What to Do About Loud Neighbors

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Get your peace and quiet back with these noise disturbance solutions
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Noisy neighbors can really be irritating at times, disturbing your sleep and regular activities. They may not even know they're bothering you, so it's usually best to start by being polite. If that doesn't work after the first few tries, you might have to move on to stronger measures. To help, we spoke with etiquette coach Tami Claytor to get the low down on how to handle a noisy nuisance without ruffling anyone’s feathers the wrong way.

Noisy Neighbors? How to Handle It

  • Talk to your neighbor calmly about their noise and how it’s affecting you. Ask if they can limit their noise to certain times, or come up with another compromise.
  • Ask your landlord or building manager to mediate your conversation if your neighbor doesn’t comply. Or, call your area’s non-emergency police line to make a complaint.
  • If none of the solutions work, call the police when the neighbor is being extremely loud and a disturbance.
Section 1 of 3:

Resolving Issues with Neighbors Directly

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  1. Claytor suggests that you approach your neighbor quietly and with respect to ensure they listen to your complaint. Ask that they quiet down and come up with a plan together of how to solve noise problems.
    • Calmly approach your neighbor with your issue. If you have never actually met in person or spoken to one another, make it a point to introduce yourself. Say, “Hi, I’m Mary. I share the wall with you and live next door.”
    • Worried about a fight? Claytor says, “If you’re worried about things going haywire or you think that this may jeopardize the relationship, consider buying a little box of cookies from the supermarket and giving it to them before you ask about the noise.”
  2. Claytor says it’s best to not blame or accuse your neighbor since it could make things messy. If you are confrontational toward them, they are far more likely to respond by being confrontational toward you. Remember that you're seeking a solution, not a hostile standoff.
    • Stay away from using blaming language such as “you are” or “you need to”, instead focus on how you feel and convey that to your neighbor.
    • Avoid coming to your neighbor with an angered or disgruntled attitude. If you feel like you’re too irritated to have a productive, mature conversation, save the convo for a later date when you’ve calmed down some.
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  3. You may be studying. You may have young children or elderly relatives at home who can’t take the excessive noise. Whatever the case is, helping them understand why need to be quieter will make your request seem more reasonable. [1]
    • For example, if you are a college student, explain to your neighbor that you need peace and quiet to study late at night. Be honest and say something like, “I’m not trying to ruin your night, but it would be amazing if you could try to keep it down between the hours of 10 and 3. Those are prime study hours for me.”
    • Alternatively, you might say something like, “Hey, I have a baby and even though I love rocking out, it’s hard to get my baby to stay asleep with all of the noise. Can you please, please keep it down?”
  4. Could they keep it down before or after certain times of the day? Could you or your neighbor wear headphones to help minimize the noise? Adhere to noise complaint procedures your building has set in place to help guide you with your compromise. [2]
    • Look into the rules of the apartment complex and/or residential area you reside in. Ask that your neighbors be respectful of any courtesy hours that might be enforced.
  5. If the problem continues or you’re just trying to avoid dealing with the problem directly, try writing your neighbor a letter. While it may seem formal, it may also be a clear and effective way of communicating your complaint in the least confrontational way possible. [3]
    • Take time to compose the letter. As with your initial contact, be polite and factual. State the result you are looking for with your initiation of complaint.
    • Keep a copy of the letter as part of your written record of the actions you have taken to resolve the problem.
  6. Record the outcome of the conversation with as many facts and details as you can recall, and do so immediately. You will be able to demonstrate that you tried to resolve the problem yourself.
    • Careful notes of your actions can help your case if the problem becomes an ongoing one or you need to make a formal complaint later. Dates and times will be useful to write down as well as copies of any tangible forms of conversation (texts, emails, letters).
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Section 2 of 3:

Seeking Noise Resolution through the Authorities

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  1. If you find that the noise can’t be resolved between just you and the other person, seek out a resolution with the help of a third party. Sometimes a board member or apartment manager can help facilitate the conversation and avoid fueling the conflict between you and the neighbor. [4]
    • If your building doesn’t have mediation procedures, talk to your landlord or super about the noise complaints.
    • The super or landlord will act as the middleman and notify the neighbor of the complaints they’ve heard anonymously, sometimes with an official reprimand.
    • If you’re on good terms with your other neighbors, getting them involved and having them reach out to whoever is in charge can really help emphasize how serious the problem is.
  2. Most cities have a non-emergency police option, like 311. In areas without a service like this, you can likely find a local, non-emergency phone number for your local police department (or sheriff’s office) by looking online. Give them a ring and explain your issue. [5]
    • When you call 311 or your local non-emergency line, let the dispatcher know where you are exactly. If you are in an apartment complex, give the complete street address including the apartment number. Be prepared to give info about your entry code if your community is gated as well. [6]
    • Give a brief description of what is going on. Tell them what is currently happening. Say something like, “I’m trying to file a noise complaint against one of my neighbors who is having a party that is not in accordance with our community rules.”
    • If you want to remain anonymous to protect yourself against any potential retaliation, tell the operator that you don’t want to be contacted by the officers sent to the scene. The officers will contact your neighbor regarding the complaint, but will leave you out of it and not reveal your identity.
  3. If the issue can be or has been dealt with between you, your neighbors, and your landlord, leave the police out of it. However, if you find that you have not had much success with dealing with things internally, call the cops.
    • Should I call the cops? 911 should be reserved for emergency situations, not a thump or two. The noise must be extremely disruptive to qualify as an emergency.
    • What’s wrong with calling the cops? If the noise is that bad, there’s nothing wrong with calling the cops in a vacuum. The problem is that you have to live with this neighbor after the cops leave. Knowing someone called the police on you can be a catalyst for future (and more intense) arguments or fights.
  4. Legal action should be your last resort as a result of trying every possible way to reach a solution and not finding one. Use the notes you have taken during past indiscretions with your neighbors as supporting documents to build your civil case for small claims court. [7]
    • Sue your neighbor in court for monetary damages or ask for a court order to stop the noise, or “abate the nuisance.” [8]
    • It might be difficult to sue for noise damage because determining damages is pretty subjective. If you still want to give it a try in small claims court, use your log that you should have been keeping from earlier steps. Show that there is excessive and disturbing noise on several occasions caused by the neighbor you’re suing.
    • Show that you have asked that he or she stop being noisy on several occasions and it hasn’t been resolved. Show evidence of police involvement and your interactions with your neighbor that have remained ineffective to resolving the issue of noise.
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Section 3 of 3:

Strategies to Avoid Noisy Neighbors

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  1. Even in your most concentrated efforts to stay away from loud noise and/or noisy neighbors, noise can still trickle in and get on your nerves at any given time. Construction might be going on randomly or a neighbor might insist on mowing the lawn at 9 am on a Saturday morning. [9] Here are some ideas:
    • Invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones
    • White noise machines are a great way to drown out any noise from outside.
    • Install soundproof foam or other sound-absorbing materials onto your walls.
    • Set up bookshelves and choose softer furniture to help minimize sound waves.
    • Use soundproof curtains or window treatments for more
    • Do something noisy yourself! Just toss on some tunes, watch TV, or listen to the radio.
    • Earplugs are really good these days. Throw in a pair and ignore the sound.
  2. It often comes with a heftier price tag, but it can be the most effective way to avoid noisy neighbors. Sound doesn’t affect apartments on the top level like it does on the ground floor. Consider that when you’re on the hunt for an apartment. [10]
  3. Checking out the neighborhood you plan to live in before you buy is the best way to get an idea of what the noise level will be like. Take note of your surroundings. [11]
    • On the street you plan to live on, check to see if there are basketball hoops, skateboard ramps, or other equipment that create a lot of noise or cause kids to congregate loudly in one area. [12]
    • Avoid streets with a large bus stop, a club, a parking lot, or a halfway house near it. In other words, avoid busy locations with heavy commuter traffic.
  4. When you’re on the hunt for a place, let your landlord know that living in a relatively quiet building is important to you. [13]
    • Gauge the landlord’s willingness to accommodate your personal preferences. If they try hard to place you somewhere quieter, this will be an important indicator of what the landlord is willing to do to make sure you feel comfortable.
    • If you hear buzz phrases like, “This is a young building”, be prepared to be surrounded by a few parties. If that is a dealbreaker for you and what you’re willing to accommodate in a living space as far as noise levels go, it might be wise to pick somewhere else to live.
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  • Question
    How to write a noise complaint letter?
    Community Answer
    Type a letter to your landlord that details three incidents, including the dates, that you have had experiencing noise from your neighbour. Be sure to include the date, your name, your neighbour's name, and the apartment numbers or addresses of the residents in question. You can usually file official noise complaints with the authorities if that method seems ineffective.
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  • Question
    What do you do when your neighbors that live above you let their kids run and jump around from 6 pm until 12:30 am?
    Community Answer
    Most tenants are within their rights to any foot patterns you might hear above you. However, if you are experiencing those kind of issues after 10 pm, that's when it might be a problem you can complain about. Talk to your neighbour and see if they'd be willing to pay attention to how much noise the kids make since it's a disturbance to you. If that doesn't work, talk to your landlord. If that doesn't work, it might be necessary to take a legal approach. Decide if it's a noise complaint you'd like to pursue or if it's something you can ultimately deal with.
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  • Question
    What do I do if I have complained about my noisy neighbors, but it's fallen on deaf ears?
    Community Answer
    You can sue them in court and ask for a noise abatement. It's best that you have incidents documented with what happened, how it affected you, and the dates and times of each incident. Also, be prepared to let the courts know to whom you complained to and when.
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      Tips

      • If you and your neighbor rent, try sending copies of correspondence and any complaints to the landlord or property manager. Noise, especially after hours, may be against leases and building rules as well as city ones, and it may help to get attention.
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      • Try to get to know your neighbors (noisy or otherwise) before there is a problem. It will help you to communicate with them if you ever need to ask them to keep it down.
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      • Don't try to be a hero. Approaching your drunk neighbor at 3:00 A.M. is never a good idea. It could lead to exacerbating the issue rather than reducing it.
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      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • If you can't reach a solution or your neighbor gets louder, play loud music when they're sleeping.
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      Warnings

      • Ask to remain anonymous when making formal complaints. Even reasonable people may seek to retaliate when confronted by the authorities.
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      • As tempting as it may be to retaliate, it's not likely to be effective, especially in the long term. Turning up your music or damaging someone else's property just makes you part of the problem.
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      • If you suspect that the noise may be accompanied by domestic violence, or someone is otherwise in trouble, call the police immediately, and make your concerns clear. Do not try to be polite by not involving yourself.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/mar/01/please-be-quite-my-search-for-a-noise-free-life-emma-beddington
      2. ↑ https://emilypost.com/advice/neighbors-how-to-raise-a-concern-politely
      3. ↑ https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/how-to-deal-with-a-horrible-neighbor-061913.html
      4. ↑ https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/how-to-deal-with-a-horrible-neighbor-061913.html
      5. ↑ https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01017
      6. ↑ https://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/12/12/how-to-call-911-no-its-not-as-obvious-as-you-think/
      7. ↑ https://pennstatelaw.psu.edu/_file/aglaw/Pennsylvania_Nuisance_Law.pdf
      8. ↑ https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/noise-ordinance-noisy-neighbor-30308-3.html
      9. ↑ https://krui.fm/2021/03/15/how-to-deal-with-a-noisy-neighbor-using-music/
      1. ↑ https://www.citylab.com/navigator/2014/03/apartment-dwellers-guide-noisy-neighbors/8548/
      2. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/mar/01/please-be-quite-my-search-for-a-noise-free-life-emma-beddington
      3. ↑ https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/how-to-deal-with-a-horrible-neighbor-061913.html
      4. ↑ https://www.citylab.com/navigator/2014/03/apartment-dwellers-guide-noisy-neighbors/8548/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To deal with a noisy neighbor in an apartment, calmly bring the issue to your neighbor’s attention by saying something like “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the walls are really thin so I can hear a lot.” When speaking with them, ask them to keep the noise down or limit noisy hours to a certain time of day. If your noise complaint can’t be resolved between the two of you, you can ask your landlord to speak with your neighbor or file a noise complaint with 311. To file a complaint, call 311, describe the issue and leave your neighbor's full address. To learn how to avoid noisy neighbors, read on!

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