I’m sure you know how frustrating it is to be trying to sleep, and have your upstairs neighbor stomping around or playing their music.
But what should you do? Scream at them? Call the police? What if they don’t even realize that they are being too noisy and will just think you’re mad for no reason?
Well the answer may surprise you. I’m going to show you a simple way to politely ask your upstairs neighbor to keep it down so that everyone can get some rest.
One of the best and easiest ways for you to speak to your neighbor is to get to know them before any problems occur. This might seem obvious but you’ll find it surprising to know that many people nowadays simply don’t know their neighbors and rarely, if ever speak to them. By knowing your neighbors it will be easier to talk to them if you have any problems in the future.
Is it an emergency?
First of all, make sure this isn’t an emergency situation (such as someone having a heart attack) before doing anything else because in that case, call 911 right away.
But most likely this is not an emergency, so just have a good night’s sleep and then confront them in the morning.
How noise can affect you and others
There are some things that you may not realize about noise pollution… it can be more than simply bothering you because of how late at night the people above you are partying.
Noise pollution actually has very serious effects on the health of individuals and communities. It can lead to stress, lack of focus at work or school, inability to relax, and even shorter life spans.
What can you do?
So if your upstairs neighbor is keeping you up with their loud music (or stomping around), what should you do?
Well for starters try laying down in silence for a few minutes to see if they calm down after they think they have been too noisy.
If this doesn’t help, you can try going upstairs and knocking on their door.
Not confrontational? You don’t even have to tell them that they are being too noisy.
Instead, just ask if they could be quieter because you are trying to sleep. Then if they say something rude or ignore your request, just calmly leave and come back after 10 minutes.
If it is still a problem then go up there again and repeat what you said earlier.
If they just refuse to listen (or they are too drunk to realize what is going on) you can be assertive.
Here’s what I do: I go upstairs, knock on their door and say something like, “I know that you have guests over but there are other people trying to sleep at this time. Could you please keep it down a little bit?”
Then if they say something rude just respond politely with something like, “Okay sorry for the trouble then. Goodnight.”
Save your energy if they are rude
If your neighbors refuse to listen after doing all of these things then don’t waste your energy. There’s no point in getting angry or yelling because by this point it has become a waste of time.
There are some people that do not care about the impact that their behavior has on others and arguing will be a waste of your energy if they are rude.
It’s likely that, come the morning, your neighbors will apologise once they realise that they were unreasonable.
Other things that you can do
Ask your landlord if you could get a soundproofing treatment for your unit like acoustic ceiling tiles.
You can also buy these yourself if you want to improve the soundproofing of your home.
They have foam padding that absorbs the sound and stops it from reaching you, in much the same way as the padding that can be found inside recording studios and other places that seek to avoid the ‘leakage’ of noise.
You’ll be surprised at just how effective these foam tiles are and they really can reduce noise levels between apartments and rooms.
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Speak to your landlord about the noise
Depending on your landlord, you might want to speak to them about the noise pollution. Some landlords take more notice than others of their tenants’ complaints.
It also depends on how strict they are as a landlord and whether or not they enforce the rules of the building.
If your landlord doesn’t care about enforcing these kinds of rules with other people then it will be difficult for them to make an exception just for you.
Contact your local noise enforcement agency
If you are still having trouble getting your neighbors to understand that they need to be quieter, then contact the local noise enforcement agency.
Most areas have individuals who deal with noise complaints, they are often based at city councils and will investigate your complaint.
You may have to record times and dates of the noise to help them with the investigation.
It’s important to note also that most police departments don’t deal with noise complaints.
Move home
Okay so this may not be the most practical suggestion but, if you cannot get your neighbors to reduce their noise levels, or if they become aggressive, then it may be your best option.
If you do decide to move then it is often a good idea to check out your new, intended home at different times of the day to see if there are any noise problems.
Final Words
If you’ve ever been in a situation where your upstairs neighbors were being extremely noisy, then you know it can be hard to ask them politely.
You don’t want them to think that what they’re doing is actually bothering you too much, but at the same time there are times when they just need to quiet down.
It’s very easy for this conflict of interest between wanting someone else living above or below you (or next door) to keep their noise levels low and yet not come off as rude by asking nicely-hopefully our suggestions will help you to resolve the problem.
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- Why silence is the best revenge
