Support & Wellbeing

Noise issues and Quiet Time

By ConductTeam 11 Nov 2022

This article is part of a series on behaviour and communal living issues in residences. In this article, we’ll cover:

What’s normal living noise?
What’s antisocial noise?
What about during examination periods?
How do noise complaints work?

Everyone living in accommodation has the right to a quiet home life. You can be held responsible for any noise nuisance you make, whether or not you knew your obligations, so it’s a good idea to make sure you understand noise rules in the accommodation.

When you moved into the accommodation, you signed a residence contract. As part of that contract, you’ve agreed not to do anything likely to cause a nuisance or annoyance to anyone else and not to interfere with their peace, comfort or convenience. This includes making sure you don’t make any unreasonably loud noise, especially between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am, or at any time during exam periods. That said, it can be difficult to work out what constitutes a ‘loud’ noise, and what’s ‘reasonable’.

What’s considered normal living noise?

Normal living noise is the low-level, everyday noise you expect to hear in a communal living setting. This is considered acceptable during the daytime and early evening (7:00 am to 11:00 pm), and includes things like: doors opening and closing; people talking in nearby rooms; and ambient noise like showers and hair dryers.

Although these things can sometimes interfere with your concentration, they’re usually unavoidable in a shared flat or block. They’re not considered unreasonable noise, or made with the intention of upsetting anyone. You can usually manage their impact by taking some simple steps, like closing doors and windows, and asking flatmates to chat in the kitchen instead of the corridor. You can also try playing pink, white or brown noise to mask the sounds, and using headphones or earplugs when you really need to focus.

If you haven’t lived near lots of people before, it can take a little time to adjust. Most people will quite quickly get used to the level of normal living noise their neighbours make.

While we all expect to hear noise like this during the day, it shouldn’t be continuing very late at night. Noise that counts as normal living noise during the day can still be considered anti-social noise if it’s continuing past 11:00 pm, or in and around the exam period.

What’s considered 'antisocial' noise?

Antisocial noise is unreasonable noise which you wouldn’t expect to have to accept in a communal living setting, either late at night (11:00 pm to 7:00 am), or at all! This includes things like: large groups of people talking and laughing in small spaces; shouting and loud music; TVs and games played loudly at night; and sports played outside of the designated areas.

Most people will make noise like this at some point, so try to be aware of the noise levels within your room and your flat. You can test whether your noise carries by standing outside in the corridor with your bedroom door shut. If you can hear it outside, it's likely your neighbours can hear it too, so you may need to turn it down. Quick checks like this should help you avoid accidentally inconveniencing other people.

The University of Sheffield has a Quiet Time Policy, which every student has agreed to as part of their residence contract when they first move into accommodation. The Quiet Time Policy is that there will be no loud noise between 11:00 pm to 7:00 am everyday (i.e. Quiet Time) and to keep noise at a level that does not interfere with the study, sleep or comfort of others. This includes noise made by any guests you have in your accommodation.

If you’re found to breach this policy, this would be classed as misconduct. See the sections below on reporting noise, and what happens if someone has reported you for being noisy.

What about during examination periods?

The last three weeks of each semester are the exam period.

During the exam period Quiet Time hours are extended to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s a requirement that during this period noise is kept to an absolute minimum.

If you’re found to be making excessive or antisocial noise at any time during this period, this would be a breach of the Quiet Time Policy and be classed as misconduct.

During Exam Quiet Time you can:

Listen to music as loud as you like with your headphones on
Binge box-sets at any time but keep the volume down
Hang out with friends in cafes and common rooms
Video call your family and friends using your indoor voice

During Quiet Time, there should be no noise that travels into another room, or outside.

Remember, you may be lucky enough not to have an exam on a Saturday, but your neighbours may!

We want you to enjoy living, socialising and studying in your residences and so it’s important to enforce this. It’s also worth remembering that some poor students have exams on the last Saturday of the exam period. Just because you might be finished and ready to party doesn’t mean someone next door isn’t doing some last minute revision… please keep that in mind!

How do I report a noise issue?

If people around you are being unreasonably noisy late at night or during the exam period, you can report it in the following ways:

Place a quick call to Security Services on 0114 222 4085, or email Security@sheffield.ac.uk
By using the SafeZone app, if you prefer not to make a call.

You can make these reports anonymously if you like. You’ll also need to give the location where you think the noise is coming from.

Security will then attend the location you’ve identified and investigate to try to locate the source of the noise issue and sort it out.

If you’re experiencing recurring issues and you think you know where the noise is coming from, just keep contacting Security. Each report can potentially be used in a disciplinary investigation, however your details will be redacted so you’ll be anonymous. You may also want to get in touch with your Residence Life Mentor (RLM), or read our article on your reporting options.

What if someone reports me for noise?

On the other hand, if a noise complaint is made about you, this is what to expect. Security Officers will come to your location and let you know that a report was made about you and the noise levels are too high. You should make sure you’re polite and compliant with Security, apologise, and turn the volume down. Sometimes you might to leave the area, or send people home, if you have friends over. If you don't leave the area, bear in mind that Security may come back later to check noise levels are still acceptable, so you'll need to remain aware of how much noise you're making.

If Security Services attend your location to respond to a noise issue, it's likely that you'll receive a formal warning letter afterwards. This letter explains the rules about noise in the residences. Read it carefully, and if you need to, check that you understand your residence contract, so you can avoid causing another noise nuisance in future. If multiple noise complaints are received about you, it's likely further disciplinary action will follow. If you’re already in this position, our article on the disciplinary process might be helpful.

Hopefully this article has helped you to understand normal living noise, antisocial noise, Quiet Time, and noise complaints, so you know how to report issues, and how to respond if you’re reported yourself!

- The ACS Student Conduct Team