Can neighbours complain about noise – when does it become a legal disturbance?

A neighbour may complain about anything, but it only becomes a disturbance in legal terms when the noise is so disruptive that it could be harmful to health or otherwise impairs the residential environment for neighbours to an extent that it cannot reasonably be tolerated. Temporary laughter, a vacuum cleaner on a Saturday, or children running are not considered disturbances. The threshold is set by 12 kap. 25 § jordabalken (the Land Code).

What counts as a disturbance in a rental flat according to the law?

The rule in 12 kap. 25 § jordabalken (the Land Code) has two parts. The first states that when using the flat, the tenant must ensure that those living in the vicinity are not subjected to disturbances that may be harmful to health or otherwise impair the residential environment to such a degree that they should not reasonably be tolerated.

The second part is broader: the tenant must otherwise observe everything required to maintain health, order, and a good condition within the property. This provision covers littering in the stairwell, smoking that penetrates a neighbour's flat, and similar issues.

The tenant is also responsible for those who belong to the household or are visiting the home. Holding a party hosted by a friend does not absolve the contract holder of responsibility.

Two conditions must be met

For noise to become a disturbance in a legal sense, it must both affect health or the living environment and the impact must go beyond what should reasonably be tolerated. This second criterion is where most neighbour complaints fall short. In a multi-family building, one must expect noise from others – footsteps, talking, water pipes, a washing machine, or a piano in the afternoon.

The assessment is objective. A specific neighbour being extra noise-sensitive does not raise the requirements for other residents. Conversely, it does not help that the person causing the noise finds it reasonable.

Noise that is not normally a disturbance

Many neighbour disputes involve sounds that are simply part of residential life. The table shows how different types of noise are usually assessed – and what might shift the assessment.

The house rules – for example, "quiet after 22:00" – are not law. They are part of the contractual relationship and are used as support in the assessment, but a breach of house rules is not automatically a disturbance under 12 kap. 25 § jordabalken (the Land Code). The same applies to rules regarding balcony use; what can actually be prohibited there is a separate issue, see Can the landlord prohibit grilling on the balcony?.

When the noise is a health issue

For more persistent noise problems, there is a parallel path via environmental legislation. The municipality's environmental department (miljöförvaltning) can assess whether the noise constitutes a nuisance to human health according to 9 kap. 3 § miljöbalken (the Environmental Code), i.e., a disturbance that can adversely affect health and is not minor or entirely temporary. The Public Health Agency (Folkhälsomyndigheten) issues general advice on indoor noise, which environmental departments use for measurements.

This path is most often used for noise from the property or business operations in the building – fans, lifts, restaurants on the ground floor – rather than against an individual neighbour.

How is a rental disturbance assessed in a dispute?

It is the landlord who pursues the case, not the complaining neighbour. The neighbour has no independent right to evict anyone.

The process is generally as follows:

1. Complaints. Neighbours contact the landlord. A single email is rarely enough.
2. Warning. The landlord urges the tenant to immediately cease the disturbances, according to 12 kap. 25 § jordabalken (the Land Code). For a rental flat, the landlord must simultaneously notify the social welfare committee (socialnämnden) in the municipality.
3. Documentation. Disturbance logs, noise measurements, witness statements from several flats.
4. Notice of termination. If rectification does not occur, the rental agreement can be forfeited according to 12 kap. 42 § jordabalken (the Land Code).
5. Review. The dispute ends up with the Rent Tribunal (Hyresnämnden) or in court. How the tribunal works is described in The Rent Tribunal: how it works and your rights as a tenant.

In cases of particularly serious disturbances, the landlord may terminate the agreement without a prior warning according to 12 kap. 25 § jordabalken (the Land Code). The social welfare committee must then be notified in connection with the termination. This concerns violence, threats, and similar acts – not loud music.

Evidence is decisive

In practice, many disturbance cases fail due to lack of evidence. Complaints from a single neighbour, without dates and without support from others in the building, weigh lightly. Ongoing notes with time, duration, and type of noise – from several households – carry significant weight.

What counts as a disturbance when subletting?

The same rules apply, but the responsibility is shared. The primary (first-hand) tenant is responsible to the landlord for what the subtenant does in the flat. Disturbances from a subtenant can therefore affect the person who holds the contract.

Note that the privatuthyrningslagen (Private Rental Act), in force from 1 July 2026, does not apply when the landlord holds the flat as a rental (hyresrätt). That law focuses on cases where a natural person or an estate rents out a house or part of a house for compensation, and it contains rules about, for example, written agreements upon request and fixed rent amounts. Residential disturbances are not regulated there, but in 12 kap. jordabalken (the Land Code).

If you are the one receiving the complaint

Take it seriously even if you think it is unreasonable. A warning from the landlord is a formal step, not a friendly tip.

• Ask for concrete details: which dates, which times, which type of noise.
• Fix what you can – move speakers away from the wall, lay down rugs, change laundry times.
• Respond in writing and keep copies.
• Do not remove equipment you have the right to own. What you are allowed to install and keep in the flat is a different issue than disturbances; see Can the landlord require you to remove your washing machine? and A tenant's right to install furniture: What does the law say?.

If the noise is instead construction noise from the property owner's own work, different rules regarding security of tenure (besittningsskydd) and approval apply; see Renovation against the tenant's will.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a statutory time when it must be quiet?

No. The Land Code does not specify a clock-time limit. Times like 22:00–07:00 come from house rules and are used as a benchmark for assessment under 12 kap. 25 § jordabalken (the Land Code), but they are not laws themselves.

Can I be evicted after a single party?

In principle, no. Normally, repeated disturbances are required, along with the tenant having received a warning without rectifying the situation. The exception is particularly serious disturbances, where termination according to 12 kap. 25 § jordabalken (the Land Code) can occur immediately.

Does noise from children count as a disturbance?

Rarely. Noise from children playing, running, and crying belongs to normal residential life in multi-family buildings and falls within what should reasonably be tolerated.

What do I do if the landlord does not act on my complaints?

Keep a disturbance log with dates and times, collect signatures from more neighbours, and request a written response. For noise that may affect health, you can also turn to the municipality's environmental department with support from 9 kap. 3 § miljöbalken (the Environmental Code). If you choose to move instead, compare your options in Rental flat or tenant-owned flat – what suits you?.

The text provides general information and does not constitute legal advice.