Noisy neighbours can be incredibly disruptive, interrupting your regular activities or worse, your sleep. Sadly, people can be pretty inconsiderate when it comes to noise pollution and they likely don’t know that they’re being a nuisance. But what can you do about the situation? How do you deal with living in a noisy neighbourhood? Here’s a few tips to help you out.
How bad is it really?
Before making any rash moves, take a step back from the situation and try to assess it objectively. Make a note of what the source of the noise is and its volume, whether or not it’s a frequent or one-time problem, how the noise affects you (keeping you awake, interrupting your leisure time, etc.) and what you’d want done about it. Having said all of this, if the noise is extremely loud and consistent and you think it might be doing people in the area then it might be a good idea to speak to an acoustic consultants. Companies like ANE can measure the level of background noise and assess whether it poses a danger to those in the area.
Keep records
Keep a record of the situation’s every detail. Taking notes will allow you to better present your case should the problem evolve into an ongoing issue and you find yourself needing to register a formal complaint. Keeping lengthy and detailed notes demonstrates in clear terms that you attempted to peacefully resolve the problem yourself. But how do you go about doing that?
Communicate
Go and speak to your neighbour. As mentioned, they may not even know they’re causing a problem. Don’t be confrontational or aggressive; keep things courteous and polite. Explain the facts or ask them what the reason for all the noise is. If they’re celebrating something, it’s okay to ask for when they plan to wrap up. If you have young children or elderly relatives living with you, let them know that. If they do not respond politely and you feel threatened at any point, walk away.
Escalate
You should only consider involving local authorities if all other avenues of mediation have failed (and in almost all cases, it won’t ever come to this). Filing a formal complaint is one thing, but involving the police is quite another. Do your research, find out who the relevant authority in your area is and register your issue. If requested, make sure you have all your notes and records ready to provide in a pinch.
There are other ways you can approach dealing with a noisy neighbourhood – letter writing, organising other neighbours to come with you to talk to your neighbour – and any of them could work out under the right circumstances. Gauge the situation, figure out which approach will work best and go from there. You wouldn’t inconvenience your neighbours like that – it’s not asking too much to expect the same respect in return. How have you dealt with noisy neighbours in the past? Sound off in the comments below!
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