There’s plenty to love about being an apartment renter. You have your own space without having to shell out as much as you would if you lived in a home. Your building may provide community amenities like a pool that you would not have been able to afford otherwise. You also literally live very close to your neighbors, which can help you make friends. But the downside of sharing a wall with others is that you might have to constantly deal with excessive noise from the other side. Sometimes this can just be a minor annoyance, but other times it can be a constant, nagging issue. If the noise is interfering with your quality of life, here are steps you can take to tackle the problem.
Talk Directly to Your Neighbor
The first thing you’ll want to do is address it personally with your neighbors. You’ll want to give them the benefit of the doubt. They might genuinely be unaware that the music they’re playing or their dog’s barking is bothering you.
“The best way is to simply knock on the [neighbors’] door and politely but directly tell them the noise is disturbing and if they wouldn’t mind lowering the noise level,” says Neal Verma, president and co-founder of Nova Asset Management, a company that owns and manages more than 6,000 apartments in the Houston area. “Usually just a polite but direct discussion about the problem helps to quickly resolve issues.”
You also could try leaving a note if they’re not home.
Contact the Leasing Office
If you ask and your neighbor ignores your request, contact the leasing office. You also could reach out to the property management staff if you don’t feel comfortable addressing a specific issue or problem on your own. If your neighbor ignores it, an on-site guard (if there is one) may contact the offender. If the guard is unavailable, the police may be called. If the resident doesn’t stop, a written warning is usually issued. If the written warning is ignored, the resident may be evicted.
Call the Cops
If no one from the leasing office is available and the community’s guard (if there is one) isn’t there, you can call the police. It’s best to do this as a last resort, though.
Wear Earplugs
If your neighbor ignores your requests, you can try wearing earplugs to help you sleep.
What Not to Do
“Do not get into an argument with the person causing the issue,” advises Verma. “Please leave right away and get the apartment staff involved if it reaches this level.”