What To Do If Your Noisy Neighbor Is Your Landlord

Living with a noisy neighbor can be a miserable experience, but it’s even worse when that neighbor is your landlord. You can pretty much forget about renting the apartment for long, if you decide to confront your landlord about the noise. In rare cases, your landlord may see the light and change his ways. In many cases though, your landlord may retaliate against you and try to kick you out of the apartment.

Talk to Your Landlord

One of your basic tenant rights is to live in a peaceable and quiet environment. The landlord has a duty to ensure that, and if you were dealing with another tenant, the landlord would have to step in and solve the problem. That’s not going to happen when your landlord is the noisy neighbor, so you have to carefully approach this matter.

Schedule an in-person meeting with the landlord, and calmly explain the noise and its effects on you. Don’t be confrontational, just firm and professional. The landlord may apologize and promise to limit the noise. He may say you’re being unreasonable and won’t stop what he’s doing. Decide whether you really want to stay or not before you talk to the landlord. If you really need to live in the apartment, due to a work or school situation, then this is your first and final step. When you have other options for apartments, then you should still use tact, but be prepared to move on to other actions.

Write a Demand Letter to Your Landlord

If the landlord fails to keep the noise down and you decide you want to stay, then send him a written letter. Explain the problematic noise levels, the impact on your ability to live in a peaceful and quiet environment, and summarize the in-person meeting that you had with him. Send the letter requesting his signature upon delivery, and hold on to it for your records. You’ll need if the matter turns into a lawsuit.

Wait one week for a response. If there’s no response, send a second letter, but include the fact that there was no response to the first letter. Wait another week for his response. Don’t get into any confrontations with him if he knocks on the door and is upset about the letters. Try to see what he’s going to do about the problem, and document the visit or call in a journal.

Consult an Attorney about Breaking the Lease

You may have to break the lease if you cannot bear the noise and your landlord is unresponsive to your requests to stop being noisy. An attorney can counsel you on your options according to state laws. You may be able to break the lease lawfully because of a breach of the landlord’s duty to provide a quiet environment without any penalty. The attorney may be able to negotiate early termination of the lease and a return of your security deposit with your landlord.

A sad but realistic option for many renters with a noisy neighbor is to do nothing and deal with it until the lease ends. If you find yourself in that situation, try to find ways to cope with it and screen future landlords before signing a lease.