My neighbours make constant noise — what are my legal options?
Your neighbours can be ordered by a court to stop noise that amounts to onrechtmatige hinder (unlawful nuisance), and in serious or night-time cases the police can step in under criminal law. Below is how that works in practice.
Short conclusion
Dutch law gives you three parallel avenues against constant noise from neighbours:
- A civil claim against the neighbour (or their landlord) based on the burenrecht and the general tort provision in Artikel 5:37 BW read together with Artikel 6:162 BW. You can demand that the noise stops and claim damages.
- A criminal complaint for burengerucht under Artikel 431 Sr when the noise can disturb night rest (roughly 22:00–06:00, the period the Hoge Raad and lower courts apply).
- An administrative complaint to the municipality if a local noise rule in the Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening (APV) or the Omgevingswet is being breached.
In most cases the practical first step is a calm conversation, then buurtbemiddeling, then formal action.
1. Civil route: Artikel 5:37 BW and Artikel 6:162 BW
Artikel 5:37 BW (Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 5) is the dedicated neighbour-nuisance article. It provides:
"De eigenaar van een erf mag niet in een mate of op een wijze die volgens artikel 162 van Boek 6 onrechtmatig is, aan eigenaars van andere erven hinder toebrengen zoals door het verspreiden van rumoer, trillingen, stank, rook of gassen, door het onthouden van licht of lucht of door het ontnemen van steun."
Source: wetten.overheid.nl — Artikel 5:37 BW.
The provision explicitly mentions rumoer (noise/rumour) and sends you to Artikel 6:162 BW:
"Hij die jegens een ander een onrechtmatige daad pleegt, welke hem kan worden toegerekend, is verplicht de schade die de ander dientengevolge lijdt, te vergoeden."
Source: wetten.overheid.nl — Artikel 6:162 BW.
Two things flow from this:
- Not every sound counts. The law only bites when the noise is in een onredelijke mate given local circumstances (a city centre tolerates more than a quiet residential street), is more than the average resident has to put up with (het normaal maatschappelijk risico), and the neighbour can reasonably be expected to do something about it. Courts weigh the type of activity, intensity, duration, time of day, and what the parties could have foreseen when they moved in.
- The action is normally brought against the neighbour who makes the noise. If that neighbour is a tenant, the landlord can also be addressed: tenants must behave as a goed huurder (good tenant) and the landlord has a duty to act on serious complaints. If your neighbour is a tenant, Artikel 7:274 lid 1 sub a BW lets a court terminate the lease when the tenant does not behave as a good tenant, which is a powerful incentive. In non-residential rentals, Artikel 7:230a lid 4 BW treats ernstige overlast to other users or the landlord as a ground to refuse extension of the lease.
Source: wetten.overheid.nl — Artikel 7:274 BW; Artikel 7:230a BW; Artikel 7:231 BW.
What you can claim:
- A court injunction (verbod / bevel) to stop the nuisance, including a dwangsom (penalty payment) for each future violation.
- Compensation for damage you can actually prove (e.g. medical costs, lost sleep documented by a doctor, hotel nights if you had to leave).
- Sometimes a reduction of your own rent if your landlord fails to act (see below).
Procedure:
- For claims up to €25,000 you can go to the kantonrechter without a lawyer. Below €5,000 the verzoekschriftprocedure applies (no day in court; the judge decides on paper).
- Above €25,000 you need a advocaat and the regular procedure at the rechtbank.
- Lawyer fees and (limited) mediator costs can be recovered from the losing side; your time spent on the case itself usually is not.
Evidence that helps most:
- A logbook with date, time, duration, type of noise and its effect on you, ideally recorded on the day itself.
- Audio or video fragments with timestamps (do not record voices of others without good cause).
- Witnesses in adjoining apartments.
- An acoustic measurement by a certified bureau if the noise is technical (heat pump, ventilation, HVAC).
- A prior written aansprakelijkstelling (letter putting the neighbour on notice) — without it, the court may refuse any claim for nuisance occurring before the letter was sent.
2. Criminal route: Artikel 431 Sr
Artikel 431 Wetboek van Strafrecht criminalises burengerucht:
"Met geldboete van de eerste categorie wordt gestraft hij die rumoer of burengerucht verwekt waardoor de nachtrust kan worden verstoord."
Source: wetten.overheid.nl — Artikel 431 Sr.
This is an overtreding, punishable only with a fine (category 1, currently €340 in 2025, plus the statutory surcharges). Its practical value is therefore the police visit, the official report (proces-verbaal) and the social pressure it generates, not the fine itself.
Three limits:
- The article targets noise that can disturb night rest. Case law ties that to the voor de nachtrust bestemde tijd — roughly the period between 22:00 and 06:00, plus an hour before and after. A party playing music all Sunday afternoon does not fall under Artikel 431 Sr, but may still be onrechtmatige hinder under civil law.
- The police can only act on what they can hear or observe themselves. A short ringing at the door is not enough. Loud music, screaming, banging and prolonged shouting usually are.
- You file a criminal complaint at the local police station or, in urgent cases, by calling 112 for noise that is happening now and 0900-1844 for non-urgent nuisance.
3. Administrative route: APV and the Omgevingswet
Most municipalities have a geluidsparagraaf in the APV (Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening) that restricts noise at certain hours, on certain days (often Sundays and religious holidays), or that requires permits for amplified music, building work or events. The Omgevingswet and the Activiteitenbesluit / Omgevingsbesluit set technical noise limits for businesses and installations (HVAC units, cafés, workshops) that affect residential areas.
How it works in practice:
- You report the noise to the municipality (often via the meldingen or klachten form on the municipal website, or by calling 14 035 for Amsterdam, 14 010 for Rotterdam, etc.).
- The toezichthouder or boa of the team handhaving can visit, measure, warn, and ultimately issue a last onder dwangsom or a last onder bestuursdwang. Non-compliance is enforced by the municipality, not by you.
- Administrative routes are most useful for structural noise from a business, construction sites without a permit, or repeated, measurable violations at specific hours. For ordinary neighbour disputes they are usually slower and less effective than a civil injunction.
4. Practical step-by-step for the typical case
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keep a logbook for at least 2–4 weeks | Builds the evidence you will need later |
| 2 | Knock on the door and ask politely, in writing if needed | Most cases stop here |
| 3 | Contact buurtbemiddeling (free, organised by most municipalities) | Trained volunteer mediators; non-binding but very effective |
| 4 | If renting, send a written complaint to the landlord or VvE | Landlord can warn the tenant and, eventually, terminate the lease under Art. 7:274 lid 1 sub a BW |
| 5 | File a written aansprakelijkstelling to the neighbour | Required before you can claim damages for nuisance occurring after the letter |
| 6 | Call the gemeente (handhaving / APV) for noise at forbidden hours, or for noise from a business/installation | Triggers an administrative sanction independent of any civil claim |
| 7 | Call 0900-1844, or 112 if it is happening now and is loud enough to disturb night rest | Triggers a police visit and possibly Art. 431 Sr |
| 8 | Go to the kantonrechter (≤ €25,000, no lawyer needed) for an injunction plus dwangsom | The fastest civil route when the noise does not stop |
5. Exceptions and limits
- Normal living noise (children running, a dog barking briefly, vacuuming during the day) is generally not unlawful; the test under Art. 5:37 BW / Art. 6:162 BW weighs the maatschappelijk normale belasting of urban living.
- Self-inflicted sensitivity (e.g. you work night shifts and sleep during the day) is only partly protected: the law expects some accommodation, but the neighbour must still keep noise reasonable.
- Pre-existing nuisance: if the noise was there when you moved in and is typical of the area, courts are more reluctant to grant an injunction, although compensation is still possible in serious cases.
- Time-bar: nuisance claims can become time-barred under the general verjaring rules of Art. 3:310 BW (five years from knowledge of damage and liable person). Act promptly.
- Above €25,000 in damages you must engage a advocaat and the regular procedure applies.
This article is general legal information for Dutch law and not a substitute for tailored advice. For a binding opinion on your situation, consult a lawyer or your local Juridisch Loket (www.juridischloket.nl).
Sources
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 5, Artikel 5:37 BW — neighbour nuisance
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6, Artikel 6:162 BW — general tort (onrechtmatige daad)
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, Artikel 7:230a BW, Artikel 7:231 BW, Artikel 7:274 BW — termination of leases for tenant misconduct / serious nuisance
- Wetboek van Strafrecht, Artikel 431 Sr — burengerucht