What to do about noisy neighbours? When someone buys a new house, they always hope not to have any kind of nuisance in their new home, but there's one thing above all that most people fear: noisy neighbours.
Most problems that come up in the first months of settling into a new home can be solved. With a small renovation or a change of layout, you can turn any property into your dream home.
But noisy neighbours are a hard problem to solve and a real headache, as they make day-to-day living very unpleasant.
In residents' communities, most problems arise when one resident makes excessive noise at home and seriously disturbs the others, creating tension that makes living together unpleasant.
Noisy neighbours: what can I do about it?
When you find out you have noisy neighbours, the first thing you hope is that it's a one-off and won't happen every day.
When you see the noise and nuisance going on over time, it becomes a serious problem and you start looking for a solution.
But what can I really do to stop it?
Try to resolve things peacefully with your noisy neighbours
The first step would be to go and talk to the neighbours in person and explain politely and calmly the nuisance their noise is causing you and your wish to keep good relations.
Ideally, the neighbour would understand that their behaviour, intentional or not, is disturbing the other residents and stop, so the episode stays a simple anecdote and is forgotten over time.
Take the problem to the homeowners' association
If the noise doesn't stop after talking, the next step would be to raise the problem with the community administrator and the president; the nuisance is very likely affecting other neighbours too, which allows more pressure to be applied.
It's true that the administrator has no authority, but before taking firmer action we should exhaust every avenue of dialogue to keep good relations.
Call the police
Each town council has its own rules on noise in public spaces, although as a general rule noise shouldn't exceed 35 decibels during the day and 30 at night.
So if you think the noise coming from your neighbour's home exceeds these levels, you should call the police so they can confirm it with their measuring device.
Once they've verified the complaint, they should go to the neighbour's home to stop the nuisance at its source and prevent further incidents.
Most of the time things calm down after the police tell the neighbour in person to stop, although it's also true that this is no full guarantee that it will end there.
Take your neighbour to court
The last step you can take is to bring the case to court with as much evidence as possible and real witnesses from the building who are going through the same situation as you.
If you live in a block of flats, the noise is very likely bothering many more neighbours who are just as tired of the situation as you.
Find those neighbours and file a joint claim, or at least have them come as witnesses to confirm that what you're going through is real and distressing.
Noisy neighbours in a rented flat
The noisy neighbours may not own the home but be tenants renting it. In that case, you can contact the owner of the property so they can put a stop to the situation.
If the tenants keep disturbing the neighbours, the owner can terminate the contract, as this is one of the grounds set out in the Spanish Urban Tenancy Act (LAU) for ending a tenancy agreement.
Solutions for noisy neighbours
What matters is that you resolve it peacefully or at least within the law, and that you don't start a personal war or use violence, as this can have serious legal consequences.
Many people who have experienced noisy neighbours decided long ago to live in a house and never again in a flat in a residents' community, even if that means moving to less central areas or outside the city.
Houses give their residents an independence and peace that make them the most sought-after properties on the market. Many people dream of a house with its own land where they can spend their free time, with a garden, a vegetable plot or a pool.
Others prefer to stay in the city or central neighbourhoods but look for top-floor flats or buildings with few neighbours.
Some people even meet the neighbours in the building before deciding to buy, and may rule out a home even if it meets all their requirements.
For these people, what matters is peace at home, and they never want to go through the experience of not being able to relax even in their own home again.
To make sure this doesn't happen to you, trust estate agents who specialise in the area: visit our offices and find out more by calling 695033558 or the Cruzhumilladero@valoracasa.es
Juan Rosado
CEO
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