'Is there anything that goes against us and that might make us liable for the money?'07:41, 04 Jun 2026Neighbour’s landlord said he paid them £200 for noise in our building work - and wants us to pay himA row broke out over noisy building work - with a neighbour’s landlord demanding £200 - because he claims he was forced to pay his tenants the money. The relative took to a legal aid forum to ask for assistance and advice to see if they will have to pay the money.‌They said their family member has just bought a bungalow - and they’re renovating it. They said on Reddit: “The property is admittedly a building site at the moment as there are front and rear extensions are in. The property next door is a rental property. The landlord was fully aware of the scale of the building work and has seen the plans.‌"We don’t know if this was shared with the tenants. The foundations were also in place when the tenants came to view the property and so the scope of the building works shouldn’t have come as a surprise.‌The tenants have issued multiple noise complaints to the landlord for the building works, and these have been fed to my family member, who has explained that there isn’t a lot that can be done. They have agreed to pay to clean the windows and doors of the neighbour's property once the building work is done to help clear any dust. Important note - both bungalows are detached and not adjoined, though they share a garden fence which is partly down. They also have adjacent driveways that don’t have a boundary wall.”However, the row has escalated with new demands being made. The resident‘s relative said: “Tonight my family member received a message from the landlord saying he has agreed a £200 discount covering two months with the tenants to apologise for the noise complaints. He feels that, as a family member, he is in the wrong for causing the noise, and they should pay to cover his losses. He’s being quite belligerent.“Are we right in thinking he’s being unreasonable? Is there anything legally here that goes against us and that might make us liable for the money?”‌There was an immediate response from one user: “He’s being ridiculous. You don’t have to pay anything.”A helpful poster said: “It’s simple. Your relative responds stating that their building works are following all required council requirements, including the hours that noisy work can be carried out. No payment is due because your relative is doing nothing wrong.“While it is frustrating to have neighbours doing building work, if noisy work was not allowed at any time then no building work could ever take place. To balance the need for people to build with the need for quiet enjoyment, councils impose clear and strict hours when work needs to be done. Outside of those hours, environmental health will shut down any restricted work.‌“If the landlord doesn’t agree, they should speak to the local council about changing their regulations (they won’t).”One added: “As long as work has gone on during working hours and the site has followed all rules and regulations them there’s nothing to worry about. The neighbour can’t enforce there own noise complaint, that would be down to the local council.”The relative was pleased for the help, saying: “Thank you so much for the detailed response. It does put our minds at ease!”‌According to Country Construction the rules depends on many of the circumstances with rules in place which are followed across much of the country - although these can vary between areas. It warns: “In general, there isn’t one single nationwide rule that dictates when building work can begin each day.“Instead, it usually falls to local authorities (your local council) to set regulations under what’s known as the Control of Pollution Act 1974. This act gives councils the power to restrict noisy work at times when it’s likely to cause a nuisance to nearby residents.“While each local council may differ slightly in their specific guidelines, there are some fairly consistent norms across the UK. Most councils set permitted hours for construction noise to be from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. Sundays and Bank Holidays are generally off-limits for noisy work.‌“That said, the key word here is ‘noisy’. Quiet work that doesn’t involve loud tools or machinery may be tolerated outside of these hours, but this is at the discretion of your local council and sometimes the goodwill of your neighbours.”It added: “Although the 8am start time is the standard across much of the UK, it’s not legally binding everywhere in the exact same way. Local authorities have the freedom to establish their own permitted hours and enforcement measures.”This means you need to know your local rules. For example, Westminster City Council in London allows noisy construction from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. However it completely prohibits noisy work on Sundays and Bank Holidays.Article continues belowElsewhere Southwark Council operates an 8am-6pm Monday to Friday rule with Saturdays 9am-2pm. It also bans noisy work over Sundays or Bank Holidays.