How to Handle Apartment Noise Complaints

Dealing with noisy neighbors is a fact of life, especially in an apartment or major city. Whether it's loud music or all-night activity, you need an action plan to get some relief.

Knowing how to handle noise complaints in apartments from both a tenants's and a landlord's perspective is essential. You'll better understand how the process works and what to expect. The more you know, the easier it is to take the proper steps and exercise some patience.

A Guide to Apartment Noise Complaints

What Is a Noise Complaint?

A noise complaint is a formal notice lodged against an individual or an operation. The complaint details the disturbance or interruption of someone's quiet enjoyment of their living quarters.

Most communities have written laws about excessive and unreasonable noise, giving you the right to file a complaint. You should brush up on your apartment's quiet hours, whether they're mandated by law, and whether they're included in your lease agreement.

What Can Justify a Noise Complaint?

While it's true that a quest for quiet won't erase all sounds from your life – especially if you don't reside in a remote location – there's a distinct difference between everyday noise and what might be considered excessively loud.

In suburban or urban areas, background sounds are expected. Things like passing traffic, children playing, or casual outside conversations is nothing out of the ordinary. Excessive noise, however, is a different story.

This could mean you're dealing with:

• Constant use of power tools
• Loud arguments
• Loud music
• Running and jumping (when the apartment is above you)
• Late night parties

It's important to note that not all disturbances can be handled by a landlord or property manager. For example, you may just have to ignore the neighbor chatting in their yard at all hours of the day or the sound of footsteps from the apartment above you.

How to Handle an Apartment Noise Complaint as a Tenant

If you're dealing with noisy neighbors in apartments, here’s how to make a noise complaint.

Take a Step Back

Most people's first instinct when dealing with a noisy neighbor is to approach them out of anger. However, I'd recommend taking a step back and collecting yourself if you feel the urge to lash out.

More often than not, this will just cause the situation to escalate.

Communicate with Your Neighbor

One of the best ways to deal with loud neighbors also happens to be one of the simplest — talk it out.

Have a polite conversation with them and let them know that their loud noise is bothering you. They may not even be aware they’re making it. If you have an early work schedule that requires quiet after a certain time, let them know that you’re willing to make a compromise.

Of course, speaking face-to-face with a neighbor might not be so easy if you aren’t a confrontational person, though it’s a much less aggressive route than filing a noise complaint.

Check Local Regulations

Familiarize yourself with your local noise regulations or HOA community guidelines. If their noise levels are outside the confines of the residential noise ordinance guidelines, you can politely bring it up with them. They may not be aware of the rules.

Look at Your Lease

When you first moved in, you likely signed a lease that contains rules and regulations regarding excessive noise. Many standard apartment leases include a clause outlining the "right to quiet enjoyment," allowing tenants to enjoy their home in peace without outside interference.

If your lease has specific terms differentiating excessive vs. normal noise or "quiet hours," you'll have a much easier time building a case if you need to present it to your landlord eventually.

Speak with Other Neighbors

Are your othe neighbors noticing the same excessive noise? If so, you can use their experiences and documentation to build a better case for your landlord against your noisy neighbor.

If multiple tenants are angry, the chance of your landlord stepping in and helping out is much greater.

Document the Noise

If having a polite conversation isn’t enough to reel in your loud neighbor, you may need to start documenting a case that you can bring to your landlord or property manager Make notes of the noise disruptions you experience, what times they occur at, and how often they are occurring.

You may even consider recording the noise with your phone, as it’ll timestamp it for proof.

Contact Your Landlord

Once you've documented your noise issues and know if the noise is daily or excessive, it's time to make a noise complaint to the landlord. They can help advocate for your comfort and enforce any issues about quiet hours or acceptable noise in your lease.

File a Noise Complaint

If you've checked your regulations and found that your neighbors are in fact violating local noise ordinances, you can have your landlord or property manager send them a formal noise complaint.

If it's a more extreme case, this might be the moment where they initiate the eviction process.

I'd also recommend exploring your community to see if there are any local websites or forums for filing noise complaints.

Take Legal Action

Landlord won’t do anything about noisy neighbors?

It may be time to take legal action. We only recommend calling law enforcement as a last resort. Try to find the number for the local non-emergency line if you can. When the office arrives, they can determine whether or not your neighbors are in violation of the local noise ordinance and what to do next.

Depending on how severity of the situation, they may present your neighbors with a fine.

Move Out

If the noise is excessive and you’re not receiving help from your landlord or law enforcement, you might be able to break your lease and move out. If you go this route, ensure you’ve documented your attempts to make a neighbor noise complaint and speak with a lawyer.

How to Handle an Apartment Noise Complaint as a Landlord

There's more to running a property rental business than finding tenants and making repairs. You'll also deal with tenant issues, like reporting noisy neighbors. Here's how to handle a noise complaint as a landlord to keep your renters happy.

Always Take Action

Even if you feel the noise disturbance isn't an issue, it's essential to always take action. Otherwise, your tenant could accuse you of doing nothing to ensure their right to a quiet environment.

There could be financial repercussions when you neglect excessive noise, depending on the situation.

Walk by the Noisy Apartment

Start by walking by the noisy apartment, preferably when the issue is happening in real time. Then, you'll have a better idea about the noise level and whether it's daily or excessive, like booming music.

Ask for Documentation

Noise disturbances are a serious complaint and require documentation. Ask the tenant to write down when the noise is happening, how long it lasts, and the type of noise occurring.

When you have a paper trail, you'll know what issue you're dealing with. Then, if you need to talk to the offending renter, you can use that documentation to illustrate the problem.

Talk to the Noisy Tenant

At some point, you'll need to talk to the noisy tenant. They may not realize there's a problem or how loud their activity sounds through the walls.

You can also reference any lease terms about quiet hours or that you have documentation of how often the noise happens.

Include a Noise Violation Clause in Leases

If you don't have apartment noise rules in your lease, you need them.. You'll likely experience a noisy tenant and need recourse at some point.

The noise violation clause prohibits renters and their guests from interfering with the quiet enjoyment of the surrounding tenants. Speak to your lawyer about an appropriate clause and what you should include in the lease.

How to Avoid Loud Neighbors in Apartments

If you're a renter, you can do your best to avoid loud neighbors with a few strategies:

• Ask to see apartments on the top floor, where you won't deal with heavy footsteps and banging sounds from above.
• Ask the property manager or landlord about the building's Sound Transmission Class (STC) Rating and stick to a rating of 60 or higher.
• Avoid renting apartments near communal areas, elevators, and on-site fitness centers with heavier foot traffic.
• Research your jurisdiction's limits on noise decibel levels

Final Thoughts

Knowing when and how to file a noise complaint is the first step to finding peace in your home. However, if things get to the point where neither you nor your landlord can resolve it, it might be time to start looking elsewhere.

Take our personalized quiz to find the ideal apartment for your needs based on your unique preferences.

Noise Complaint FAQs

How Do I File a Noise Complaint?

Here are some practical ways to deal with a noise complaint:

• Send your landlord a letter detailing the noise complaint
• Include your documentation about the noise
• File a complaint with your local government by calling your city's general non-emergency number

What Happens When You File a Noise Complaint?

If you file a noise complaint with your landlord, they should start investigating and talk to your neighbor. But if you file a complaint with your city, the police should confront the neighbor about their noise and give them a warning or issue a ticket and fine.

What Constitutes a Noise Complaint?

Noise complaints differ depending on your area and local laws or lease terms, but common issues include:

• Loud music complaints
• Late-night parties
• Loud, excessive arguments
• All day dog barking

How Do I Tell My Neighbors to be Quiet?

Talking to your neighbors could resolve the noise complaint before it spirals. Here are some tips to get started:

• Politely and respectfully speak with your neighbor in person or on the phone about the noise
• Suggest a solution. Maybe they could wear headphones or limit their loud music until they go to bed
• If you're both comfortable doing so, ask them to step inside your apartment to listen to the noise
• Gently knock on the wall where the noise is coming from to get your neighbor's attention
• Bring a gift with a nice note and ask if they would be willing to reduce the noise

Why Do I Hear Footsteps in My Apartment?

It's unsettling and annoying to hear footsteps in your apartment. When sound leaks through walls or floorboards, it's magnified in the empty space between your apartment and your neighbor's.

How Loud Can I Play Music in My Apartment?

Acceptable sound levels, including music, depend on your local area and lease terms. It's usually standard that people shouldn't play loud music of 50 decibels or higher between 11 pm and 7 am. Check your lease terms and local laws, or invite your neighbors to let you know if you're being too loud.

How Do I Ask My Neighbors to Walk Quieter?

It's always awkward asking neighbors to walk softer, but you should be direct, honest, and as polite as possible. Ask if they would be willing to wear socks or invest in an area rug to help fix the problem.