Have you ever lived close to Unilag hostels? Or do you have to put up with neighbors that make so much noise? Maybe fighting couples, or youths that throw their windows open and play loud music, or college students that won’t stop bringing loads of noisy friends over…
I know, it can be frustrating especially when you come home looking forward to a quiet rest or study time, a safe haven where you can just disappear from the world’s drama; I can imagine how insane it would be for your neighbors to choose such time to play loud music or fight, or have kids that won’t stop screaming. So whether you are dealing with musically-inclined, argumentative, party people, or “local-warriors” in ‘face me I face you’, you might need to bear these few tips in mind.
Are you sure you can fight?
Lol. Sounds funny yea?
Trust me, there are days you just can’t bear it anymore and you would be compelled by your emotions to react by confronting them; DON’T. Within your environment, a certain level of noise is expected. If your neighbors are a family with infants or young children, be prepared for crying, screaming, and laughter.
Before deciding to move forward with confronting or reporting your noisy neighbors, it’s important to determine whether the battle is worth fighting. You might be lucky, some neighbors might take your plight into consideration and watch how much noise they make or how loud they converse with their friends or kids; on the other hand, some might be defensive… weigh your chances.
Whether you live in a complex with thin walls or a townhouse with next-door neighbors, you’re part of a community.
Approach them gently
Communication, as they say, is KEY. Talk to them; man to man, woman to woman, youth to youth. Present to them calmly how much their noise making disrupts your peace and how best they can remedy the situation.
Avoid seeming confrontational, that could make their reasoning tough and defensive, and at the end of the day, a simple complaint can end up as WWE. If the conversation gets heated, and your argument turns to an all-out screaming match, walk away and leave it be. If they can’t reason with your civilized approach, then they would definitely not stop making noise.
File a noise complaint
This could only work for people in modern areas. You could report to your landlord or estate committees. Some estates have strict no-noise policies. So if you live in the same complex, you may want to register a complaint with your landlord. If your neighbor lives in the next building but within an estate, you can file a complaint with the committee.
Come up with a compromise
Compromises could be hard, but you know, they are your neighbors. You never know when you might get into trouble and would need their help or shoulder to lean on. You have to be at peace with everyone especially within your immediate environment.
So sometimes you may have to look past the annoying instrumentalist that rehearses through the midnight, or college girls that gossip loudly, or youths that throw loud parties or really noisy-screamy kids that just won’t stop yelling. Embrace them, and count it all as love and one.
