Your last move might have happened for a bunch of reasons:
- Your new or old job required it.
- Maybe you’re moving with a loved one to a new place and starting over.
- The rent was “too damn high”.
- Or maybe, since the topic of this site is very specific, you had moved because you had some unfriendly neighbors that were causing hell in your life by being noisy, obnoxious and nothing you did made them stop and you want to prevent the same situation from happening again so you want to know how to find a quiet apartment and live your life in peace. Well there’s ways to make that happen:
1. When moving into an apartment, make sure to speak with the landlord and try to get a room on the highest floor. I have had loud neighbors from above and below and below is far easier to deal with than above.
You can’t hear their footsteps or running and even if the new place you get is quiet at first, then a noisy neighbor moves in, at least it’ll be below.
If there is no option and living below for the price range you’ve set is the only option, at least try to make sure there’s carpeting on the floor above you so least the noise from people walking will be less heard.
2. Make sure to speak in great length about the state of the building, especially it’s neighbors and if they are quiet. Be sure that your lease agreement has specified wording that ensures you are entitled to peace and quiet when you move in.
Should the landlord lie or if a bad neighbor moves in, if the landlord doesn’t take action, you can contest the paying of your rent or if there’s a rent hike with a new lease agreement pointing to the noise clause and that it’s not being handled. This can get the landlord to start taking action with the neighbor.
3. If you can afford it, move into a building that has some sort of management and security that is strict on keeping the peace. They usually fix any noisy problems and generally take more direct action such as threaten to evict neighbors who do not follow the code of conduct in the building.
4. Examine your neighborhood prior to getting an apartment there. You can usually tell right away if the neighborhood is good just by driving/walking around it. Take a walk at night (if it’s safe) and around your building as well. If it’s generally quiet, and so is the neighborhood, then you shouldn’t be fine in general.
5. Make sure that it’s not just noisy from neighbors you’re looking for, but also what’s happening outside. Maybe you’re near a construction site, a train station, a busy intersection, anything that makes a lot of noise. If you can move to an area of the same building (for the same price) where you won’t hear the noise as much, try to.
These 5 things are really great ways to examine if an apartment you’re thinking about moving into is right for you. You may not always be able to find the perfect apartment, but if something happens or someone bad moves in next door or below/above, do these following things. There are options.
One more tip that helps is that if you can get an apartment with concrete floors, do it. These are said to block out sound very well.