You’ve just made yourself a warm cup of tea or hot chocolate and are getting comfortable on your couch with a book when your neighbor suddenly starts blasting music at 11:30 pm for the 3rd time this week. You know the music isn’t going to stop until 3 am because this has been going on for a month now, and you don’t what to do about it anymore.
Whether you’ve just moved into a new neighborhood or recently had new neighbors move in next door, having loud and noisy neighbors can be a tricky situation to be in. It can put a real damper on your living conditions.
What To Do When You Have Noisy Neighbors?
While having loud neighbors can be extremely annoying, it isn’t always a legitimate complaint. Yes, you may be disturbed by their music or chatter at night, but they have every right to enjoy themselves as well. In fact, it is pretty much common to have some level of noise in every neighborhood. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is determine whether you have a legitimate complaint.
- Valid Complaint: Neighbors blasting loud music for hours on end.
- Invalid Complaint: Neighbors talking on their patio and their chatter somehow reaching your home.
Once you’ve determined that you have a valid complaint, there are a few steps you can take.
- Document the Disturbance
The best and simplest way to do this is by making notes of the offenses. Every time you hear a loud noise that you believe accounts or a valid complaint, write it down. Note the date, time, and cause of disturbance. For instance, if those roommates are fighting each other loudly for the 4th time this week, address it something like this:
- April 4, 2021; 10:25 pm to 11:15 pm: Loud quarrelling for 50 minutes.
Continue documenting all the major disturbances until you have enough evidence to show your Nashville landlord or property manager.
- Courtesy Knock
- Sometimes, you want to try solving the issue without forming any kind of bad blood between you and your neighbor. A simple courtesy knock may help you do just that. Whenever there are unreasonably loud noises from your neighbor, simply knock the adjoining wall a couple of times to give your neighbor a subtle hint.Hopefully, they’ll get the message and lower the noise. However, make sure to not pound at the wall, as this can make you come across as aggressive and turn the situation even worse.
- Pay a Visit to Your NeighborIf the courtesy knocks didn’t work, it may be time to pay a visit to your neighbors. Approach them in a friendly manner, make some small talk, try to build a nice rapport, and then address the commotion you’ve been hearing from their apartment.Striking up a casual friendship with them will make the conversation more relaxed and increase the chances of your neighbor adjusting to their behavior for your comfort. Don’t leave a letter, as that can come off as passive aggressive.
- Consult an On-Site ManagerMost of the apartment and condo complexes have on-site managers and leasing offices, and one of their jobs is to ensure a comfortable living environment for you. Drop them a visit and talk to them about your concerns about the noisy neighbors.They may be able to suggest the best course of action, or even speak to the neighbor about the issue. In case you don’t have an on-site manager, talk to your landlord or property manager about the issue. In most cases, a Nashville property manager will be able to handle the issue for you.
- File a Noise ComplaintIf nothing else works, it may be time to file a noise complaint with your municipality to get your neighbors’ attention and consideration. Make sure to look into the laws and ordinance of Nashville to ensure you’re not in the wrong.In worst case scenario, you may have to take the complaint to the police. However, only entertain this option after you’ve exhausted all the other possible means of solving the issue. And as mentioned before, make sure that you have a valid complaint before taking things to the municipality or the police.
- Do Not Attempt to Out-Noise ThemIt can sometimes feel satisfying to just start pounding back at them; to start blasting music or make loud noises just to give your neighbors a taste of their medicine. This won’t turn out well. Instead, all it will do is start a mutual tension where both of you would just keep trying to win at annoying the other.In the worst-case scenario, someone else from the neighborhood may end up filing a complaint against both of you. So don’t get passive aggressive, and approach the situation in a kind and practical manner.
What to Do If I Don’t Have a Valid Complaint?
This can be a trickier situation. You do have noisy neighbors, but the noise isn’t enough to file a complaint or even make a deal out of it. Yet, you don’t want to continue dealing with the loud noises on a daily basis. In such a situation, you can take the following steps to make things easier for yourself.
- Add a few rugs in your apartment, as they help absorb noises and keep things quieter.
- Since sound waves love to bounce around in empty rooms, filling up your room with a few pieces of furniture will create less echo – which means less noise.
- Invest in noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs. A pair of soft eat plugs will also be comfortable enough to sleep in.
Having noisy neighbors can cause an unnecessary disruption in your daily life. However, Nashville is a pretty accommodating place, and by knowing how to react respectfully, you’ll be able to solve the issue without damaging your rapport with the neighbors.
