The Christmas and New Year period can be a fun time of year filled with parties and celebration but remember that your neighbours may not enjoy the party at your house. The following tips may help to survive this time of the year: 

• Let your neighbours know if you are hosting a party by putting a note in their mailbox or mentioning it if you see them out and about 
• Turn the music down and move inside if possible after 9pm (10pm at the latest); 
• Ask your guests to leave by a reasonable time; 

• Consider your neighbours’ needs when deciding to host a party eg will they have to go to work early in the morning? Do they have young children who may be trying to sleep? 

If your neighbour is not following the above guidelines, ask yourself the following: 

• Can I be more tolerant given the time of year? 
• Can I change my environment to cope this one time? (For example, can my children have a ‘’sleepover’’ in the lounge room if that is further away from the noise?) 

If you do need to speak with your neighbour, check first that you are feeling calm. If you feel confident to, you can knock on the door and ask them to turn the music (or other noise) down. Otherwise, call the police and report the noise to them on 131 444. 

If they react badly or you have ongoing concerns about your neighbour’s noise or generally please contact the Healthy Neighbourhood team at Conflict Resolution Service on 6189 0590 or healthyneighbourhoods@crs.org.au