell them about the issue, or do not feel comfortable/safe doing so, you can report the issue to us: