A Birmingham resident has been dealing with three months of disruption after university students moved into their apartment building. The noise includes parties lasting until 5am on weekdays, shouting, kicking footballs, and banging at 2am, leaving the resident and their partner unable to sleep.
Three Months of Complaints
The resident, who lives with a partner working for the NHS, reported the issue to Birmingham City Council and the letting agent, but says both have been useless. 'We've reported it to Birmingham council who have been useless and the letting agents who are taking no action. The police state this is a council matter,' they wrote in a Reddit post earlier this year.
The couple had previously enjoyed living in the apartment, describing former tenants as 'wonderful and respectful.' But in September 2025, university students moved in, and peace vanished. 'September 2025 uni students moved in and we haven’t got an ounce of peace for the past 3 months now,' the resident added.
Reddit Appeal for Advice
In a detailed plea on Reddit, the resident explained the situation: 'Need advice on nightmare neighbours driving us crazy!! Hi all, I’m in England. My partner and I are dealing with nightmare neighbours who are having parties at 5am on weekdays, shouting, banging and kicking footballs, etc. at 2am.' They noted that speaking to the tenants led to apologies but no change: 'I have spoken to the tenants who apologise for being loud and having parties at 4am… then carry on anyway.'
The building manager was also unhelpful. According to the resident, the manager said, 'They’re allowed to have guests over at 9pm.' When the resident pointed out that blasting music is against the law of the peace, the manager replied, 'I don't care about the law, I care about the lease agreement which states that tenants can have guests over.'
Suggestions from Reddit Users
Reddit users offered various suggestions. One advised contacting the university, but the resident did not know which university the students attended. Another user shared a similar experience and recommended contacting an MP after council and management company failed. 'I complained to the building management company and the council... The management company ignored me for months but the council came over and gave me a log book for complaints to keep track over six weeks. Eventually I contacted our MP about the issue and the building management ignoring me and not sure what she did exactly but the problem was fixed… so my advice is to speak to your MP if the letting agency and the building management company aren’t fixing it.'
Another user suggested a humorous approach: 'A friend of mine had a similar issue. He mentioned that he and the other building residents knew when their exams were and if the behaviour didn't stop they would ensure between them that the students got no sleep in the run up to their exams.' The resident replied, 'Haha as they’re masters students, I’ll wait until April/May when they have their dissertation due in! Then I’ll buy a subwoofer that will play the most bass-y songs in history.'
A final piece of advice came from a commenter who wrote, 'Have a chat with them. Talk about your own mental student days and find out names, courses and the uni they attend. Ask nicely first explain that you were once young and fun if that doesn't work contact the uni they will have told you all you need to get it sorted. Best of luck.'
