Renting under a flight path: what to ask before you sign

A flat under a flight path can be quiet on the afternoon you view it and loud for the next fortnight. The planes follow the wind, the first arrivals come in before most people are up, and nobody showing you round has a reason to mention them. A few checks and questions before you sign tell you what the place is really like, and what you can do if it turns out to be too much.

Why the viewing can mislead

Planes take off and land into the wind. When the wind changes, the airport turns its traffic round, and the streets under the approach on one side of the airport go quiet while the other side gets the planes.

So one viewing samples one kind of day. At Heathrow, planes land over London on about six days in ten and over Windsor on most of the rest. A flat under the less-used approach can have a calm first month and then weeks of flights every couple of minutes. How to check aircraft noise before buying a house explains the full set of checks; the same ones work for renting.

Checks before you sign

• Find the runway lines. Extend each runway on a map. Landing planes line up on that line 15 km (about 10 miles) or more before touchdown. Is this house under a flight path? shows other ways to tell.
• Find out how often the planes come your way. Our airport pages give the share of days in each runway direction.
• Replay a real day. On our free flight map, replay a typical day in each direction and the busiest night, then tap the street to see how many loud planes it heard.
• Count the night flights. How many planes land or take off between 23:00 and 07:00, and when does the first one arrive?
• Visit at the right time. Pick a morning when the wind forecast sends planes over the flat, and arrive before 7 a.m. Listen from the bedroom with the window open and shut.
• Look at the EPC. In the UK, the landlord or letting agent must show you the energy performance certificate. It records the windows, including whether they are single, double or triple glazed.

Questions to ask the landlord or agent

Some of these they may not be able to answer, and some they may prefer not to. The answers, and how readily they come, still tell you something.

• Has the home had noise insulation from the airport, or been offered it? If so, it sits inside an official noise contour. If it is eligible but the work has not been done, ask whether the landlord would agree to it.
• What windows do the bedrooms have? Single glazing lets in far more noise than double or secondary glazing. Best windows for aircraft noise compares the options.
• How does the flat stay cool with the windows shut? Under a flight path, an open window in summer lets the noise in. Ask about ventilation, fans or cooling.
• Why did the last tenants leave, and did anyone complain about noise?
• Can I visit again, early in the morning?
• How much notice would I need to give? And, for a fixed-term contract, is there a break clause?

Don't rely on the listing or the agent to raise aircraft noise. Ask directly, and check the answers against the map.

Bedrooms and windows

Noise at night matters most, so judge the flat from the bedroom. Windows are usually the weakest point of a wall for sound, and a window you have to open for air is no protection at all. A bedroom with good glazing and another way to get fresh air is worth more than one with a better view.

As a tenant you usually cannot change the windows yourself. What you can do is choose the flat whose bedroom is best protected, ask the landlord about secondary glazing before you sign, and bring your own measures for sleep. Sleeping under a flight path covers earplugs, white noise and other things that do not need the landlord's permission.

How easily can you leave?

The notice you would have to give is your safety net if the noise proves too much. It varies a lot by country:

In England, the old fixed end dates no longer apply, and if your agreement from before 1 May 2026 allowed shorter notice than 2 months, the shorter notice still applies. The rules for landlords are different: this is only about how you can leave.

Can tenants get airport noise insulation?

Airport insulation schemes are offered for homes, not for people, and the work changes the building, so the owner has to agree. Tenants can still start the process at some airports:

• Heathrow invites landlords and tenants to get in touch about its Residential Insulation Scheme. A tenant can pass the offer to the landlord and let Heathrow know, and Heathrow can then contact the landlord directly.
• Stansted accepts applications to its sound insulation grant scheme from tenants, as long as they include a written agreement from their landlord.
• Gatwick, in the insulation scheme it set out for its northern runway, said it would accept applications from tenants, with the owner's consent needed before work is agreed.
• San Diego, in the US, treats rented homes the same as owner-occupied ones in its Quieter Home Program. But every owner on the deed must sign the paperwork, including an avigation easement that limits their ability to take legal action against the airport over aircraft noise.

So if the home is eligible, raise it with the landlord before you sign, while you still have something to bargain with, and get any agreement in writing. Airport noise insulation schemes explains who qualifies and how to apply.