Everyone has the right to the quiet enjoyment of their home. But what if your neighbour’s enjoyment is very noisy, ongoing, loud, and intrusive? This is not fair, and you should not have to deal with it.
It is one thing to have noisy neighbours but in close living arrangement such as strata living, the impact is exacerbated.
The most common noise complaints in strata are typically music being played too loudly or late. Or children and babies crying, dogs barking or wooden floors and doors slamming.
You deserve to enjoy your strata living.
Noise in strata can have many impacts:
- Detracting from peace and enjoyment,
- Affecting your quality of sleep,
- Over prolonged periods can contribute to the deterioration of mental health and wellbeing.
However, this does not mean that whenever your neighbour is disrupting your peace you should yell at your neighbour, call the police, complain to the Body Corporate, or threaten legal action.
As with all neighbourhoods, dealing with noise in community living requires compromise. It is important to remember that people are allowed to make noise during the day and it is expected. This can even extend into the evening. For the most part problems arise when people have differing opinions on what time or what type of noise in strata is acceptable.
Below we have provided some steps to deal with noisy neighbours.
Steps to deal with noisy neighbour:
1.Talk to them.
Bringing up the problem with your neighbour is the most effective way to resolve the issue. If you do not bring it up, they may think their behaviour is acceptable and the noise will continue. Sometimes, it can be as simple as they were not aware that the noise they were making travels through into your home. Explain your frustrations gently.
Understandably confronting a neighbour while sleep deprived, raging headache from music can be difficult so make sure to remember to be patient and use common sense when talking to them.
2.Put it in writing.
If your attempts to resolve the matter with your neighbour from having a friendly chat are unsuccessful, then the next steps would be to write to your neighbour. Clearly explain what your concerns are and articulate a possible solution. Do not be forceful or threatening with the note. Instead try to be specific about the noise, when it happens, how often and what the impact has on you. It can be effective to add words about how it would be great if the noise could be reduced at times of the day when it has the impact on you.
Hopefully, your noisy neighbour will gain a clearer understanding of the issue from your perspective, leading to the resolution of the noise problem.
3. Talk to the Committee
If you are struggling to amend the situation yourself, it could be time to involve your Building Management. Approach your Committee or Strata Manager for assistance in communicating with the neighbour, or to take action by issuing a breach notice if courteous appeals go unanswered.
It is important to keep a diary of incidents and copies of correspondence that can help in issuing breach notices, should this matter progress further. You might even have emails from other neighbours supporting your claims.
For community living to be harmonious, Owners, Occupants and Management need to work together. Tolerance, patience, and common sense need to prevail. The common goal should be making your community a place where people want to live, and residents enjoy living.
If you have any questions on issues relating to noise or anti-social behaviour, please contact your Body Corporate or your Building Manager.
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