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Having neighbors can be a blessing or it can be a thorn in your side. If you are fortunate enough to have respectful neighbors, count yourself among the lucky. Some aren’t so lucky and have to deal with disrespectful neighbors who only care about themselves. If you have loud neighbors, you probably want to tell them to keep it down on a regular basis. Is this considered rude?
It isn’t rude at all! Instead, it’s rude for your neighbor to be so loud that one would have to ask this question. As long as you confront your neighbor in a nice, neighborly way, it’s perfectly acceptable to let them know that their noise level is causing a quality of life issue for you.
If they are truly being loud in some way, they are the ones at fault and they are clearly the rude ones. However, there may be a difference between a neighbor that has one afternoon of loudness vs a neighbor who follows a pattern of always being loud. The former is probably an isolated incident that won’t happen very often while the latter will probably be more difficult to deal with.
Neighbors aren’t always the neighbors we wish they would be. Sometimes they act in ways we wish they wouldn’t. I’ve been there before and have dealt with noise issues a few times although, for the most part, I have had great neighbors throughout the years.
The majority of noise issues I have come across over the years have had to do with dogs barking. It seems that people think no one can hear their dog barking as long as they are doing it on their property. Let’s look at some of the main ways in which neighbors can be loud.
Noisy Neighbors
A noisy neighbor can make you feel helpless to the situation and cause a lot of angst. This can be one of the most aggravating life situations to have to deal with. This can make your life miserable and there are many different ways in which a neighbor can be loud. The following are some of the most common:
Barking Dogs
I’m a dog lover and take pride in my little four-legged best friend. However, I also make sure that she doesn’t cause a ruckus in the neighborhood and affect the neighbors’ quality of life. Some neighbors don’t take this approach and leave their dogs out to terrorize the neighbors during the day and sometimes all night long.
If you have ever dealt with this, you know the frustration. It’s miserable when you can’t even go out into your backyard without the neighbor’s dog barking at you the whole time. I have dealt with this in recent years and had to approach the neighbors at various times to kindly inform them of how loud their dog was barking. It’s frustrating when you are put in this situation but it’s absolutely necessary to stand up for yourself in order to stay sane!
How to Confront Neighbor About Barking Dog
When confronting your neighbor about a loud barking dog, it’s a good idea to do so when you are not angry about the situation. Approaching a neighbor with anger may backfire and cause the neighbor to want to continue the behavior out of spite. When I have approached neighbors in the past, I have done so by politely asking if they could please be more mindful of how loud their dog is because it’s becoming difficult for us to enjoy our home.
If a polite confrontation does not solve the problem, you may have to move on to other solutions. You may be able to get support from other neighbors in the area as well as your HOA or local authorities.
Music
Loud music is a common complaint and one of the most annoying noises to have to listen to. Some people may not know that their music is loud enough for neighbors to hear or they simply may not care and think they are just too cool for school!
Whatever the case, it’s aggravating to deal with someone who blasts their music, especially in the later hours of the night.
How to Handle Neighbors Loud Music
Neighbors who play loud music regularly are asking for trouble. This is incredibly rude to do when you live close to others. If you are on speaking terms with your neighbor, having a polite conversation with them about how the loud music disturbs you and your family is essential. If their loud music is bothering you, it’s likely bothering the neighbors around you as well.
If these neighbors do not cooperate, this may be a job for the police or other authorities that can lay down the law.
Loud Vehicles
Some people love their vehicles and they love them so much that they want everyone else around to hear them. If you live beside someone who has a garage full of cars or likes to rev their car engines up regularly, you know this noise all too well. While they think it sounds cool, you probably think it sounds horrible and this noise is an annoying sound to have to listen to.
Some people intentionally make their cars sound loud but others may have something broken that is causing their car to be loud.
How to Deal With Neighbors Loud Car
The occasional loud car sound should be no big deal but the neighbor who does it regularly or has loud car parties or comes in at midnight revving their car engines up real loud can become a real nuisance. A polite conversation might help but if something like this is being done at all hours of the night, law enforcement should be involved in helping to stop this public nuisance.
Parties
Sometimes parties can get out of hand and if you have a neighbor that likes to have people over and party on a regular basis, this noise gets annoying. This is often the case in apartments, townhomes, and other places where people live close to each other. No matter where it is, a party out of control is a nightmare for neighbors.
What to Do About Loud Partying Neighbors
Partying neighbors may become blind to the fact that they are disturbing their neighbors. In the moment, they are only concerned with having a good time and entertaining their guests. If this happens regularly, you should be able to speak with your neighbor and let them know how loud they are during their parties and you would appreciate the courtesy of keeping it down or not being loud so late.
If you have good neighbors, they are often friendly about it and will remedy the situation. However, some will argue with you, say they aren’t being loud, and might not be cooperative with the situation.
If you live in an apartment complex, you should be able to get the property manager involved.
Bottom Line
Neighbors can be difficult to deal with and noisy ones can make your life miserable. Fortunately, the majority of neighbors I have had over the years have been great but there’s always that one neighbor that ruins it for everyone.
If you have neighbors that are being noisy, it is certainly not rude to confront them in a nice way. Having a civilized conversation with your neighbor about an issue they are causing is a good idea as a first resort to remedy the situation. As a last resort, other measures may need to be taken but generally, neighbors can work things out amongst themselves when given the chance.