Hello CasaSugar,
I was wondering if you would have any advice on dealing with noisy upstairs neighbors in an apartment complex. I've already spoken to them about it, but honestly, it's not their fault! The noise isn't music or anything, it's just that the ceiling is so horrifically thin that I can hear every step they take (I live below two guys) as if they were wearing lead boots! Whenever they push a chair in or something, it makes a horrible screeching sound that shakes my walls. And when I'm not in college, I live in a house with five energetic kids, so it's not like I'm just over-sensitive to the noise!
It's disrupting my rest to the point where I can't sleep until they do, which is at 2 or 3 in the morning. Is there anything I can do to make my nights peaceful again?
Thanks!
Amy
To see my advice, read more.
Hi Amy,
What a stressful situation! Not getting enough sleep must be wearing you thin. I have several suggestions. I'd start with the first one, and then work my way to the final one, considering it your last resort.
- Even though you've already talked to your neighbors, start another friendly dialogue with them. Do not be confrontational (in fact, taking them a basket of cookies might be a way to start things off on the right foot). Ask them if they've noticed any noise from you, or from other neighbors. Then, explain that even though you know they're trying to be quiet at night (say this even if they are not attempting to be quiet), you still can't sleep until they do because of noise.
- Then, suggest they try techniques such as only wearing socks while inside, remembering to walk quietly, and putting throw rugs down to muffle the foot traffic noise. Tell them what time you try to go to bed, and then ask them if they can be especially conscientious of noise after that time.
- Invest in ear plugs or a sound machine to drown out any noise.
- Consider moving your bed and/or bedroom so it's out of the direct path of overhead traffic.
- If your neighbors continue their late-night noisiness, give them a ring to ask them to keep things down.
- Check out these tips for soundproofing a ceiling from the site Soundproofing America. See if your landlord would be willing to soundproof your ceiling, or compensate you for your time and cost of materials.
- If none of these things work, call your landlord to see about getting a rent reduction due to the problem, or see if you can move to another apartment in the building.
I hope this helps!
Wishing you tranquil sleeping,
Casa
Aminaka Wilmont
Net-a-Porter
Bunny Hug
A lot of places have an "80% rule" where 80% of your hardwood must be covered by carpet. See if your complex does, and then ask the management to have them comply.
1I was going to add to that- perhaps your neighbors can consider adding a carpet or plush rug? That will absorb some noise.
2I had this exact problem a little over a year ago. The guy living above me was so loud and it wasn't his fault...just very thin walls. The bigger problem was that he worked really weird hours...he would come home about 1am (which would wake me up) and be up until 7am! I had to wear earplugs to sleep! I begged my landlord to carpet the upstairs apartment, but he wouldn't....so I moved.
3Good tips! Although a noisy neighbors situation can happen anywhere, this is one of the main reasons why I choose not to live in an apt.
4I can actually hear the people who live BELOW me, I don't even know what the problem is there. It's insane though!!
5aimeeb - I have the same problem. The girls below me are SO loud - 24/7. We politely asked them several times if they could keep the noise volume down (they are constantly screaming, giggling, and slamming doors). The first time we went to their door and they laughed at us and slammed the door on our faces. They were incredibly rude. Thankfully this gave us no reservations the next time they were loud at 3am and we called the cops. They've been pretty quiet since then.
6Ugh, I so feel your pain! I have the same problem with my neigbors, but I actually hate them with a passion and try to figure out ways to get them evicted. I am in law school so I am using my knowledge of landlord tenet law to see if I can make my landlord do anything about it. But thats because when I nicely asked them to keep down the noise they were rude and refused to do so on more than one occasion. They blare their music, have some kid or someone who rolls stuff across the hard wood floor, and once they even had a party where like their whole entire family was there in what is a pretty small apartment, blaring mariachi music and dancing above my head, again on a hardwood floor, until after 1 in the morning.
wow, i just needed to vent and get that out lol. but i am seriously going to look into that ceiling soundproofing thing...
7I was JUST about to suggest soundproofing the ceiling and then I saw Casa had it on there!
If you've already talked to them about it, even if they're trying, I don't think much is going to change. Soundproofing the ceiling might be the only way if you plan on staying in that apartment, unless you're going to be moving out fairly soon.
8I was JUST about to suggest soundproofing the ceiling and then I saw Casa had it on there!
If you've already talked to them about it, even if they're trying, I don't think much is going to change. Soundproofing the ceiling might be the only way if you plan on staying in that apartment, unless you're going to be moving out fairly soon.
9great topic. have the same problem, although it's not necessarily keeping me up, it's just annoying. they have 2 small children that roll things across the floor, there's a lot of running (although that was there before the kids, lol), plus the sliding/screeching chairs. they also had some sort of weird drum party thing for a while too.
I've felt weird about approaching them at all, because, for the most part it ends at a reasonable hour so i feel like i should let it go. but man, they're pretty small people, i just can't believe how loud they are!
10that sucks! its just old houses/floors! in college we lived in a duplex and the boys below us would always whine about our heels on the hard wood...then one night i was waiting downstairs and my roommates were upstairs in their heels--it sounded like a herd of horses! NO JOKE! but there was nothing we could do, we stopped wearing shoes inside, but it was still loud, it just sucked for everyone involved!
since college ive lived on the top floor for this reason!
11Jesus you guys are some difficult neighbors to please! I have been an apartment-dweller for a decade now, and I guess I just kind of see neighbor noise as part of the deal when you're living in an apartment building. I get it being invasive if it's interrupting your sleep, but some foot traffic/kid playing noise? That's part of apartment living. I
'm realizing now that I'm probably seriously pissing my neighbors off when we blast music during cleaning hours (1-4 on weekends), although nobody's said anything... yet.
12if they're making noise during normal daytime hours, i don't see a problem. but my upstairs neighbor has, i think, absolutely no carpet/rugs in her entire condo. i don't hear anything when she's not wearing shoes, but i swear she hardly ever takes her heels off! she'll come home at 3am and walk the length of the condo at least 20 or 30 times! i need to check the association rules, but i'm pretty sure there's one of those 80/20 rules in there.
13I cringe for our downstairs neighbors in the morning. My dogs go crazy for breakfast and jump around the apartment. One always manages to miss the carpets and spin circles on the wood floor, with her nails making a ton of noise. They haven't said anything, and their apartment it set up like ours so she is dancing over their living room, not their bedroom... but it I know it is sooo loud! I try to get them fed asap but it still takes a couple minutes at least. Luckily they don't bark at all, so the other neighbors really like them.
14These are great tips. I happen to be lucky and I get along great with the people who live next door to me. We recently had people move in below us and they smoke inside and the smell is pouring into the hallway and our apartments - does any one have a suggestion for this?
15I would rather be on the bottom listening to the noise above — it's so stressful being the person who gets yelled at! We luckily live above a garage, and have had so many different neighbors movie in and out of the place above, some silent, some with elephant feet. My main solution is to pray that they get rugs and have just come to accept that this is apartment living.
16I had a problem like that too but it also involved how much my landlord favored the people above me. my roommates room was what the living room was and whenever she would play music, not too loud they would complain, or when we would talk on our porch they would complain and jump on the floor to get us to stop. but when they had a superbowl party above us and made all this noise my roommate got a broom and hit the ceiling. they would complain that we disrupted thier party and my landlord scolded us for it. totally unfair but the point is do u think maybe what your doing they could hear? i would make a point to them about to keep the noise down and ask if you do the same to them. it shows you are willing help them and they help you. and talk to your landlord.
17hahahah kismekate thats an awesome story
18my upstairs neighbors are aholes!!!! they act like animals!!
19i really hate these animals and yes i call them animals because they are!!!!!!!!!! they very rude!! when i complain they just get louder and louder!!!! the landlords dont do anything because all they care about is the rent!!!! they should go live in the jungle with all the other animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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