The most noisy neighbours in the UK revealed by Compare my move

When you're choosing somewhere to live you might be focused on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. However, spare a thought for noisy neighbours.

Noisy neighbours can make or break a home. A house can have a gorgeous living room and master bedroom, but if all you can hear is your neighbours thudding music it is less than Ideal.

Noisy neighbours

If you are currently on the hunt for a new home, Compare My Move has done the leg work to help you avoid the UK's noisiest neighbours. A Freedom of Information request was sent to some of the country's major towns and cities councils to find where the most complaints were lodged.

house with brick walls white doors and sliding white windows

Leeds was revealed as home to the noisiest neighbours in the UK. The northern city received a total of 27,316 noise complaints between 2016 and 2019.

Glasgow had the second-highest number of complaints at 20,521 over the same three years. Belfast was close behind Glasgow as the third noisiest city in the UK with 20,261 noise complaints received by the council.

room entrance with wooden door and bright white walls

Smaller towns and cities made up the list of the top 10 quietest neighbours in the UK. Reading topped the list as the quietest city with the council only reporting 1,549 noise complaints between 2016 and 2019.

Wolverhampton slid into second place by a whisper with a total of 1,694 noise complaints over the next three years. Northampton was found to have the third quietest neighbours with 2,289 noise complaints during the same period.

'There are many things to consider when moving house. Most of us usually look for an area that has strong career opportunities, good schools and hospitals nearby as well as the other every day necessities. But there’s no doubt that we underestimate how important it is to take the time to think about who’s going to be our new neighbours!' says Jyles Kerr-Smith from Compare My Move.

'Our research into the noise complaints across Britain will hopefully offer a closer look at the area you’re planning your house move in,' Jyles adds.

Is your city home to the noisiest neighbours in the UK?

Rebecca Knight has been the Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2025; previously, she was the Deputy Digital Editor from 2022. She has a Master's degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London and has been writing about homes and interiors for 7 years. Her expertise lies in DIY projects, home decor trends and spotting the latest high street homeware buys that are about to go viral. She bought her first home in London last year and is currently renovating it (on a budget).