How to Deal With Your Annoying Neighbors

The art of negotiation doesn't always come easy for everyone, and dealing with neighbors is a fact of life for most of us. If you're unlucky enough to have annoying neighbors and not be able to talk to them, it can make your life a living hell. Follow these steps to a better night sleep, and maybe even a new friendship.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A smile, kind but firm words, and maybe a pen and paper

1. Contact your neighbor if they're making too much noise or disrespecting your property. Usually a knock on the door works better than banging on an adjoining wall or slipping a note under the door. They'll respect you more if you talk to them face to face.

2. Say hello, and call them by name if possible. Apologize for bothering them to show that you're polite, and then bring up something positive to say about them like: "Hey I noticed you're a big Led Zeppelin fan, love that "Whole Lotta Love" song, but....
   or: "Wow, you've really done a lot with this space, but..." and then tell them why you're there.

3. Ask them nicely to quiet down and explain why you need to: get a good night's sleep= I work early in the morning (or anything applicable). If they know you have a reason behind your interruption, then they'll less likely be mad at you. If you start yelling, ranting and raving, they're more likely to follow suit and then resent you, and will be less likely to listen to you. Let them know about any city noise ordinances they may not be aware of.

4. Ask them if they'd be willing to comply with your request. If they say yes, then thank them, offer your contact information in case they need to reach you for any reason, and get their phone number if you don't already have it. This way, you won't have to always knock on their door if they're being loud again. If they don't comply, ask them why, explain your situation again, and then you may need to call in reinforcements to remedy the problem (landlord, another neighbor or police).

5. 
    

   If they agree to quiet down, say thank you and smile. Hopefully they'll respect you enough to comply with your wishes and you won't have to deal with them in this situation again. Never act accusatory, use foul language, and try to keep threats to a minimum. You need to get your point across, but you don't want them to resent you and disrespect you again. Who knows, maybe you'll even get along and have drinks sometime?

Tips & Warnings

• If your neighbor is doing something illegal, report it to authorities. Be fearful of your safety, but remember that enough complaints can sometimes get an annoying neighbor evicted.

[zahzel]

on 5/6/2009 If u live in a rural area cops won't go to their house.Get a locking mailbos.