Neighbours playing their guitars and blasting their stereo can be a big annoyance.
Listening to them practice their music while sitting in your house can be irritating.
Being unable to live peacefully in your own house can give you the worst kind of helpless feeling.
It can be frustrating and disruptive when you’re trying to sleep, or your kid is trying to study, but the music from the next door does not let you and your family concentrate on anything.
You can take several steps to make them quiet if the noise you hear falls outside of reasonable limits.
This article is about helping and guiding you on what to do when your neighbours play loud music.
Keep your cool
Keeping your cool at the time when you’re most frustrated is the best piece of advice I have for you.
If it’s the first time your neighbours turn on the loud music, let it go.
Don’t try to have a conflict with them.
You can use any of your noise-cancelling devices, such as headphones, to ignore that noise.
Having a conflict with your next-door neighbours can be the worst thing you can do for yourself.
This is because neighbours are a blessing, and being on good terms with them can also give you unlimited benefits.
If you’re too upset with them, just ignore them and try having other solutions for yourself, as I mentioned, noise-cancelling devices.
Try to keep your cool.
You may walk to relax and escape the noise for some time.
When you think your neighbours practice music at a certain hour, try to plan your outdoor activities for that time.
Plan your sleeping, working and studying hours accordingly, if possible.
Knock on the wall
If you and your neighbour share the same wall, you can just knock on the wall to let them know you’re getting annoyed by their loud music.
If the music on the other side is too loud, your few sharp knocks may descend into banging.
But I don’t think they’ll be ever angry at you banging the shared wall.
This is because they’ll know what provoked the banging, and they’ll tone down on the activity.
So next time you hear loud music from your neighbours, knock on the shared wall sharply.
Most probably this will work for you if your neighbours are understanding.
Involve other neighbours
Other people in your neighbourhood may also be affected by the noise from your noisy neighbours.
So talk to other people in your neighbourhood, if they too feel annoyed by the noise, form a group with them.
Now go collectively as a group and visit your noisy neighbours.
Be gentle and polite while you talk but also be firm.
The impact of the group will be more than you going alone and talking to the noisy neighbours.
Maybe this way, your noisy neighbours will feel how much disturbance their music practice is causing in the whole neighbourhood.
Talk to the neighbour’s landlord
If your noisy neighbour is a tenant, you can also complain to their landlord.
If the landlord understands, he will act on your behalf.
When the landlord talks to them about the noise, the impact would be more than you alone talking to them.
If the noise problem persists, the landlord also has the authority to ask them to leave the area.
You can also ask the landlord to visit your house when the music noise from your neighbours is at its peak so that he can experience everything in real time.
Another good idea is to make videos, pictures and voice notes of your noisy neighbour and send that to their landlord.
Soundproof doors and windows
When nothing else works, soundproof your home.
It may be your last option because it may cost a lot.
Maybe your budget won’t allow you but remember, nothing is more important than your mental peace.
Your mental health should be your priority.
If you are not mentally at peace, everything in your life will get disturbed, including sleep, work, and everyday routine things.
You can look up cheap DIY ideas for soundproofing the doors and windows.
Use weather-stripping tape to block all the empty spaces in your doors and windows.
Block all the space between the doors and the door frames and the space between the windows and the window frames using weather-stripping tape.
You can also use acoustic glue for this purpose.
It’s cheap, and you can also do this task yourself without the help of any professional.
Use door sweeps to block the space between the door and the floor.
Use acoustic foam panels to soundproof your walls.
Adopting only these simple strategies will help block most of the noise from your neighbours.
Talk to your neighbours
Talking to your neighbors about the irritation you’re facing because of them should be your priority.
When you think that you’ve had enough and you can’t handle any more loud music that your neighbors are constantly playing, go and talk to your neighbors.
But remember the golden rule: be very polite.
Sometimes being polite can do wonders.
You must be feeling very annoyed, and you may not feel like talking to them; instead, you might feel like banging your head on the wall.
But as said before, keep your cool.
Go knock on their door and talk to them very politely.
They might understand how much irritation their noise is causing you.
Sometimes people are unaware of the noise they’re causing and how loud they are.
This is because that’s the way they are.
They think they’re acting normal unless someone tells them about it.
So this may be the case with your neighbours.
They might not know that they’re being too loud while practising music.
Maybe when you go and talk to them, they may get careful the next time.
Get a copy of your local ordinance
You can also get a copy of your local ordinance.
See what your local ordinance has to say about the noise.
Ordinances control the times, types and loudness of noise in cities and countries.
For instance, some local ordinances do not allow the unnecessary honking of cars or dogs barking all day and all night.
You must know whether the amount of noise that your neighbours are creating by practising music every day is allowed by your local ordinance or not.
Sometimes noisy neighbours are in for a fine when they’re loud all day and all night.
To look at your local ordinance, look up at the city hall, public law library or public library.
Get a copy from there or maybe two; one for yourself and one for your neighbours.
Warn your neighbours in a written form
Next, warn your neighbours in writing if you think the situation is not improving or worsening daily.
This time attach a copy of the noise ordinance with your letter.
But again, be polite.
Don’t be rude; talk to the point and be very specific.
Don’t threaten your neighbours; make sure you deliver your point well.
As already mentioned, sometimes being polite can do wonders.
Maybe they don’t get your point if you’re being rude.
And maybe they understand the same point very well if you deliver it politely.
Specifically, mention to your neighbours in the letter that you’ll be forced to contact the higher authorities if they don’t stop making so much noise.
Also, keep a copy of your letter with yourself too.
You might need it later if you need to sue your neighbours.
The legal process will ask for a copy of your letter.
Mediation
Mediation can be a solution if things are still not looking good.
Most cities provide mediation services free of cost.
They provide an impartial mediator who will sit down with you and your neighbour to solve the problem smoothly.
Just call the mediation service and tell them about your problem.
Provide them with the details of your neighbours; they’ll contact your neighbours and convince them to sit and talk.
Mind it; they’re very good at convincing.
Sitting with a mediator and discussing the problem will make things easier for you.
Call the police
If you think all of the above things have failed and your neighbours are responding negatively, call the police.
This is because you’ve tried everything you could, but your neighbours responded by being loud instead of being reasonable.
Now is high time that you ask for help from the police.
Go and file a report against your neighbours.
Try calling the police while your neighbours are practising music in a loud voice.
But before you call the police, I suggest you try all the above strategies.
If you first try to solve the problem alone, the police will consider your situation more sympathetic.
Conclusion
Everyone has the right to live peacefully in their house without experiencing excessive noise.
Being too loud that it disturbs your neighbourhood violates the rules.
You may be very pissed off by your neighbours creating all the noise day and night but try to be polite.
The first thing you should try is to talk to them and solve the problem yourself politely.
If your neighbours are stubborn with their attitude, then only you should opt for other legal processes.
Informing the police and suing your neighbours should be the last option.
Frequently Asked Questions
1)What can I do if my neighbors are playing loud music?
If your neighbors are playing loud music, the first step is to try talking to them about it.
Explain how their loud music is affecting you and ask if they can turn it down or limit the noise to certain hours.
If this does not work, you can contact your landlord or file a noise complaint with your local authorities.
2)Is it legal for neighbors to play loud music?
While there are noise ordinances in place in most cities, the specific laws around noise levels and what constitutes excessive noise can vary.
You can check with your local authorities to find out what the laws are in your area.
3)How loud is too loud for music?
Generally, any noise above 85 decibels can be damaging to your hearing, especially if you are exposed to it for an extended period of time.
If your neighbors’ music is so loud that you can hear it clearly through walls or from a distance, it is likely too loud.
4)Can noise-canceling headphones help with loud music?
Yes, noise-canceling headphones can help reduce the impact of loud music on neighbors.
However, it is important to use them responsibly and not at volumes that could further damage your hearing.
5) What are some other ways to deal with noisy neighbors?
In addition to talking to your neighbors, contacting your landlord, or filing a noise complaint, you can also try soundproofing your own space to reduce the impact of the noise.
This can include adding thick curtains, rugs, or acoustic panels to your walls.