"No sex please, we're British house hunters'

Straitlaced Brits are turned off their dream home by parties and sex over any other form of noise pollution, according to a survey by haart estate agent.

Over half (54%) of house hunters are unwilling to live next door to a party house and 43% would not put up with neighbours having loud sexual intercourse most nights – even if  they were offered a significant discount on the purchase price to compensate. Other noise pollutants considered far less offensive to potential buyers include train lines (32%) and motorway traffic (31%).

Only a third (32%) of homebuyers are put off by commuter train lines, and even constant animal noises are less of a nuisance, with just 33% unwilling to put up with dogs barking or cockerels crowing. At the bottom of the list of nuisance noises are motorbikes or diesel van start-ups immediately out the front of the house every morning – with only 26% saying they wouldn’t move in to this type of property.

Women are more concerned by troublesome neighbours than men, with nearly two thirds (58%) of female respondents opposed to living next to a party house (compared to 46% of men). The older generation are also particularly apprehensive, with 74% of those aged 65 and over unwilling to put up with party animals next door.

Young adults aged 16-25 proved to be the least cautious, with 17% happy to live next door to neighbours with a steamy love life most nights with no compensation required whatsoever (compared to 0% of those 65 and over).

Would not move in to such a property – no matter what the discount

Noise pollution
Regular (at least once a week) neighbour parties featuring blaring music and/or noisy guests	54%
Loud sexual intercourse most nights	43%
Close proximity to busy airport (i.e. under a low flight path of commercial and/military)	39%
Daily barking dogs or other animals, such as crowing cockerels	33%
Commuter mainline trains running regularly at back of property	32%
Being adjacent to a very busy main road or motorway	31%
Frequent loud DIY involving tools such as drills, chainsaws and sanders	29%
Noisy motorbikes or diesel van start-ups immediately out front every morning	26%

Aside from those who would not move in to these properties for any amount of compensation whatsoever, the remaining would demand a substantial discount, with the highest reduction required to put up with neighbours having regular parties, where people would want an average of 22% off the cost of the property.