Kids + Pets

What to do when your NYC neighbors make lots of noise—Brick Underground's best advice

By Brick Underground  | April 15, 2021 - 1:30PM 

Living above, below, and next to other New Yorkers means lots of noise. Here's how to deal with specific situations.


Are noisy New York City neighbors driving you crazy? Maybe they're playing loud music—or you're hearing fighting or abuse and wondering how to deal with it? In NYC’s densely populated buildings, it can be a struggle to concentrate if you work from home or are just trying to enjoy some down time in your apartment.


For more suggestions to specific NYC neighbor noise scenarios, read on.


Start by trying to make peace with a noisy neighbor

The most effective approach is to address your neighbor in a spirit of collaboration. One approach is to blame the noise on the building's thin walls, treating it as a building issue that is everyone's problem. Read: "How to tackle asking a noisy neighbor—or landlord—to keep it down." 

Keep in mind that a landlord or owner is required to keep your apartment safe and livable at all times and excessive noise is one of the conditions they have to address under the warranty of habitability. Find out more here: "What is a warranty of habitability?"

Troubleshooting noise and cooking odors 

There's strength in numbers and if the noise is an issue throughout the building you will have a good chance of being able to address it. Getting together with neighbors can be done even in times of social distancing—read: "I'm organizing my neighbors and negotiating with our landlord to pay half our rent."


Start here: "Dear Ms. Demeanor: My neighbors blast their television all night! How do I get them to lower the volume?" Also: "Dear Ms. Demeanor: The noise from our downstairs neighbor is making us miserable. What can we do?" She also deals with cooking smells: "Dear Ms. Demeanor: My neighbors' cooking stinks up the hallway. What can I do about it?"

Pro Tip:


Ways to dampen noise

Find out if you can ask your neighbor to install more carpeting. Most rentals and co-ops insist 80 percent of the floor has some kind of covering, either carpets or rugs, but it's not easy to get your neighbor to comply. Read: "Can I force my noisy neighbors to get more carpeting?"

For your own part, you can try improving your own insulation with rugs or drapes. Other options include pulling out some noise-canceling headphones or plugging in a white noise machine. For more tips read: "Brick Underground’s best advice on how to deal with bad neighbors."

Document and record the noise 


If you are hearing domestic violence or abuse

You may be hearing something more serious than just noise. Domestic violence is a major concern under New York's stay at home order, which can trap someone with their abuser. Here are some resources for domestic and gender-based violence survivors during the pandemic and domestic violence shelters are still open for intake. Read: "I think I'm overhearing domestic violence next door. What should I do?"

If a neighbor threatens you—know that New York state law defines harassment as any conduct intended to annoy, threaten, intimidate, or alarm another person. If that sounds like your situation, there are steps you can take—including calling the police if you are ever physically in danger. Read: "Is your neighbor harassing you? 4 steps to handle the problem." Also read: "My downstairs neighbor harasses me for being gay—and my building just renewed his lease." (The neighbor moved out soon after the article published).

What to do if you want to break your lease


Breaking your lease isn’t without risks so approach this with your landlord carefully and get legal help if necessary. Check out: "I want to break my lease because of a noisy NYC neighbor. What are my options?"
