What can you do about noisy Neighbours?
It’s not just about the noise itself – it’s also about the response of your neighbours to it. It could be them not wanting to be disturbed, or they may not even know they are being annoying.
It might be that the music is keeping them awake – but only if you are too. If you are the only person in your area complaining about a noisy neighbour, chances are you will be blamed.
If you get one of the 1% a$^holes as a neighbour, you might be able to get some sort of compromise. But if everyone you know is a$^against the noise, and the only way to get it stopped is to sue them in court, you will be in for a long, hard day.
Noisy neighbours are rarely, if ever, the main issue with whom you will have to battle. The battle will be about making your neighbours realise how much noise they are creating.
It might be that the only way to make them understand is to point them in the direction of a local alternative: a restaurant or pub.
Either way, try to keep the conversation moving. Say, “Hi, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the music is keeping me up at night.”
“No worries, I don’t think so. I think the main thing to do is to try and stay off your phone all night. It might help to record the noise, or at least see how many times per day it is bothering you.
Even the best rental properties can be noisy at times, with tenants coming and going, doing home repairs, moving furniture, playing music, having loud conversations, or walking across an uncarpeted floor.
What can you do about noisy Neighbours?
It’s not just about the noise, it’s affecting your health and your rent too. Get help getting your rent and housing approved.
If you get into a tit-for-tat situation (eg. they play loud music at 2am, so the next night you hoover at 5am, so then the next day they start banging on the walls, etc.) it can quickly get out of control.
If you report it to the freeholder (from whom you bought the house), they can issue a warning or start legal proceedings against the irresponsible neighbour.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 1994 issue of the Nolo News. It was adapted from Neighbor Law: Trees,
Fences, Boundaries and Noise (2d edition), published by Nolo Press. You may copy this article as long as you include
this copyright notice.
It’s 2 in the morning. You’re lying in bed trying to sleep because
you have a big meeting tomorrow morning. You feel a pounding
sensation in your head. At first, you think it’s a headache. But
then you realize that it’s the funky disco beat blasting from
your next-door neighbor’s stereo, reverberating through your
bedroom and rattling your windows.
Your first step is to talk to your neighbor and try to resolve
your differences in person. It’s hard to believe, but
sometimes neighbors are not aware that they are
causing a disturbance. Even if you’re ready to
punch somebody’s lights out, try a little sugar instead.
Your next step is to get a copy of your local noise laws.
Most localities have non-emergency police powers,
which means that they can come down and
ask your neighbor to stop making a
conventional noise complaint.
