How to Deal with a Noisy Neighbor

Unless you live in a huge mansion nestled deep within a rustic, 500-acre plot, odds are that you've had to deal with a noisy neighbor at one time or another. Whether you're complaining to the guy in the next apartment who blasts free jazz at 1 a.m. or the folks in the adjacent house who have all-night summer cookouts, here's how to approach the matter calmly and tactfully.

Instructions

1. Decide if you're being reasonable. As a general rule, excessive noise after 11 p.m. on a weekday is grounds for complaint-and perhaps as late as 12 midnight or 1 a.m. on a weekend. Unless your neighbor's music or conversation is literally shaking your furniture and causing your cat to shed its fur, it's not kosher to knock on his door at 8:30 at night and demand complete silence.

2. Try to muffle the noise. Because confronting neighbors is fraught with uncertainty, you should first do everything in your power to try to ameliorate the noise. Consider turning on a fan, investing in a white-noise machine or simply going to bed wearing earplugs (which are surprisingly good at blocking high-frequency noise, though not the thrum of a pounding subwoofer).

3. Talk to your neighbor in person. If the offending party is in an adjacent apartment, it'll be tempting simply to bang loudly on the wall (or floor, or ceiling) to get his attention. This isn't a good idea; if your neighbor is making that much noise, he probably won't hear your urgent banging, and even if does he might be more offended (or amused) than genuinely concerned. (If you know his phone number, calling is okay, but a face-to-face is always best.)

4. Speak in a level tone of voice. If you and your neighbor are complete strangers, the last thing you want to do is yell at him and point at your watch as he blinks at you from his open doorway. In a friendly tone, tell him you've got to get up early the next morning and you'd really appreciate it if he could turn down his stereo a bit. The same strategy applies if you're dealing with the house next door, though of course it's more of an inconvenience to get dressed for the trip.

5. Call the police only as a last resort. If you've been dealing with a noisy neighbor for weeks or months, things may eventually reach the point where you have no choice but to call in the authorities. Before you do this, beef up your case (and protect yourself against possible recriminations) by contacting other neighbors who are also suffering and presenting a united front to both your neighbor and the police.

Tips & Warnings

• Never call 911 to register a noise complaint; this number is strictly for emergencies. Instead, look up the phone number of your local police precinct or department.