Every property manager has been there: picking up the phone and finding a very unhappy neighbor on the other end of the line complaining about a tenant’s barking dog or loud music.
Noise disturbances are frequent among residents, especially in multi-family settings, and can become major headaches for property managers. Prevention through thorough tenant screening and face-to-face meetings is one of the best approaches for avoiding them and remaining on good terms with the community. However, if, despite your best efforts, your tenant does become the source of unwanted noise, you will need other ways to defuse the problem quickly.
Read on to discover prevention tactics to minimize noise disturbances and learn what to do if your noisy tenant’s behavior escalates.
Noise is part of everyday life. From children playing to neighbors chatting, reasonable noise levels are to be expected in most living environments. However, noise becomes a disturbance when its level or frequency increases to the point of becoming intrusive or affecting the quality of life or enjoyment of others.
What exactly constitutes excessive noise can vary from one place to another. For example, Charlotte, North Carolina, sets the limit for acceptable noise at 85 decibels. However, on the other side of the Atlantic, the London borough of Hackney explains, ‘Everyone’s perception of noise nuisance is different. It’s not just about sound levels in decibels but of what is acceptable,’ and doesn’t set a specific limit.
As a property manager, you need to check what your local authority deems as excessive noise and ensure you are always up to date with any changes to regulations.
Almost any noise can quickly become a nuisance. The most usual ones include:
Dogs left alone inside the property can be a frequent source of disturbances and a potentially trickier problem, as the owners may be unaware of the issue.
Late-night gatherings and loud get-togethers are among the most common culprits of excessive noise. They can also lead to other types of complaints, such as smoking, which can damage the property and increase cleaning costs. A comprehensive monitoring solution such as Minut can help property managers prevent parties by tracking occupancy and decibel levels, alerting you in real time to any emerging issues at the property. Minut can also detect cigarette smoke, helping you keep your to enforce no-smoking rules and keep your property safe.
Whether it’s someone playing their favorite songs or practicing an instrument, continuously loud music (especially during quiet hours) can make it difficult for other residents to go about their daily lives.
While sometimes there’s little residents can do about construction noise, it is always good to ensure that work is being carried out at reasonable hours and for as long as necessary only.
More than simply a source of unwanted noise, fireworks are also a fire hazard, so it's crucial to ensure residents don’t use them or stop doing so as quickly as possible.
Being proactive and taking steps to avoid noise before it even becomes a problem is an excellent tactic to keep tenancies running smoothly from the start. As a property manager, preventative measures you can take include:
Conducting in-depth screening of potential tenants will help you weed out those who have had problematic tenancies in the past. Past evictions (regardless of the reasons) are automatic red flags that you should never ignore.
While background checks can give you a good idea of who a prospective tenant is, a face-to-face interview can help complete that picture. If you hold interviews with candidates, ensure your screening questions inquire about any noise-related incidents during past tenancies or potentially loud hobbies or activities, such as playing a musical instrument or regularly holding large gatherings or parties.
It is always best to know beforehand if prospective tenants have pets that will live with them in the property. Pets can be a potential cause of increased wear and tear (and even damage) and excessive noise. Inquiring about what kind of animals they have, their size, breed, health status, and behavioral history is a good way to determine whether that tenant poses an increased risk for noise disturbances.
Understanding how a candidate’s previous tenancies went is a window into the future. And even when there are no obvious red flags on the background checks or interviews, speaking with past landlords can help you learn more about the prospective tenant’s lifestyle and character and assess whether they can be a potential source of unwanted noise.
Addressing noise disturbances in the lease, explaining what is considered excessive noise, and what penalties apply will clarify responsibilities from the outset of the tenancy. Scheduling a face-to-face chat with the tenant to review the clause and discuss noise-related rules before they move will help set expectations from the outset.
Sometimes, despite proactively implementing preventative measures to avoid noise disturbances, your tenants will cause excessive noise. Promptly and effectively addressing the issue is vital to putting the tenancy back on track and repairing the relationship with the community.
If tenants are consistently noisy and you continue getting complaints from neighbors, you can follow these steps to settle the conflict:
Having proof that a specific tenant was the cause of noise disturbances is crucial, especially if the situation later escalates into a legal dispute. Ask the neighbor complaining to document the times and dates of the disturbances and share them with you so you can track the issue. Using Minut can be especially useful in this situation, as it provides a log of all noise events that you can use as evidence to support your claim.
Schedule a face-to-face meeting with the tenant to talk about the situation at hand. Calmly explain the complaints, detailing when the disturbances occurred and highlighting quiet hours or restrictions. Referring to the pertinent clauses in the lease will also remind them that they are legally bound to the noise rules and regulations stated there. Sometimes, tenants simply don’t realize how intrusive the noise coming from their property is, so having a conversation can be all it takes to bring about positive change.
If, for example, the tenant has a loud hobby like playing an instrument or doing DIY, suggest soundproofing or work out together specific hours of the day or week when the noise will be less of a nuisance to other residents. You can also discuss limiting the amount of time they spend on these activities.
Professional mediation services can also be an effective tool to find a middle ground and speed up the resolution process.
While in most cases, a chat or two can help settle the problem, on occasion the tenant will refuse to make any changes, and a formal warning is needed. Start with a verbal warning detailing the consequences of continued noise disturbances. Follow this up with a written warning, clearly outlining the nature of the complaints, the actions expected from the tenant, and the possible repercussions if the noise doesn’t stop. Keep this as part of your records for future use if needed.
At this point, eviction is possible, so ensure you are familiar with your area’s legal requirements and proceedings to evict a tenant.
If the tenant persists with noise after you’ve given them a formal written warning, evicting them may be the only way out. Contact your legal adviser to file an eviction lawsuit with your local authorities. Both you and the tenant will need to attend the hearings and present their cases, so ensure you have all the evidence and documents to support your claim. If the judge rules in your favor, you can move ahead with the eviction, with the support of law enforcement if necessary.
Remember: Eviction should always be the last resort, used only when all other instances have failed.
After receiving complaints from neighbors, short- and longer-term rental operator Check Vienna knew it needed a comprehensive solution to help them minimize noise disturbances and parties without compromising guest privacy.
The company installed Minut across its properties and reduced the frequency of noise issues, resolving them with automated messages and without having to visit the property in person. By using Minut, Check Vienna also saw an immediate improvement in community relations, as noise events were neutralized before escalating into complaints.
Read the full story here.
Noise complaints are a common occurrence and can turn into a property manager’s nightmare if not dealt with quickly and effectively. Implementing the right prevention strategies and tools, such as Minut, which alerts you instantly to excessive noise levels, can help you stop the issues from escalating into legal disputes. And if they do, Minut’s log of noise events can be the hard evidence you need to support your claims in court, put an end to the situation effectively, and protect your portfolio.
More than 50,000 property managers worldwide choose Minut to help them minimize complaints, look after their properties, and streamline operations. Book a demo today to find out how it can help you.
