Dealing with a Noisy Neighbor
It’s 11pm on a Thursday night and you’ve been having the most horrible week at work. You’ve been working on a presentation all night long and you’re finally done. All you can think about now is your big, soft, squishy pillow and your blankey. You’ve had your chamomile tea and you’re all tucked in for the night ready to dream about sugar plum fairies and the land of Nod when… for the 100th time, the distinct thump thump thump of the beginning of “Bootylicious” begins to emanate from the apartment of your downstairs neighbor.
Sunday morning, last night you had a great night with the guys and your head is just a little bit in pain. You’re about ready to take your second dose of aspirin when you hear shouting in the hallway. Your next door neighbors are at it again, the very loud, very heated argument makes it way from the hallway into the apartment and before you know it, there goes the slamming door, breaking glass and much much more shouting that seems to go on forever.
Upstairs, there’s this guy. He’s kinda cute but every time you see him you just want to punch his lights out. See, he’s on a little bit of an exercise kick, and since he starts work at 5 am, the only time he has to run on his treadmill is in the MORNING before 5AM!!! Daily, you are awoken by the steady rhythm of his wannabe beefcake gams pouncing up and down on the highest setting on his NordicTrack.
I’m sure at one time in our lives we’ve all been the victim of the unruly neighbor or two. The longer these type of disruptions continue, the less sleep we get, the more irritable we become and the more we fantasize about violent actions perpetrated towards our neighbors. STOP right there. Odds are, if you create a scene or confront your neighbor in a hostile manner, your neighbor will probably be provoked into making your life even worse. There are non-violent ways to go about getting your neighbor to lower the sound levels while keeping the peace in your apartment community.
The Polite Approach
My mom always said that you can gather more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. First step, try being nice and direct with the neighbors who are creating the decibel level disruption and approach them with your concern. Try not to sound too whiney or belligerent and calmly tell them how their noise is affecting you. There is a good chance that your neighbor didn’t even realize that his nightly treadmill antics were causing you that much of a problem and he may switch to a later exercise routine. If the idea of face to face confrontation is not for you, a polite letter may do the trick and draw attention to the fact that there is a noise issue. Make a copy of any letters you write and send. Record the dates of these letters as well as any confrontation situations that may have taken place. If the polite approach does not work, you may need this documentation as you progress into the next two possible lines of attack.
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