How to Deal with Loud Upstairs Neighbors in Your Apartment Building
Unless you’re lucky enough to live on the top floor of an apartment building, you will have someone living above you. Hopefully, they are just as conscientious as you are about how the sounds that they are making are affecting their neighbors.
If you are suddenly finding yourself in a situation where you have a neighbor whose noise level is affecting your quality of your life, then it’s time to learn about how to deal with noisy apartment neighbors. There are a few different ways to handle it. Here are some do’s-and-don’ts for how to deal with loud upstairs neighbors to get some relief.
Have Loud Neighbors? Try Out These Tips
Earplugs
It really depends on what kind of noise it is that’s disturbing you. Is it keeping you awake at night? Does it interrupt your relaxation time? Is it shaking your walls? Sometimes, especially in older buildings, it may not take much activity to make a lot of noise above your head. One tip for how to deal with loud upstairs neighbors is to use earplugs. They’re worth a shot, if it’s something you’d consider doing. But, if they don’t work, it’s time to move on to the next step.
Talk to your neighbors
It seems simple enough. If you already know them, it shouldn’t be that hard to communicate with them and let them know what you are hearing. But, it’s an awkward way to meet someone if you are complaining about their noise level. They may not even be aware of how loudly the noise can be heard from your apartment. Hopefully, awareness will create peace. Try to keep the conversation on a friendly level and hope for the best.
Compromise
If, while talking to them, you realize that the noise might be unavoidable, you could arrange a compromise with your upstairs neighbor. Maybe, they are exercising and it is causing noise, or it could be loud music at different times of the day. You could talk about what times would be best for playing loud music, mentioning your sleep schedule. If the problem is exercising, maybe they could do it in a different room. At this point, you’re still talking and hoping you can come to an agreeable arrangement so that you can get some peace.
Try the old ‘tap on the ceiling’ trick
It works. Sometimes, a gentle tap on the ceiling with a broomstick will remind them that you can hear what’s going on up there. If you’ve already talked to them, they’ll know what you are tapping about. If you haven’t talked to them, they’ll figure it out. It’s worth a shot.
Gadgets
There is actually some technology out there that is designed specifically for how to deal with noisy upstairs neighbors. Acoustic light fixtures can diminish the sound. There are even padded panels that you can install on your ceiling to deaden the noise. You’d probably need to get your landlord involved before trying anything electrical or construction related.
Documentation
If you are making efforts to communicate with them, and the noise still continues, it’s probably a good idea to start a paper trail. Just start making notes of the times of the noises and how often it is happening. It’s an annoying task, but if you have to put the boxing gloves on to solve this, you’ll need all of the evidence that you can gather.
consult with your other neighbors
Ask other neighbors around you if they are having the same issues. You may not be the only one suffering. You might just be the only one squawking. If they are hearing the same disturbances, you could get some documentation from them. You could even get an email chain going. This kind of documentation will come in handy if you have to get the property manager involved.
Avoid calling the police
Although they will come and address the issue, this really isn’t the direction that you want your neighborly relationship to go. Not to mention, there are a lot of better things that the police officers could be doing with their time. Plus, you don’t want your neighbors calling the police on you. It’s just not a good idea to get the police involved with noise disturbances. Calling the police will not be the best remedy for how to deal with loud upstairs neighbors.
Contact your property manager
You’ve tried talking to them. You’ve tapped on your ceiling. Earplugs aren’t the solution. And, you’ve had enough. It’s time to reach out to the property manager. Start with an email to let them know what’s going on. Then, follow up with a phone call. Let them know about any of the documentation that you have collected. If you have a good property manager, this should be the final solution for how to deal with noisy apartment neighbors. If not, you may be running out of options.
Move
It’s the one for-sure way to get rid of your noisy apartment neighbors if nothing else will work!
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