This section gives some information about dealing with excessive noise from neighbours. If it doesn’t answer your specific question or you want to talk about your situation, call Galop in confidence on 020 7704 2040. We all deserve a reasonable amount of peace and quiet at home. We also have the freedom to do what [...]
Archive | 2013
Is the noise excessive?
Poor sound insulation is a problem in many homes. It often means you can hear domestic noise from your neighbour such as footsteps, talking, dropping objects or children playing.
1) Approach your neighbour
First of all, try talking with your neighbour about the problem in a friendly way. Fear of homophobic or transphobic attitudes can make that tricky but it may be worth doing.
2) Get mediation
If talking to your neighbour directly doesn’t work, it’s worth considering mediation. That involves a neutral person helping you both talk to each other in a non-confrontational way and negotiating an agreement about behaving respectfully towards each other.
3) Talk to their landlord
If your neighbour rents their home they probably signed a tenancy agreement which says that they shouldn’t cause a nuisance to their neighbours. That might include excessive or late night noise.
4) Tell the environmental health department
Another option is to talk to the environmental health department in your local Council. They have a duty to deal with certain types of noise.
5) Taking legal action
If you’ve exhausted all other avenues, you can take legal action against your neighbour using section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Help from the Council with abuse
If you’re facing abuse from your neighbour and you own or rent your home from a private landlord, the anti-social behaviour team in your local Council may be able to help.
Involving the police
The police can deal with harassment, verbal abuse, assault, abusive signs or damage to your property. They cannot normally deal with noise problems, even if you feel the noise is being created to target you.
Looking after yourself
Stress and lack of sleep can quickly wear you down and spill into other parts of your life. It’s important not to suffer alone
Taking Your Own Legal Action
Section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 lets people take their own legal action in a Magistrates Court if they’re experiencing noise problems.
Raise money for Galop with Waitrose!
During the whole of April you can help us raise money by shopping in the Highbury Corner Waitrose store, close to Highbury & Islington underground station.
Operation Nutmeg
We’ve been approached by a number of men who have been asked by the police asking for a DNA sample, under Operation Nutmeg. Has this happened to you? We’ve helped numerous men to refuse to give their DNA, so we may be able to help you.
Trans Privacy Not Jail
We’re shocked and upset to hear about a young trans man who now has the label of sex offender because he didn’t disclose his gender history. If you are too, please sign the Scottish Transgender Alliance e-petition
Vote for Galop!
We’ve been nominated for Charity or Community Organisation of the year in the 2013 G3 Readers Awards. Please vote for us here: http://www.outg3awards.co.uk/g3-voting-form.html! The Awards take place on 27 April so you’ve only got a short while left to get voting!
Disregarding Offences
We’re delighted that The Campaign For Homosexual Equality have supported Galop financially to help us produce our new resource assisting gay and bi men to delete cautions and convictions for consensual sexual offences.
Galop’s Great Triple Dip Quiz
Last year Galop’s sell-out fundraiser quiz was Austerity-Busting. This year we’re going for the Triple Dip! Join us on Thursday 28 February
January Newsletter
A roundup of all the latest news on what we’ve been up to and and what’s happening.
Call for Bisexual Research Participants
A research project at the University of Surrey is looking to recruit bisexual participants for a research project that looks into intimate partner violence in bisexual relationships in the UK.
Introduction
On 1 October 2012, the Home Office introduced guidance which allows people in England and Wales with some historical convictions and cautions for consensual gay sex to apply to have those offences removed from their records. This section explains the recent changes in the law and how to make an application. Compiled with Bindmans Solicitors.
Background on offences for consensual gay sex
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 decriminalised consensual sex between men, abolishing the offences of buggery and gross indecency.
The New Legislation
The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (‘the Act’) introduced a new right for men with historic convictions and cautions on their records to apply to the to have them ‘disregarded’.
What if the offence took place in a public toilet?
A sizable number of convictions for gross indecency were for sexual acts in public toilets. Currently, the Government is unwilling to disregard these convictions on the basis that it is still illegal for anyone to have sex in a public toilet
Do I need to apply to have a previous conviction disregarded?
Convictions will not be disregarded automatically, so if you want your conviction or caution to be disregarded, then you will have to apply to the Home Office.
Transphobic Article In The Observer
We’ve been considering the recent Julie Burchill article in The Observer with an overwhelming sense of sadness and anger. You can read our official response here.
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