High-rise living means sharing common walls, floors, and ceilings. As such, it’s likely that there will be neighbor noise. That said, stomping or loud music does not need to mean it’s time to move. You may be able to gain back some sense of peace without breaking the bank.
Understanding why noise complaints occur and reading through your lease’s quiet hours, as well as the building’s policy regarding these types of complaints, will help resolve them.
Why Are Noise Complaints Common in High-Rise Living?
High-density residential buildings, such as apartment high-rises, result in numerous people living in very close proximity to each other. As such, daily life is characterized by what may be considered “communal” noise issues.
Due to the nature of shared components in multi-unit dwellings, sound travels more readily throughout. Common areas typically create an environment that amplifies the disturbance. The following describes the primary reasons for the clarity with which you are able to hear your neighbor:
- Thin walls provide little barrier to impact noise generated by foot traffic, dropped objects, and furniture movement.
- Hard floor surfaces reflect sound rather than absorb it, allowing the noise to spread throughout multiple rooms.
- Vertical plumbing systems convey both water noise and vibration between floors.
- Proximity to elevator shafts, trash chutes, and public corridors generates constant ambient noise.
- Hallway noise and door slamming echo through shared common areas, generating excessive disturbance in individual units.
Knowledge of the architectural structures that cause this type of problem will help establish a reasonable expectation of potential noise issues. With this information, you can even better consider the best apartment floor to live on based on factors such as noise levels, elevator traffic, and proximity to shared amenities.
Review your Lease and Building Policies
Before you take a stand with your neighbor, you need to know what rules both of you have agreed to follow by checking out your lease and building policies. These rules will help you determine if the noise is unreasonable, as well as protect your rights.
Understand Quiet Hour Rules
Many large buildings have strict “quiet hours” that usually are in effect every day from 10 P.M. until 7 A.M. In addition to quiet hour restrictions, many leases include language regarding the “reasonable peaceful enjoyment” of your rental property. This means the building has an obligation to prevent excessive noise, such as loud music, during the time you are sleeping.
Check your lease for the hours that apply and whether there is a decibel limit. If someone is violating your rights to “peaceful enjoyment,” document the violation by noting the date and time so that you will have a history of complaints. Once you know what the policy says, you can refer to it without hesitation, which makes discussions with neighbors and/or building management much easier.
Learn How Noise Complaints are Handled
Every apartment complex has an administrative process aimed at keeping your home safe and comfortable. Most complexes want to allow you to talk to your neighbors about their noise first. Some buildings have a written complaint form that needs to be filled out before they will take action by sending you a warning letter. Check if your Property Manager has a way of tracking people who are making excessive complaints. Is there escalation (i.e., fines or violation of the lease) for continual disruption?
Knowing how the Administrative Process works in your community will help you make sure you are following proper procedure when reporting a problem to avoid being accused of harassing the person. If talking to your neighbor does not resolve the issue, a formal complaint on record at the Management Office can become your documented evidence. Be polite but persistent.
Bonus: When to Escalate and Involve Management
A casual conversation is usually enough to resolve many noise problems; however, sometimes you will need to take a formal approach. Once you have identified that the disturbance has continued, then follow your apartment’s (or house) complaint process as outlined. This gives both you and your landlord/property manager a clear record.
- Keep a Noise Log: Keep track of all the dates and times and the nature of the disturbance. Although this seems like an unnecessary task, documenting what is happening will be helpful in resolving the issue.
- Talk to Your Neighbor First: It’s possible your neighbor may not even realize how much noise they are making.
- Write a Polite Letter: Sometimes you may feel uncomfortable talking to your neighbor in person. Write them a polite letter. The purpose of the letter should be simply to let them know that there is excessive noise coming from their unit.
- File a Formal Complaint: Documenting all the incidents in a Noise Log and presenting it along with a polite letter requesting assistance will provide your landlord/property manager sufficient information to assist you with resolving the problem.
- Call Security: During noisy hours (usually after midnight or early morning), if someone calls security for assistance, the security officer can document the incident and present it to management.
Using a calm demeanor will allow you to maintain a good relationship with your neighbors while allowing your landlord/property manager to enforce the rules.
Conclusion
You don’t have to leave high-rise living due to excessive noise. Begin by talking politely about the noise and what is stated in your lease as “quiet time”, and how complaints are filed. Take notes quietly when documenting problems.
File your complaints through the proper channels, and allow your landlord or property manager to enforce their own rules if necessary. Dealing with noisy neighbors starts with respectful communication and a clear understanding of community rules.
