During my first year of law school, I lived in a great loft apartment close to campus. With higher than campus-like rents and an understanding boyfriend as my roommate, I figured all of my late night study sessions would be free from noise. Little did I count on my undergraduate neighbors - with a different finals schedule than I.
I had dealt with the issue during the semester like anyone would, understanding that apartment parties are part of life. Hey, I’ve been the party-thrower, too. For some people, they even pay the rent. But, law school finals are a different game. These four-hour exams are 100% of your grade. Period.
So, while I’m not proud, after several nights in a row and several polite pilgrimages to the bastion of noise (the loft nature of the apartments didn’t help) by my boyfriend (it’s always the boyfriend, isn’t it?) I did the unthinkable. I called the cops.
Was there a better way? Probably, but at the time, it seemed the only way to get peace and quiet.
A few years later, I faced a similar situation. I lived in a condo on the third of four floors - with wood floors and apparently little insulation. While I lived by myself, there were four guys who recently graduated from college and moved to the big city. Guess what?
Even though I wasn’t facing law school finals, I also wasn’t keeping the same hours as my upstairs neighbors. Their rambunctious behavior let me know that bar time had come and gone. Generally, I’d let it pass. Occasionally, I found that the well-placed striking of my ceiling with a broom handle worked wonders (my friends still laugh out loud at thought of me with a broomstick in my hand - but it worked).
But, they also loved to have very large parties, which were a bigger issue. Add 50 of their friends to the wooden floors and non-existent insulation and you get what sounds like a Wild West stampede.
The solution? You guessed it - communication. After I told the guys how loud it was, they were a little more sympathetic. After all, they lived on the top floor and didn’t realize how loud the chuck wagon was. And, they wised up, giving me plenty of notice and inviting me to their parties.
With plenty of notice, you can plan around it. One night, I had just returned from a business trip abroad, having flown all day after a crazy trip. Jet-lagged, all I wanted to do was crawl in bed. As I walked in my condo, I saw the note my neighbors had left me the week before I left. Fair’s fair. I called up a friend and bunked at his place for the night.
For the noise-maker and the noise-receiver, there are a couple things to keep in mind. First, you live in a shared community -respect and communication will solve a lot of problems. So will understanding that noise from neighboring units is going to happen. That doesn’t mean that renters should be abusive. But, an occasional party and late-night get-togethers is expected. If you expect a completely quiet environment, you need to reconsider where you are living - it may be you, not your neighbors.
One great rule of thumb for all tenants - the Golden Rule goes a long way. (Although, it can get a bit distorted after a few cocktails.)
And, to the guys who lived in the loft next to mine on Mifflin Street, sorry about that police thing.
