It can be quite challenging to deal with noisy neighbors if you spend a lot of time at home.
If you work from home, you probably want quiet during the day and not just at night.
Loud neighbors can distract you from what you need to do.
This also applies if you have a newborn baby or elders in the home as the loud noise can disrupt sleeping patterns, etc.
In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the ways you can deal with neighbors playing loud music during the day.
We take a look to see if there are any laws in place that can help and soundproof solutions you can implement to regain some peace inside your home.
- What to do when neighbors play loud music during the day
- 1. Take a deep breath
- 2. Knock on the wall, ceiling or floor
- 3. Call your neighbor or show up at their door
- 4. Contact building management
- 5. Call the police
- 6. Sue for nuisance
- 7. Use white noise to block sounds
- 8. Try earplugs and noise-canceling headphones
- 9. Soundproof your home
- Conclusion
What to do when neighbors play loud music during the day
If you’re wondering how to stop neighbors’ loud music from affecting you, here are a few steps to try:
1. Take a deep breath
It is okay to get upset at your noisy neighbor but the one thing you want to do is to keep your cool.
If it is the first time your neighbor has turned up their music in a while, take a deep breath and try to think with a straight head.
If it’s possible, go for a walk or take a break from work for just a little while to see if they stop playing after a couple of hours or so.
2. Knock on the wall, ceiling or floor
If you’re living in an apartment complex and share a wall, you can try a few sharp knocks on the wall.
You can also do this on the ceiling so your neighbor above can turn it down or your floor so your neighbor below you can get the message.
Most times, your neighbor won’t get upset with you for doing so.
Put yourself in the same situation.
If someone knocks on your walls, you’d probably tone down if you’re being too loud.
Similarly, your neighbor may realize that they are being loud and may tone it down after hearing your taps on the wall.
3. Call your neighbor or show up at their door
If your neighbor has been constantly playing music for a few days or weeks, then it is time to go directly to the source.
If you have a number for your neighbor, you can start by sending a text.
This is a great way to address the source directly if you don’t want to have a face-to-face conversation.
A text exchange can even make sure that there is a paper trail should things get worse.
If that doesn’t work give them a call and explain calmly that the noise is affecting you.
You can also show up at their door and have a face-to-face talk with your neighbor about the issue.
You can also record your conversation with your neighbor whether you call or have a face-to-face conversation.
However, make sure that it is legal to record conversations where you live.
Just remember to stay calm when explaining the issue and hopefully you can resolve it without anyone getting upset.
If the reason for your neighbor being loud is because they had a party, you can ask them to give you a heads up before doing so next time.
This way you can plan your day better.
On the other side of things, your neighbor may be particularly stubborn.
In this instance, you can try to educate them on the local laws regarding noise levels during the day or your building regulations.
If this doesn’t work then you can give them a final warning before going to the landlord.
4. Contact building management
Can neighbors complain about noise during the day?
Yes, they can.
Your apartment complex or building will have its own set of rules.
They will have specific noise ordinances in place and violating these can get people evicted.
If you live in a building or apartment complex, call your building manager or landlord to discuss any violations.
Going to the person in charge so that they can intervene on your behalf and get the issue solved is your best bet.
Hopefully, your neighbor will listen to the landlord or building manager.
If they don’t, your neighbor can get evicted after too many complaints.
If you do go to management, you can also use the opportunity to discuss the implementation of building-wide quiet hours if there’s none.
Alternatively, if you have another idea, be sure to run it by management while you have their attention.
You can also raise this discussion during the next tenant meeting.
5. Call the police
Is it legal to play loud music during the day?
This is a question that many people ask because they know that there may be laws against any neighbor playing loud music at night but aren’t sure about during the day.
If the building manager or landlord does not deal with the issue, don’t be afraid to call the police if your neighbors’ loud music is affecting you.
If the noise is creating problems with working or relaxing at home, you may need some extra help.
You can look up the noise laws in your area and see if there’s any law that favors you.
The EPA established the Noise Control Act in 1972.
This Act keeps people from being affected by loud noises unnecessarily.
It helped to establish some ground rules for acceptable noise levels.
However, it was eventually determined that local governments would need to come up with their own rules and enforce them.
This means that the area you live in will most likely have its own set of rules for how loud people can play music during the day.
You’ll find that some places will have stricter laws than others.
For example, New Jersey has noise ordinances where you cannot produce sounds exceeding 65 decibels outside between 7 AM and 10 PM.
The indoor limits are at 55 decibels during the day.
As you can, the local government in New Jersey has rules in place for those who are being too loud during the day.
Once you call the police, they will send someone over to talk to your neighbors.
Some may even show up with a decibel meter to measure the noise levels in your place and outside the neighbor’s place.
Depending on the local laws in your area, your neighbor can be slapped with fines and other types of punishment for disobeying noise ordinances.
In some cases, things may reach a boiling point and you will have to take some drastic actions.
6. Sue for nuisance
If your neighbors refuse to turn their music down after you’ve tried all the other steps above, then you can think about suing for nuisance.
You can do so if the noise is harming living things with their activities.
For example, if your dog has become increasingly restless due to the neighbors constantly blasting their music, then you may have grounds to sue.
Suing for nuisance is much easier than you think and you may not even require a lawyer to do so.
You can file a report at your local small claims court and submit any proof you have.
This can include:
- Your own recordings with different time stamps.
- Text messages or legal call or conversation recordings
- Decibel meter reading
- Police reports that may be on record
- Some sort of proof that the people you are suing are indeed the source of the noise
Hopefully, your suit will make your neighbor realize how serious you are and they’ll keep it down from that point on.
7. Use white noise to block sounds
In some instances, your town or city may not have the right laws in place to help you.
Your neighbor could be playing their music at the legal level but if it is still bothering you then you can try using a white noise generator.
White noise generators produce simple background sounds that can help to drown out any annoying sound.
One of these machines should be able to help you concentrate on getting your work done or catch a quiet afternoon nap.
All you do is turn on the white noise machine and ensure that it is drowning out the blaring music coming from your neighbor’s place.
You can check out the best fan for white noise in this post.
8. Try earplugs and noise-canceling headphones
You can also try using earplugs, noise-canceling headphones or ear muffs for sleeping.
These can be put in or on your ears.
They will help to get rid of any noise so you can concentrate on getting your work done or help you or others in the home sleep.
You can check out our best earplugs for sleeping, ear muffs for sleeping and how noise cancelling headphones work for some of the best products on the market.
Do note that you may not be able to hear much if you use one of these products.
This means that these products are not ideal if your work requires you to take phone calls throughout the day or tend to kids or elders who may need your help.
9. Soundproof your home
As a last resort, you can try to create a quiet home without changing the behavior of external things not in your control.
This will give you a peaceful and quiet home to concentrate on work and keep everyone in the home happy.
However, you’ll first need to decide if you need soundproofing or sound-absorbing treatments.
Noise travels through vibrations in the air so to stop the noise you need to control the airflow.
Any noise coming from outside like your neighbor playing music will require soundproofing products.
These will stop noise from traveling through your windows, ceilings, doors and walls.
Some of these products include:
Acoustic panels
When sounds enter a room it bounces off various surfaces which can amplify them.
Plush rugs and sound dampening rug pads, wall art, upholstered furniture and plants can all help to absorb sound.
To kick it up a notch, you can purchase and hang some acoustic panels on the wall where sound is being transmitted or the wall opposite to the source of the noise.
Try these acoustic foam panels below.
BUBOS 24 Pack Acoustic Panels Soundproof Wall Panels
- Material: Polyester fiber
- Dimensions: 12“ x 12“ x 0.4″
- Pack of: 24
The Bubos Acoustic panels are made up of 230kg/m3 high density and eco-friendly polyester fiber.
These soundproofing foam panels are great for reducing and absorbing noise.
They are flame retardant, odorless, non-toxic, non-slip, corrosion-resistant, and fade resistant so they can be safely used in the home with pets and children.
These panels are flexible so they can be cut to size and installed easily with spray adhesive or double-sided tape.
- ♬[LARGER AREA] Our 24 Pack sound panels area is extra large, providing better coverage for your…
- ♬[DECORATION] Which allows you to leave countless beautiful memories in a comfortable…
- ♬[PERFECT ACOUSTIC TREATMENT] Our acoustic wall panels have excellent absorption coefficient and…
Acoustic caulk
One of the most overlooked things in soundproofing is tiny gaps and cracks.
These tiny gaps can allow sound to filter into your home.
Covering up these spaces can actually block a significant level of sounds.
Look for spaces between your door and window frames as well as your wall.
Your best bet to cover these small gaps and cracks is to use an acoustic caulk.
Acoustic caulk is better than regular caulk because they remain pliable for a long time.
They do not dry out, get hard and fall out after a while like regular caulk.
Green Glue Acoustical caulk
- Material: Water-based Latex
- Color: White
- Weight: 29 ounces
Green Glue Acoustical Caulk is a water-based latex, UL-rated acoustic caulk.
It is formulated to stop sound leaks by remaining pliable for a long time.
This product is best used at perimeters of walls and ceilings as well as around windows and doors.
It can also be used around outlets and to plug holes.
This Green Glue product comes in a 20 oz tube and is white but is paintable after 48 hours.
- Smooth and High Quality Latex Acoustical Caulk – Water Based – UL Rated
- Specially formulated to stop sound leaks, remains pliable.
- Use at perimeters of walls and ceilings. Around outlets, windows, doors and to plug holes
Soundproofing curtains
Windows are notorious for allowing sounds to enter your home.
Soundproofing curtains not only block sounds but can also block light and stop cold or hot air from escaping a room.
NICETOWN High-End Thermal Curtains
- Material: Polyester
- Dimensions: 52 x 84 x 0.5 inches(per panel)
- Weight: 4.95 pounds
The Nicetown Thermal Curtains are made from high-quality polyester and designed to cut down the level of noise coming into your home.
These heavy-duty lined curtain panels absorb 2 times more sounds than the 1 layer of traditional curtains.
They also create a black-out effect and the sew-in black liner keeps sunlight and UV rays at bay.
Additionally, they can balance the temperature of a room by insulating against summer heat and winter chill.
These curtain panels feature no chemical coatings or formaldehyde so they are safe to use.
They are easy to maintain and require a gentle wash in the washing machine with mild detergent and water less than 86°F.
- Ready Made: 2 panels per package. Each Classic Lined Curtain measures 52″ wide x 84″ long (Total…
- Blackout Effect: The real blackout curtains on the market. Sew in black liner backing makes the…
- Noise Reducing: Heavyweight Blackout Lined Curtain Panels can be a good sense of drape, making the…
If you want, you can also use a window plug.
For more, read this best soundproofing materials post.
Conclusion
It may be tempting to lash out or take revenge on your neighbors playing loud music during the day.
However, this is a bad idea and will probably get you nowhere.
In some cases, your neighbor may not even be aware that they’re being too loud.
Take a deep and calm down before deciding how you’ll tackle the issue.
Remember, you want to get the issue resolved without getting anyone getting too upset.
You can start by following the first step outlined in this article and if that doesn’t work then move to step 2.
You can continue your way down our list if the previous steps prove futile.
Hopefully one of the steps work and you can regain some peace in your home.