A Westminster noise complaint about a party, pub or out-of-hours building work is reviewed within an hour, 24/7. Neighbour noise takes 4 working days.
A Westminster noise complaint goes to the council’s Noise Service, which runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. How fast someone looks at it depends on what the noise is. A party, a pub, a burglar alarm or building work at 10pm is reviewed within an hour. A barking dog or daytime building site noise, within one working day. A noisy neighbour’s television or a humming air-conditioning unit, within four working days.
This page sets out those tiers as the council publishes them, the building hours that apply across the city, what the council says it cannot investigate, and when a complaint belongs with the police or the licensing team instead.
How to report it
Reports go through the council’s online noise form. The council asks for three things:
- where you are when you hear the noise
- where the noise is coming from
- what it is, or what it sounds like
Give contact details if you can. You get a reference number by email to follow the case, and officers need to witness the noise to assess it, which may mean a pre-arranged visit to your home. You can ask not to be contacted, but the council warns this limits what it can do, and you will not get a reference number or updates.
How fast the council responds
These are Westminster’s own published review times, from its page on how to report a noise problem.
| Reviewed within | Type of noise |
|---|---|
| 1 hour, 24/7 | Party noise; bar, pub, club or other licensed premises; vehicle alarms; burglar or fire alarms; outdoor events; out-of-hours building, construction or DIY; out-of-hours street works |
| 1 working day | Daytime building site, construction or DIY; daytime street works; animal noise such as dog barking; shops, offices and other businesses |
| 4 working days | Neighbour and residential noise; ventilation and fixed plant; late-night deliveries to businesses; pedicabs and rickshaws; loudspeakers and street noise; Underground or train station noise |
“Reviewed” means an officer looks at the report in that time, not that the problem is fixed in it. The one-hour list is where the council expects an officer to be able to witness the noise while it is happening, so report those as they happen rather than the next morning.
Building work: the hours that apply
Westminster allows building work only between:
- 8am and 6pm on weekdays
- 8am and 1pm on Saturdays
No noisy work is allowed on Sundays or bank holidays without special permission. Demolition, excavation and piling are not allowed on Saturdays at all without special permission. Work outside those hours without permission is reported as out-of-hours construction noise, with the one-hour review, and the council can take formal action against the contractor.
Non-emergency street works follow the same weekday and Saturday hours where possible. Utility emergency work, such as a gas leak or burst main, can happen at any time and is not something the council investigates.
Larger sites also come under Westminster’s Code of Construction Practice, which was revised this year: the new version launched on 10 March 2026 and applies from 1 June 2026. It sorts projects into four levels. Schemes of 100 or more homes or 10,000 square metres are Level 1; 10 or more homes or 1,000 square metres are Level 2; any new or extended basement is Level 3, whatever its size; and everything else is Level 4, which is expected to follow the code’s principles but is not actively monitored. If a basement is being dug next door, it is a Level 3 project, which brings a formal approval process with the council, unlike a small Level 4 job; the code team is on cocp@westminster.gov.uk.
Alarms, parties and deliveries: the council’s own thresholds
The council publishes specific tests for several kinds of noise:
- Burglar and fire alarms: ringing for more than 20 minutes, on and off for more than an hour, or going off repeatedly without a clear reason. If the owner cannot be found, the council can get a warrant to enter and silence it and charge the owner. For fire alarms it gives 24 hours’ notice before entering.
- Car alarms: the same 20-minute and one-hour tests. As a last resort the council can enter the vehicle, inform the police and, if the car cannot be secured, tow it.
- Parties: the council treats a party as a problem if it runs after 11pm, is excessively loud, or happens often.
- Deliveries: noisy deliveries between 11pm and 7am, or delivery staff not taking reasonable steps to keep it down.
- Loudspeakers and pedicabs: loudspeakers are not allowed in the street between 9pm and 8am, and pedicabs may not run loudspeakers in that window either. Pedicab music that is excessively loud can be reported at any time.
What the council will not investigate
Westminster can only act on a statutory nuisance: noise that unreasonably and substantially interferes with the use or enjoyment of a home, or harms health. The government’s guidance on statutory nuisances explains the test. The council lists noise it will not take on, including:
- footsteps, doors closing, furniture being moved, children playing and babies crying
- talking or laughing in a home or garden, and reasonable use of household appliances and garden tools
- sirens, traffic and horns from moving vehicles, and essential roadworks
- emergency utility work, demonstrations, and seagulls
- aircraft and helicopters, which go to the Civil Aviation Authority, or the National Police Air Service for police helicopters
That list is why a complaint about a neighbour who simply walks heavily on a wooden floor in a converted mansion flat will not go far with the council. In a leasehold block, the lease and the managing agent are the better route, as some leases require floors to be carpeted.
When it is a police matter, or a licensing matter
Anti-social behaviour in public places is a police matter, not a council noise one. Call 999 if anyone is in danger or a crime is happening now, and 101 otherwise.
A pub, bar or club that is a recurring problem can go further than a noise complaint. Anyone affected by a licensed premises can apply for a review of its premises licence if the problem relates to one of the four licensing objectives, one of which is the prevention of public nuisance. Westminster advises keeping notes of dates, times and what happened before you apply, as they may be used at a hearing. The application is made in writing to the council’s Licensing Team at Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, and copies must go to the licence holder and each of the responsible authorities, including the Metropolitan Police, on the same day. Details are on the council’s licence review page. For what hours a venue is allowed to open in the first place, see our guide to Westminster licensing hours and the 2026 licensing policy.
Westminster Housing tenants can report neighbour, resident or party noise to their housing officer or through the MyWestminster Housing portal as well as the noise form.
What happens after an investigation
Officers may ask you to keep a noise diary or place monitoring equipment in your home. If they decide a statutory nuisance is happening, has happened or is likely to happen, they can serve an abatement notice requiring it to stop within a set time. Breaching it is a criminal offence and can lead to equipment being seized or a prosecution.
If the council cannot witness the noise, it is limited in what it can do. You can then take your own case to the magistrates’ court, which must be persuaded that the noise is a statutory nuisance. You must give the person responsible at least three days’ notice before you start. The council publishes a factsheet on taking your own action, a letter template and a diary sheet on its investigating your complaint page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a noise complaint in Westminster? Use the council’s online noise form on MyWestminster, giving where you are, where the noise is coming from and what it sounds like. Leave contact details so you get a reference number and an officer can arrange to witness the noise.
Does Westminster’s noise team come out at night? Yes. The Noise Service runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and reviews party, pub and club, alarm, outdoor event and out-of-hours building noise within one hour, at any time.
What time can builders start in Westminster? 8am. Building work is allowed from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. Noisy work is not allowed on Sundays or bank holidays, and demolition, excavation and piling are not allowed on Saturdays, unless special permission has been given.
Can I complain about noisy neighbours in Westminster? Yes, if the noise is unreasonable and persistent, such as loud music, shouting or instruments, or appliances used late at night. The council reviews these within four working days. Everyday living noise such as footsteps or children playing is not investigated.
Who do I call about a noisy pub in Westminster? Report it to the council’s Noise Service, which reviews licensed premises complaints within an hour. If the problem keeps happening, you can apply for a review of the venue’s premises licence. Disorder in the street outside is a police matter.
Can Westminster Council stop helicopter or aircraft noise? No. Aircraft noise goes to the Civil Aviation Authority, and police helicopter noise to the National Police Air Service.
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