We all want to ‘belong’ somewhere and feel we are part of something. Here at Unipol we understand how important it is to have a safe, comfortable home for our tenants. It is also important that others feel the same in their home. This month we want to focus on how to be a good neighbour and a responsible member of your local community.

Wherever you live, you will have neighbours, whether they be above/below you or on either side. When you arrive, a nice, and politic, gesture is to call at your neighbours and introduce yourself.  You might also want to think about providing a contact number for the house, just in case it does get a little rowdy. 

Noisy Neighbours

We understand that when students move into their accommodation, it is exciting, a little scary and very intense.  In the first few weeks the focus is on registration, meeting new people, making connections, starting friendships and having fun during Fresher’s week.

This is great!  We want everyone to be able to have the full student experience, which includes making friends and enjoying student life, which we know is likely to include an element of partying.  The trouble with parties is…NOISE and occasional Anti-Social Behaviour!

It is difficult when sharing with others to find the acceptable levels of noise for your accommodation, whether this be in halls or in dispersed housing.  Wherever your accommodation is, you are not living in isolation; you are part of a wider community and as such you have a social responsibility to abide by societal expectations and rules.  Sorry folks but those rules do apply to students!

UK legislation and guidelines regarding noise are very clear:

• Between the hours of 07:00 and 23:00 noise should be kept to a reasonable level and not impact on others. (If you have to shout to be heard, it is too loud!)

• Between the hours of 23:00 and 07:00, classed as ‘night hours’ there should be no noise heard from within the room it is made in. (Stand outside your door, if you can hear it, it’s too loud!)

Sustained noise nuisance is more than an annoyance; it can have a significant impact on mental and physical health and wellbeing, impact on sleep patterns and create anxiety, can have a detrimental effect on your ability to study and ultimately is likely to lead to confrontations.

There will be a time when you need peace and quiet to study and you will expect others to be respectful.  If you are respectful throughout the year, when you need peace and quiet, it is more likely people will be supportive.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB), is defined as:

‘behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person’. (Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003 & Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act 2011)

Large groups of intoxicated students partying in a street or across a number of properties can feel very intimidating and frightening for local residents and causes sufficient distress for it to be ASB. Other key issues are things such as blatant drug deals, vomiting and urinating in the street, bottles/glasses being smashed, shouting and swearing, fighting, and damage to property; all of these are common occurrences when parties get out of hand.

If you are planning a party for a special occasion, (pre’s and after drinks do not count as parties, but can be equally disruptive for others), there are a number of top tips to make it a success for you and your neighbours.

Top Tips on Being a Good Neighbour

• It is polite, and politic, to pop and let your neighbours know what is happening, when, what time it is likely to finish and the likely number of guests. If they are aware of it beforehand, and know how to contact you if it does get a bit rowdy, they are less likely to be angry.
• Stick to the agreed number of guests - don’t have open house as this is more likely to get out of control, especially if you don’t know half the people in your house.
• Do NOT put a general message on social media or WhatsApp about your party - this will likely attract gatecrashers and randomers and potentially could create a flashpoint for confrontations.
• Stick to the agreed start and end times - nobody wants to hear about your party at 06:00 as guests are leaving.
• Don’t allow guests to congregate/party outside the house - the party needs to stay inside. If people do go outside, they must be considerate and use ‘inside voices’ for outside.
• If asked to turn it down, be respectful and TURN IT DOWN! If you don’t the next person to ask may be the Anti-Social Behaviour Team or the police.
• If there is a mess around your property caused by your visitors, clean it up at the first opportunity. If there is damage to other property you need to take responsibility and speak to your neighbours. If you don’t it may be the Police speaking to you!

If you are being disturbed by neighbours you can contact Leeds CC Anti-Social Behaviour Team on the details below:

• For persistent noise nuisance call Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm - Tel – 0113 222 4402
• Out of Hours 7 days a week, 6pm – 3.30am – Tel – 0113 276 0337
• https://www.leeds.gov.uk/antisocial-behaviour-and-crime/making-a-noise-complaint
• https://www.unipolhousing.org.uk/unipol-tenants/living-in-the-property/u-experience/tenancy-support/tenancy-support-guide/
• https://www.unipol.org.uk/getattachment/Landlords/Help-and-advice-resources/Guides-to-Noise-Nuisance-and-the-PSPO/Tenant-s-Guide-to-Living-in-a-Residential-Area.pdf.aspx 

Remember as the Tenants, you are ultimately responsible for your behaviour and the behaviour of any visitors to your property.

Have a fun-packed, quiet(!), and respectful year.