STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Pepper · Kenneth Cole

Noisy Neighbors!! Help!

Hermes

always a tough one. the landlord really has done all they can do - noise from neighbors is a part of apartment living. you can ask, but there's nothing in the lease obligating the landlord to provide a noise-free environment. unacceptable levels of noise is subjective too.

what you can do is call the police and alert them to the disturbance. it's not going to help you make friends with your neighbors (since they already know you're complaining through your landlord) but some tickets for disturbing the peace may help shut them up. most cities have noise ordinances that begin at 10PM (at least they do in michigan)

cahabo · Kate Spade

I think all there is left to do is call the police or move.

littlebean · Kate Spade

cahabo wrote:

I think all there is left to do is call the police or move.

I think this is probably right. Have you guys tried using earplugs, making sure all the windows are shut, closing doors, etc.? My boyfriend is a light sleeper and he lives somewhere that gets really noisy now and then (thin walls or something) and he now uses earplugs and can sleep through the night.

Suasoria · Chanel

If it's just for the summer, I'd probably keep doing what you're doing, with the exception of maybe calling them on the phone when they get too loud. Use your sweet-as-berry-pie voice and ask them to keep it down because boyfriend has to wake up at 5 AM.

It seems when you speak with them them at the time the noise is happening, they at least quiet down temporarily.

Having loud neighbors sucks, but having neighbors who hate you because you've sic'ed the police on them might be worse if they're not just drunk and disorderly but mean, too.

Cortney1982 · Chanel

littlebean wrote:

Have you guys tried using earplugs, making sure all the windows are shut, closing doors, etc.?

Having to use earplugs is unfair. What if you couldn't hear a fire alarm or an important phone call? I'm for calling the police.

Kelly · Hermes

Suasoria wrote:

If it's just for the summer, I'd probably keep doing what you're doing, with the exception of maybe calling them on the phone when they get too loud. Use your sweet-as-berry-pie voice and ask them to keep it down because boyfriend has to wake up at 5 AM.

It seems when you speak with them them at the time the noise is happening, they at least quiet down temporarily.

Having loud neighbors sucks, but having neighbors who hate you because you've sic'ed the police on them might be worse if they're not just drunk and disorderly but mean, too.

ITA. Just keep asking them over and over. And if they quit answering their phone, start knocking on their door. And leaving notes on the door. And on the mailbox. Everything. I could see them being extra boistrous just because they're pissed off that you called the cops, and then they might be worse.

Of course, this is coming from someone who has had loud, shitty neighbors for a year now and is too afraid of the big burly men upstairs to ever tell them to shut up.

subwolley · Kate Spade

I sleep with earplugs and they are awesome! You can still hear alarms, but they cut down alot on muffled noises such as voices and tvs. Try the earplugs.

scarlett · Marc Jacobs

I slept with earplugs when I lived across the street from a very loud bar (which had no sign and was only open on weekends so I didn't know it was there when I looked at the apartment -- fun!). Earplugs helped a lot, and sometimes I'd also play an ocean waves CD on repeat in my bedroom to add an extra layer of white noise as a buffer. I was still able to hear my alarm and the phone.

Asking people to be quiet is never fun or easy, but it sounds like they responded positively the last time and may just need the periodic reminder. It sucks but at least they're just here for the summer.