Living With Apartment Noise

From Jennifer Lai,
Your Guide to Apartment Living / Rental.

Noise filtering into your apartment is a natural and unavoidable aspect of living in an apartment building.

Whether it's the sound of running water from a toilet flush or a baby crying nearby, it's near impossible to eliminate all outside sounds.

This can be hard to adjust to at first, especially for those who grew up in a house in the suburbs where common sounds were birdsong and the occasional lawn mower in the summer. The sounds of human life -- footsteps on your ceiling or running water — could be attributed to your father, sister or other household member.

When these same sounds come from your neighbors, it's harder to ignore. For one thing, families and even roommates have agreements over acceptable volume levels.

Neighbors may play their music louder than you're used to or let their children play loudly in the hallways.

But perhaps what's most disconcerting about hearing your neighbors is anxiety over what to do if the noise becomes too loud.

It's easy to tell a family member or a roommate to quiet down. Even if they're annoyed, you know they won't hold it against you forever. But what about talking to your neighbors? I would say this is a task most people dread and dislike, and it's one reason why neighborly noise is so distracting. We're all subconsciously waiting for the moment it becomes too loud.
Adjusting to Apartment Noise

Some apartment buildings have thin walls that don't absorb noise. For such buildings, it's impossible to expect complete silence from your neighbors. The best option is to minimize the amount of noise that filters in and train yourself to ignore the rest.

White noise is a great solution to drowning out sounds from the building and the street, because it's easy to ignore and makes sudden noise less distracting. Try using a fan or playing soft music.

Fabric absorbs noise. So if you hear a lot of sounds from the street, make sure you have thick curtains over your windows. Rugs or carpeting on the floor can absorb noise from below, and tapestries hanging over the walls can absorb noise from surrounding apartments.
When Noise is Excessive and Rude

Though some noise is normal, sounds that go beyond normal expectations and interrupts the life of other tenants is not allowed by most landlords. These include music playing at a high volume, screaming or making loud pounding noises in the middle of the night.

For such cases, it's within your right to speak up, first to the tenant, and if it doesn't stop, to the super or the landlord.