Anyone who has ever lived in
an apartment can relate to the scenario: You're lying in bed
late on a Sunday night, attempting to catch a few good Zs
before the Monday morning rat race begins. Just as your eyelids
begin to feel heavy, and you begin to drift into that wonderful
state of almost-sleep, the thud of bass jars you into a state
of wide-awakeness.
Sitting up in bed, eyes half-mast in a state of nervous disorientation,
you ask yourself what that racket is, and then it hits you
... it's that neighbor who moved into the downstairs apartment
two weeks ago. She's at the beginning of what will be an almost-nightly
ritual of blaring music and thudding bass.
You try your best to block it out, but you feel your floor
vibrating as the beat runs through your head. The longer you
listen, the more resentful you become. Three hours later,
you're still awake, stewing and plotting your revenge.
And before anyone gets excited, let me stress that revenge
is never an option. Going that route is likely to provoke
your neighbor into blaring his or her music that much louder
(or resorting to nastier tactics). True, it's extremely difficult
to resist the urge to stomp downstairs and yell (something
unprintable in this story) at your noisy neighbor.
But if you're smart and play your cards right (in other words,
deliberately and wisely), you'll have a much better chance
of emerging from this situation as a victor.
Noisy neighbors are a nationwide epidemic. They're everywhere.
In fact, a multitude of Web sites are devoted to this subject.
Many renters and even homeowners use the Web to vent their
frustration revenge fantasies, and to offer sound advice (no
pun intended) to fellow renters and homeowners experiencing
similar afflictions.
In short, if you're dealing with a noisy neighbor, a good
portion of America feels your pain. And there are measures
you can take to bring some peace back into your home.
For homeowners, the first step is to talk to your neighbor
if you can maintain your composure. While it might seem beyond
your comprehension, some people are actually clueless as to
the kind of noise they're creating -- probably because you're
so quiet, and they've never heard a peep from upstairs. Some
buildings have thicker walls than others, so there's a good
possibility that once you explain your situation to your neighbor,
he or she will comply with your wishes.
If the problem continues, obtain a copy of the noise laws
in your community. Your local city hall or public library
can help you locate this information. Most cities have specific
criteria outlining particular hours during which noise may
not exceed a certain amount of decibels. Violators of these
regulations may face a warning for the first violation and
stiff fines for any subsequent violations.
Once you've gotten a copy of your local ordinance in hand
and have determined that your neighbor has violated it, write
him or her a last-chance letter (and keep a copy for your
own records) to rectify the problem. Remain polite, but state
matter-of-factly that if he or she fails to turn down the
noise, you'll have to notify the police. Enclose a copy of
your local noise law as "back-up."
Any neighbor (and I use that term loosely) who continues
to make a racket after the above-listed suggestions is pushing
his or her luck. But if that's the case, open your Yellow
Pages and find yourself a good mediator.
Mediators specialize in listening to both sides of a dispute
and objectively attempting to reach a resolution for the parties.
Don't tell your annoying neighbor about your plans first;
call a mediation service and let them make the phone call
to your neighbor. The official nature of that call brings
officiality to the meeting (besides, you might lose your cool
if you make the call) and makes it much less likely that the
neighbor will try to "weasel" out of it.
Your two last resorts: calling the police (with any luck,
they'll arrive as the nuisance is in progress) and suing your
noisy neighbor in small claims court. Calling the police is
most effective when you've reached the point where the noise
has continued for a long period of time, and you've tried
unsuccessfully to resolve the problem yourself.
If you head to court, you'll have to prove that you've had
to endure excessive and prolonged noise, that you've asked
the neighbor to stop and he or she refused, and that you've
suffered as a result (in terms of lost sleep and the ability
to enjoy your home environment). If you've called the police
in the past, bring any documentation as evidence. If other
neighbors have complained about the same resident, ask them
if they'll serve as witnesses.
If you're an apartment-dweller, you could find recourse in
your lease. Locate your copy, and find out if the lease contains
verbiage about noise. A neighbor in violation of that clause
could be evicted. When you reach the point of writing your
noisy neighbor a letter, include a copy of the lease with
the noise clause circled.
Warn your neighbor politely but directly that if the problem
continues, you'll notify the landlord. If it comes to that,
talk with other neighbors who share walls with the nuisance
or who live within earshot. Does the noise bother them, as
well? If so, there's power in numbers.
Arrange a meeting with your landlord. A complaint from multiple
tenants carries a lot of weight. Any landlord would be concerned
about losing tenants and revenue due to the inconsiderate
behavior of one. Your landlord is much more likely to confront
the noisy neighbor -- or even evict him or her -- if a group
of neighbors complained about excessive noise.
So keep your cool, and plan your strategy. Remember: If you
maintain your composure, you'll come across as the reasonable
party in this dispute ... and increase your chances of regaining
a little peace and quiet (and perhaps even a few Zs). >
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