04 Jun How to Handle Noisy Neighbors
Noisy neighbors can seriously lower your enjoyment of life, particularly when the noise happens late at night. If you’re in the middle of a noisy neighbor situation, here’s some tips that will help you gain some peace.
Is the Noise Chronic
Truthfully, if the noise issue is just an occasional thing, your best course of action is to probably just ignore the situation. However, if the noise takes place in the form of a weekly party, loud vehicles pulling in an out at all hours of the night, or a barking dog, you will want to address the matter.
Have a Heart to Heart with your Neighbor
When the noise levels have become an unbearable nuisance, it’s time to sit down and have a heart to heart with your neighbor. Before knocking on their door, take a few moments to prepare yourself. You do not want to be short tempered at this point. Take a few deep breaths to calm down and plan ahead. Once you arrive at your neighbors, speak calmly about the issue and ask if there’s a way to resolve the matter that makes both you and your neighbor happy. You may learn that they have no idea just how disruptive their noise is.
While you’re at your neighbor’s, try to get them to work with you to come up with a compromise. Don’t be afraid to, calmly, explain why and how their noise is disrupting your life.
Remember, the most important thing you can do during this stage is staying cool, calm, and collected.
Write a Letter
If you’ve had a heart to heart and the noise continues, write a formal letter, again using calm, non-aggressive language, asking that they do something to keep their noise levels down. Mail the letter through the post and keep a copy of the letter for yourself. The letter is the first formal proof you’ll have that you’re attempting to work with your neighbor to handle the noise. If you rent, this is the time when you’ll want to start working with your landlord.
Start Keeping a Record
Pick up a cheap spiral notebook and use it as a journal to record each time your neighbor gets loud. Make note of the type of noise, when it started, and how long it went on.
Contact the Police
If you’ve truly done everything you can think of to convince your neighbors to keep the noise down, it’s time to contact the police. This is a non-emergency call, so you’ll want to dial 311. Provide the dispatcher with the exact location of the noise as well as the type of noise that’s taking place.