A spacious home you live in can quickly become a nightmare if you have terrible neighbors. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do when it comes to choosing who lives next door. Neighborly disturbances can vary from your neighbor’s teenage kid blasting music at maximum volume, their dog barking and ruining your sleep in the middle of the night, their trash magically appearing up on your front yard, or them being just rude, culturally insensitive people.
However, finding a non-aggressive but effective way to deal with bad neighbors is crucial to maintaining peace in the vicinity. That said, being sweet won’t get you anywhere. Some are just too stubborn for that approach. So, you might have to take some drastic measures to deal with the annoyances they cause. Keep reading till the end of this article to learn more about dealing with or avoiding bad neighbors.
Contact the authorities in case of severe issues
Of course, being friendly with your neighbors won’t solve your problems all the time, even if you’re not in the wrong. However, if you’ve exhausted all of your options but your neighbors still don’t stop their offensive behavior, consider getting the authorities involved.
For instance, if your neighbors are racially harassing you, it would be wise to contact the respective authorities. Several companies scan neighborhoods for suspicious activity by selecting groups of people. You can get in touch with Nextdoor as they’ve made enormous strides in preventing racial profiling. By opting for racial profiling on Nextdoor, you can ensure swift action against people who cause racial disturbance in communities.
Talk to your neighbors when they are causing problems
Approaching a neighbor who does woodwork in their apartment or cranks up the music in the middle of the night can sometimes be a little challenging. They will probably tell you to leave and mind your business. However, if you know your neighbor well enough, they might listen to your complaints and how they affect you.
When you talk with them and voice your concerns, ensure that you don’t forget to tell them how they impact your peace and comfort with what they do. For example, if a neighbor plays loud music at 3 am, tell them that you cannot sleep because of the noise. In the end, talking with your neighbor won’t work all the time, but at least they’ll remain aware of the fact that their behavior is affecting your life.
Avoid communicating with your neighbors via notes
Most people avoid confrontations with their neighbors when they cause issues. They end up leaving messages on their doors to avoid face-to-face communication. Such an approach might be less aggressive. However, your neighbor might not like you being passive-aggressive towards them.
On top of that, a note won’t affect your neighbor’s behavior at all. It might worsen it more. Plus, they will end up ignoring you when you want to voice your concerns in the future.
Get to know your neighbors
One of the easiest things you can do to deal with bad neighbors is to know them a little better. Of course, we’re not asking you to make them your best friend, but a handshake here and a wave there might be enough in most cases. However, if you want to take things a little further, borrowing a cup of sugar or talking about shared interests while collecting your mail will be helpful if problems arise in the future.
Knowing your neighbors and talking with them also allows you to build trust. Not to mention, it doesn’t hurt to be nice once in a while to neighbors that you know are trouble makers. In return, they might bother you less.
Record every problem early on
If your neighbors have guests over and they create a ruckus, don’t say anything as it might be a one-off thing. However, what you can do is document these instances. Write down what your neighbors do to disturb your peace. For example, if they have a loud party at night, record the time and day and how frequently it happens. By doing so, you’ll remain prepared when these issues become a recurring problem, and you have to provide the authorities with some documented proof.
Call up the landlord
If you and the neighbor are on rent in the same building, now might be the time to file a formal complaint and talk to the landlord. So, Get in touch with them and explain how the neighbors are disturbing your peace and comfort. Depending on the issues, the landlord might end up evicting the troublesome party. But, if that doesn’t happen, they will at least discuss the problems with your neighbors to ensure you don’t file complaints every day.
Talk with your lawyer about possible options
If you’re serious about taking legal action, you must first contact your lawyer to figure out your options. Then, ask yourself whether the issue is worth the open contention and legal fees or not. Finally, if you’ve decided that legal action is the best possible solution to your neighborly woes, sit down with your lawyer, prepare a lawsuit, and take your neighbor to small claims court.
Furthermore, if you decide to take the legal route, don’t forget to inform your landlord. If you’ve constantly sent out complaints and they haven’t done anything, it might make them look bad. Who knows, they might even cancel your lease agreement. So, it is better to talk to your landlord first to avoid unnecessary legalities.
Inform the troublesome neighbors that you’re considering legal action
Once you decide to take legal action after contacting your landlord, inform your neighbors about it. That said, no need to give out every detail. Instead, notify them that you’ll consider legal action if they don’t stop disturbing you. If they’re willing to compromise after hearing this, you probably won’t need to take them to court. The fear of going to court and spending thousands of dollars on legal fees may be enough to straighten them out.
Conclusion
Who you choose to live next to might not be in your control all the time. While bad neighbors are something you would never want to wish for, you’ll have to deal with a few of your own in your lifetime. That said, consider the tips mentioned above to ensure you deal with these pesky individuals in the most effective way possible!
