If you live in your own or rental apartment in financial district nyc or any other place, row house, or condo, you face the possibility of having noisy neighbors. And in such a situation, loud music, late night parties, and screaming children have probably become the norm for you. 

Chances are you’ve been dealing with these issues a lot more over the last year due to social distancing restrictions and quarantine orders thanks to COVID-19.  But before you lose patience over the loss of peace and quiet and become rude to your noisy neighbors, we have a few options for addressing the situation politely.

1. Talk To Your Neighbors

Talking to your neighbors about the noise is the best option. They might be unaware that their noise is traveling through the walls to your sacred space. Having a kind and calm conversation with them explaining how their crying baby or barking dog is disrupting your sleeping hours can go a long way in maintaining neighborly relationships going forward. 

Make sure you choose the right moment for your conversation. For example, your neighbor probably won’t be as receptive to a conversation about noise if you try to confront them during their midnight party.  Just pass the time, put your earplugs in and go to bed.  You’ll have a better chance of having a positive conversation with your neighbor in the morning. 

Note: - If you are uneasy about having a face-to-face conversation, leave a note instead.  

Start the conversation with a smile and introduce yourself politely. Then get to the point quickly, and if you have small kids, don’t shy away from mentioning them as one of the reasons why you’re addressing the noise.  Most people don’t want to disturb children’s sleep. 

2. Suggest a Solution 

Your neighbors might have a good reason for the noise. Maybe they’re in a band and need to rehearse for their upcoming concert in their apartment because their TV lounge is under renovation.  If this is the case, both of you will have to compromise: suggest a designated quiet time.  An example of a quiet time policy could be no music rehearsals after 10 p.m. or no plumbing work before 8 a.m. 

Establishing an agreed upon solution will likely yield much better results than if you tell the neighbor straightaway that they can’t have night rehearsals. 

3. Talk to the Landlord

If you try the above-mentioned methods and they don’t work, it’s time to talk to the landlord. Prepare a list of the noise you’ve experienced along with the dates and times when the noise was troublesome prior to discussing the issue with the landlord so you have a solid ground for your complaint. 

Similarly, if you live in an apartment building or condo, reach out to the leasing officer or property manager for possible solutions.

Note: - If you’re not getting any response from the building manager or landlord, you might file the noise complaint with the local authorities.     

4. Check Your Lease

Normally, apartment leases have a clause that addresses noise control. Review your lease and see if there is a quiet hour policy that your landlord can enforce. And if your noisy neighbor is a leaseholder, he/she may well be in breach of that policy. Talk to your landlord about the lease and whether he/she can issue a warning to your neighbors for violating the quiet hour policy. 

5. Get Support of Other Tenants

If you are facing noise pollution, chances are your neighboring tenants might be as well. Talk to other tenants and see if they have complaints, too.  If they do, it would certainly strengthen your case and your landlord may be more likely to act since there’s a collective complaint. 

6. Contact the Police

This should be your last resort if alternative measures haven't helped. However, we don’t recommend calling law enforcement because when the police arrive – regardless of what happens next – no one is going to be happy afterwards.  Calling the cops should be reserved only for emergencies as it may have unforeseen long-term consequences. 

7. Put Forth Personal Effort

While there’s not much you can do about your noisy neighbors, there are ways you can be more proactive about insulating your apartment from the noise.  Here are a few ideas:

• Invest in a set of quality wax earplugs.        

• Cover the walls with rugs and towels if the noise is coming in through your bathroom. 

• Fill up your apartment with furniture since sound waves create more echo in empty space. 

• A door draft stopper may work like a charm for reducing extra noise. They also prevent cold drafts from coming in,  so the benefits are two-fold.   

• Fix small gaps around window frames, walls, and electrical sockets that may allow in extra noise and disturb the quiet. 

• Hang heavy fabric curtains over your windows. They help keep light out, heat in, and extra noise out, which means more quiet time for you.

The Bottom Line

Confronting a noisy neighbor doesn’t have to be stressful.  Addressing them at the right time and in a calm, kind manner may be all you need to do to get the issue resolved. You also have other options at your disposal such as reaching out to your landlord or property manager like nyrentownsell to discuss the issue. 

While there is not much you can do to change the structure of your apartment, you can make some minor changes to muffle the sound in your unit by installing soundproof curtains, using white noise machines, or adding extra drywall.  

Furthermore, if your lease is about to expire, talk to the landlord and request an apartment on the top floor of the building. While it may not keep your neighbors from making noise, it would greatly reduce the amount of noise that can disturb your sleep.