We wish all neighbors were considerate about the noise they create, but not all of them are. Try talking to noisy neighbors before calling your landlord.
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We all know that when it comes to apartment living you don’t necessarily get to pick your direct neighbor, unless you have some sort of ties with the NSA and amazing hacking skills. If we could pick our neighbor I’m sure it would be someone who enjoyed the sound of heavy feet at 3:00 AM and abrupt masculine cheering during football season. Or maybe we would pick someone who is as quite as a mouse and enjoyed sharing freshly baked goods three times a week. Either way, we would probably have better chances scoring a date on the moon with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. But what if I told you that it was okay to be a noisy neighbor?
Of course there’s a catch! It’s called “Communication”. Maybe social media has something to do with it, but regardless, we have lost our verbal and handwritten communication skills. Taking things back to basics with your neighbors can open up a million opportunities. For example, you work nights and are aware that your clumsy cat knocks over everything fueled by separation anxiety. You tell yourself that you should make your downstairs neighbor aware of this but never find the chance. Excuses, excuses… Say it with me,” No. More. Excuses”. The right thing to do is simply write a hand written note with the information to avoid any unspoken awkwardness or an unexpected call from your landlord about your feline’s late night pity parties. If you want to be extra awesome, enclose a gift card to Starbucks and apologize for any interrupted sleep. Your neighbor will LOVE you! You may just find that they have a cat too and completely understand. Y’all may even become BFF’s. Okay, maybe we won’t go that far… but hey, it could happen.
What if my handwriting is bad or if I can’t find a piece of paper you ask? Well here’s your chance to use your verbal judo skills. Take preventative action by introducing yourself. Let your neighbor know that they are welcomed to inform you at any time they feel you’re being too rowdy. This is a great time to be open and honest about any foreseen disturbances they may encounter with you. Such as your Friday night wine parties or your lunch time Jazzercise routines. You would be amazed on how you can defuse a feud or a broom to the ceiling just by making your neighbor aware of the commotion coming from your home. Also, be open to making a new friend and invite them over to one of your gatherings. They may have some pretty cool shin digs they’ll invite you over for too.
Get back to basics and open up conversations between you and your neighbors to defuse future disturbance issues.
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I do have to share this real life example of how to be a great neighbor. A resident of Camden was having a surprise birthday/serving party for a returning military friend in her apartment. All of her neighbors received a very special note on their door earlier that week. It gave the reason, date and hours of when and why they may hear a little extra noise coming from their home. But that wasn’t all. The note also included movie tickets to the local Alamo Draft house to be redeemed on the night of the party or any night before a specified date. She concluded with her contact information should there be any issues.
What a perfect example of how to be a proactive neighbor. Communication is a simple and effective tool that should be practiced when living in an apartment community. So whether you are familiar and understanding of the common noises that come with apartment living or maybe new to it, it’s always a good idea to have that open communication with the people around you. This allows you to enjoy your home without feeling the brewing temper from the neighbor next door. So yes, you can be noisy as long as you show a sincere respect for all that reside around you.
