Around the houses - Simple tips to make that vital first impression when selling your home

This is the week to start taking action on noise Many people have suffered some form of nuisance behaviour from neighbours, but what is the best way to deal with it? As part of Noise Action Week, a tenant support website is offering advice on how to deal with noisy neighbours, Mary-Anne Bowring, creator of www.leaseholdersupport.co.uk, says you can only take action if the noise prevents you from using your home in the normal way. This include being woken up by the din or being unable hear your own television. The action you can take depends on the type of noise, the time of day or night that it happens, the frequency and duration of the noise, the time of day or night that it happens, how it affects you and the type of building you live in. You can find out about the rules and procedures for dealing with the noise by checking your lease, estate rules, management company guidelines and the law.

If believe the noise is unreasonable, Mary-Anne recommends the following steps: Talk to the person causing the noise and try to reach a compromise. Do this as soon as possible, explaining how the noise affects you, before the problem gets too serious. There might be mediation services in your area that can help you. If your neighbours property is sublet, contact the owner and let them know there is a problem. They might be able to step in and resolve the issue. Speak to other neighbours and find out if they have also been affected. They might be willing to take action with you. Keep detailed records of when the noise happens, how long it continues and whether other people also heard it. Contact your local councils environments environment health department. If the problem is serious enough, the council can formally ask your neighbour to stop making the noise or even take them to court. Various forms of noise are among the top 10 complaints by leaseholders, according to the website.

Other annoyances include illegal satellite dishes, dumped cars, unauthorised pets and abuse of communal areas. HIPs will help Home information packs will help to reduce uncertainty for both buyers and sellers, according to an industry organisation. Mike Ockenden, director general of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers, believes the much-debated move will cut down on the cost and stress involved in property sales. He said: Providing an HIP at the time of viewing can significantly reduce the time between offer and exchanging of contracts, but also minimising the window for gazumping, giving greater certainty for buyers and sellers alike.