If you love living a quiet life and you are thinking about moving into an apartment building, you should know that most apartments tend to have plenty of noise nuisances that you have to deal with.

To shed some light, here are some of the common apartment noises that you will come across and how to deal with them:

Footsteps

This is likely the most prevalent noise in apartments. People walking around can generate a lot of noise, particularly if they wear hard-soled shoes or walk on hardwood floors.

If you get along well with your neighbor, you could talk to them or write them a letter about the noise and ask what they could do to make it quieter. They might not know that their footsteps bother you, but they might be ready to change.

If your neighbor has stopped wearing shoes indoors or they have already installed a rug, but the noise is still coming into the house, you should take measures that will keep out most of the noise.

If you are renting the property, you should talk to your landlord and ask them to soundproof the property. If you are the owner, you can soundproof the apartment.

Many insulation materials can help reduce the noise of your neighbors walking. These could be curtains blocking noise, acoustic panels, or even something as easy as hanging blankets on the walls.

Neighbors talking

You might be able to hear your neighbors talking or even fighting, depending on how thick the walls are and how loud they are.

Unless your neighbors are screaming, you can’t ask them to stop talking. In such a case, the best remedy is to soundproof your apartment.

You can also consider wearing earplugs or using the white noise machine that dampens the noise.

TV and music noises

It might be annoying if your neighbor is watching TV or listening to music at a high volume.

You should talk to the neighbor about the noise and report the neighbor to the property management.

If you have done this and nothing is improving, consider reporting the neighbor to the police. Remember that most buildings have a 10 PM loud music rule where you aren’t supposed to play loud music past 10 PM.

So, if your neighbor is, you should call the police on them.

Remember that they can easily say they don’t play loud music, so always consider recording the loud noise for the authorities.

You should note that sometimes the neighbors might not make the loud noise—the building might be the problem.

If you live in an old building with thin walls and floors, that might be the problem. In such a case, you need to soundproof the house so that the noises don’t come in.

Pet noises

Dogs barking, cats meowing, and other pets can also make a lot of noise, making your apartment living uncomfortable.

Your neighbor may be unaware that their pets are disturbing you, so it’s upon you to inform them of the problem. Remember that pets are highly personal, so try speaking to them nicely and respectfully so they don’t seem like you are attacking them.

If direct communication with your neighbor has failed, attempt mediation. A neutral third person can help you and your neighbor talk to find a solution.

If the noise persists and gets intolerable, you can submit a complaint to your local animal control. They may be able to investigate the situation and assist in resolving it.

Appliances

You may hear the sound of an appliance running if your neighbor is using one. This can be a washing machine or a dishwasher.

You should talk to the neighbor so that they can move the machine somewhere you can’t hear it. For example, if the washing machine is a problem, they can move it to the balcony where you can’t hear it.

You might hear the noises because the building is poorly constructed, so it’s best to soundproof your apartment to avoid the noise.

Plumbing noises

If your apartment building’s plumbing is older, you may hear gurgling or hissing from the pipes.

You can’t blame your neighbor for the noises, can you? So you should talk to your landlord and ask them to replace the plumbing with newer units that won’t make too much noise.

Sometimes you can hear the noises because your property was poorly constructed. You need to soundproof your property to block some of the noises.