A common type of tenant complaint to receive when renting out a house or apartment often regards noise. There is a certain level of acceptable and expected noise that comes from people using their rental space.
However, when noise is occurring in the late evening and early morning hours or it’s reaching a level that disrupts a person’s right to peaceful enjoyment of the space, that’s when complaints can occur and action is needed.
If you’re a landlord looking for tips on how to deal with noise complaints, keep on reading!
Assess the Validity of the Complaint
Rental property owners must ensure their resident’s happiness and comfort during the tenancy which includes enjoying some quiet time in the space. When a tenant has been reported crossing the line between reasonable and unreasonable noise, you, as the landlord, must properly assess the situation.
It’s also your responsibility to act when needed. It’s crucial that you familiarize yourself with your state law and understand what noise disturbance is. Before you start resolving the issue, you must figure out whether it actually calls for any action.
It can get complicated to decide when regular noise becomes a disturbance. For example, a lawn mower used at 10 in the morning, for instance, is fine, however, when used at 10 in the evening this would be unacceptable. You must use sound judgment when accessing whether or not a noise is unreasonable.
We at Young Management have put together some possible causes of unreasonable noise that might require you to have to step in and deal with the issue. They are as follows:
Hosting Parties
Hosting dinner during the holidays or a simple celebration with music is perfectly ok. However, when noisy parties become a regular thing and music is played at maximum volume this is considered unreasonable noise that violates other people’s quiet enjoyment.
Movements
Walking inside the apartment unit is considered normal everyday noise. However, if your renter complains that the upstairs resident is stomping and jumping around even late at night, then this can be bothersome and might push the downstairs neighbor to file a complaint.
Loud Pets
If you have a pet-friendly rental property, occasional barking and meowing can be annoying to some but is understandable and reasonable behavior a pet. What isn’t ok is when those sounds don’t seem to stop. In which case you may have to step in and issue a warning.
If your property, on the other hand, has a no-pet policy and a resident reports hearing constant barking or meowing, this is a different story altogether. Once proven that the lease agreement has been breached you need to look into the issue and address it at once.
Heated Arguments
It’s normal for couples or families to have disagreements. When things escalate and there is yelling that disturbs the peace and quiet enjoyment of neighbors, this could be classified as being out of the ordinary and can justify a formal noise complaint.
What to do When the Complaints are Invalid
When you looked into the complaint and find out that it wasn’t your tenant’s doing or turned out to be an acceptable level of noise, you can reach out to the person who filed the complaint. Share with them the results of your investigation and explain how you arrived at your conclusion.
What to do When the Complaints are Valid
When the noise complaint is valid, it’s important that you talk to your tenant and reinforce the terms of the lease. The consequence imposed should be relative to the gravity of the situation and how often the disturbance happened.
If tenants got carried away that one time when they threw a party, that deserves a firm warning. Ongoing or frequent disturbances can, however, be grounds for eviction especially when there is proof of each incident.
How to Prevent Noise Complaint Issues
There are several things you can do to prevent potential noise complaints. They are as follows:
Conduct Tenant Screenings
Prior to renting out your property to someone, ensure that they’ve been thoroughly screened. You want to rent a tenant who is going to pay their rent on time, respect the terms of the lease agreement and reasonably maintain the rental during their stay.
In addition to running a background check and assessing their income and credit scores, you want to reach out to previous landlords. They’ll be able to give your more insight into what the tenant was like at their previous residences.
Add Clauses to Your Lease
Have very clear clauses regarding acceptable noise levels. You also want to state whether or not there are certain quiet hours that must be respected. Consult local ordinances and bylaws when drafting this section of the lease.
You can also include clauses on subletting, pets, and guests. This allows you to set clear parameters that will automatically limit the risk of excessive noise and establishes penalties should these clauses be broken.
Bottom Line
As a landlord, you can protect yourself and prevent noise complaints in the future by screening your tenants thoroughly and including a noise clause in the lease agreement. You also want to make sure that you take the time to assess the validity of complaints should their occur.
If you don’t have enough time to screen your tenants and manage any noise complaints, contact us at Young Management today! We will help you protect your investment and build professional relationships with your tenants. Reach out to us today to learn more about our services!