How to Complain to Your Landlord About Noisy Neighbors

While you might be the most patient person around, you shouldn't have to put up with people who violate your right to a quiet environment to live. Learn how to complain to the landlord about noisy tenants and live the way you should. 

But, it's not as straightforward as that. You'll also need to learn what a noisy neighbor is, what you can do to try and stop them, and how to file a complaint against them.

What Is Considered a Noisy Neighbor?

When it comes to dealing with a noisy neighbor, there are a few things to keep in mind. Some noises are actually allowed, and there's nothing that can be done about them. Those include:

• Occasional loud footsteps
• Occasional door slamming
• Music and television volume at a normal level or slightly higher
• Dog barking off and on (if pets are allowed)

When noises are beyond normal, something may need to be done. Sounds such as

1. Loud parties that go well into the night
2. Yelling and screaming that goes on for a long time
3. Playing a stereo at an extremely loud level

Some of these activities can be overlooked if the neighbor does it only once or twice while you live there or if they ask your permission beforehand. But, that's not always the case. Sometimes the sounds reoccur often. When that happens, you need to seek a resolution.

What Can You Do to Stop a Noisy Neighbor?

The first thing you should do is to try to talk to the person yourself. If possible, try to reason with them. Explain what the issue is, and ask politely if they would refrain from the loud noises they've been doing that you feel violates your right to a quiet environment to live in.

In some cases, the neighbor may not be aware that they're being that loud and will try to bring the sound levels down. Sometimes, that won't work, so you may need to get help from others. Your landlord is one of them.

If you find it excessive, you can inform law enforcement of the noise problem and let them talk to them.

When to Complain to Your Landlord About a Noisy Neighbor?

When you've tried talking to your neighbor, and they don't think anything's wrong and continue to be loud anyway, it's time to get the landlord involved.

But there are a few things you will need to do beforehand. Those include:

• Document all noises
• Check with other neighbors to see what their experiences have been
• Check your lease for any clauses addressing noise levels

It's important to have documentation of what you're experiencing. Make note of all the dates and times certain noises occurred. You can record the noise, proving the sounds happened, but be aware that it won't necessarily prove that it was that specific neighbor.

If there are others on the property that would've been affected as well, check to see what their experiences have been. Do they hear the noises at the same level as you? Have they tried talking to the person or people that live there as well?

Also, take a good look at your lease to see if there's anything in there that talks about noise levels. For example, it might cover certain quiet hours where no loud sounds should take place. If you note that the noises you had to endure were during those quiet hours, you'll likely capture your landlord's attention.

How to File a Complaint to the Landlord About a Noisy Neighbor

Anyone living in a rental property with multiple units close together has the right to a reasonably quiet environment to live in. The landlord has a responsibility to uphold your rights to the best of their abilities, which includes dealing with the noisy neighbor.

Once they receive your complaint, they will investigate the matter for themselves. If they find your (and others) rights were violated due to the excessive noise, they need to take action. They will have to inform the noisy tenant of the complaint.

If you found anything concerning noise levels or quiet hours in the lease, be sure to mention them as well. The more information you can provide, the better. You also will need to sound professional and leave out your opinions, which is tough to do when you're frustrated about the whole thing.

What Can DoNotPay Do to Help You File a Complaint?

Keeping all the facts together and providing everything necessary in the demand letter is tough. DoNotPay will help make the process much easier for you. With a little information, we can develop a letter that the landlord can't ignore.

The tone will be professional and will continue exactly what you need based on your state and its laws concerning this. To use our tool, simply:

1. Search for and open the Landlord Protection product on DoNotPay.

    

2. Select which issue applies to you.

    

3. Answer a simple set of questions so our chatbot can collect the necessary information to create your demand letter.

    

4. Choose whether you want DoNotPay to send the demand letter to your landlord or roommate on your behalf. If you already tried sending a demand letter and it didn't work, we can help you start the small claims court process.

    

When that's done, all you need to do is wait for the landlord to respond.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

DoNotPay can do so much more for you, especially when it comes to your landlord and what you need from them. Some of those include:

• Learning what to do when the landlord threatens to evict you
• Write a letter to the landlord for necessary repairs
• Get a security deposit back from the landlord
• Learn how to kick out a roommate
• Learn where to file a complaint against your landlord
• Learn if a landlord can evict you without notice
• Learn what your renter's rights are
• Learn what the landlord's repair responsibilities are
• Learn how to sue the landlord for your deposit back
• Learn how long the landlord can take to return your deposit

No matter what you need from a landlord/tenant relationship, DoNotPay can help you exercise your rights. Sign up for our tool and see what else you can get professional help with.