New legislation being proposed could change the complaints process for people who deal with noisy neighbours.

Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Mid-West, John Curran, wants to protect the identity of a complainant.

At present, people have to lodge complaints with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) if their neighbours are renters.

However they have to provide their own name, which Mr Curran has said is making people fearful to raise issues.

He had called on Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy to amend existing legislation to allow for complaints of a neighbours anti-social behaviour to be lodged to the RTB by a third party.

Deputy Curran raised the issue in Dáil last week.

He said: "Existing legislation regarding residential disputes linked to anti-social behaviour states that only a person who is directly and adversely affected by such behaviour can lodge a complaint to the Residential Tenancies Board.

"What's more, their identity as the complainant will be made known.

"That makes an already perverse situation even more difficult to manage or contain particularly for those that are genuinely afraid to submit a complaint in the first place.
"We cannot operate a system for complaints on the basis that all neighbours are considerate of other residents, obliging or pleasant".

He said he has dealt with "a number of serious cases" on behalf of constituents who have been "too fearful" to make a complaint, knowing that they will be identifiable.

"Yet they are all too aware that in the absence of a complaint, nothing can be done to address the ongoing anti-social behaviour."

He has asked that Minister Murphy consider amending this element of the bill, so that a person other than the individual affected can make it on his or her behalf.

"The fear of backlash or being targeted for reporting their neighbour's disruptive behaviour is deterring tenants from trying to rectify the situation because often times it's safer to try endure the hassle caused.

"By amending legislation to allow for a third party to make the complaint on their behalf, it acts as a kind of middle ground", he added.