Noise & your Community
!NOISE CONTROL!
Yelling, music, engines, children, stomping, barking. Noise violations are one of the most common
complaints in any community, particularly in mid-rise and garden-style
condominiums, though anywhere that people live together can become noisy. Some neighbors are quite considerate. Others… not so much.
What should you do when one of your neighbors is being
overly loud on a regular basis? Having
it happen once or twice in a while is okay, but repeatedly can cause stress for
anyone, in any home. There are several
potential steps to take:
- Try speaking to your neighbor calmly and directly or leaving a note. Often your neighbors don’t realize their behavior is aggravating. Do not do this if it makes you feel unsafe, as is sometimes the case.
- Report it to your management company. Most communities have what is referred to as a “quiet enjoyment” clause, though the language in the specific rule in your documents might be different. This will let the association penalize someone if they do not alter the offensive behavior, though it frequently is a slow process.
- If it is a genuinely life-disrupting amount of noise (leading to loss of sleep, etc.) then there are also noise ordinances in every County and Baltimore City. Reporting it to the local authorities can seem like a drastic step, but it is sometimes the only way to get an immediate resolution.
These are only suggestions.
Please feel free to write in with questions or alternative methods!
Contributor: Christian Klarner, an American Community Management; Community Manager at ACM 8/15/19