How to Make an Apartment Noise Complaint (the Right Way)

Young woman in bed with pillow over her head, frustrated by loud neighborsThere’s no denying that loud neighbors can have quite a negative impact on your life. They can make it hard to sleep, study, watch a movie, and just live in peace! We’ve provided helpful suggestions for dealing with noisy neighbors before, and even helped make sure YOU’RE not the noisy neighbor. If your neighbor hasn’t responded to repeated (and polite) requests to keep it down, then it might be time to get serious with an official noise complaint.

The Right Way to Make a Noise Complaint

  1. Familiarize yourself with what constitutes a noise violation in your lease agreement. The agreement will likely include quiet hours, such as between 10pm and 8am. It may also include general restrictions on television and radio volumes. You can also review your city’s laws and ordinances that prohibit excessive and unreasonable levels of noise.
  2. Maintain a written record of every relevant interaction with the noisy neighbors. Be specific about the time and type of noise. Your log may help your property manager (or the police) enforce lease rules.
  3. Register a noise complaint with your property manager. You may wish to have your lease agreement and noise log with you. Keep a copy of the noise complaint for your records.
  4. If none of that works, it might be time to notify the police. If you go this route, you probably understand that doing so may sour relations between you and your neighbor … perhaps permanently. The police will likely want to know that you’ve taken steps to solve the problem on your own, but with no luck. Here’s where your records come in handy!

If you follow these steps and still can’t get the relief you deserve, it might be time for a new apartment. After all, that’s the beauty of renting. You can move pretty much when and where you want! Find a new apartment on ApartmentSearch and get rewarded with up to $200! Now doesn’t that sound like (quiet) music to your ears?