On noisy neighbours and wailing banshees
We have all been there… the infuriating noisy neighbour from hell. It’s not just the noise but the fact that you are an unwilling captive to their dodgy taste in music which they are inflicting on you.
Picture this. It’s 8pm in an idyllic seaside village on the South Coast. The holiday season is over and you’re winding down after a hard day at work and then out of the blue, the next door neighbour decides it’s time to paaaaarty – again! Cue cheapo sound system that distorts music at high decibel, Adele at her wrist slitting best – now add to the mix the high pitched drunken warbling of the neighbour wailing away to Adele and the scene is set.
SEE RAY NKONYENI MUNICIPALITY’s NUISANCE BYLAWS HERE:
What to do when four hours later it’s close to midnight and you have work in the morning with the neighbour’s one-man party still in full swing. According to advice from Wikipedia, you should try these steps first.
- Discuss the noise issue with your neighbour. This obviously is on the premise that your neighbour is open to dialogue. Some are well … just downright rude and obnoxious.
- Refrain from using confrontation as a way to initiate a conversation. By this, you are urged to watch your tone and not threaten your neighbour in any way.
- Write a letter outlining your complaint to your neighbour if the problem persists. Again watch the tone of the letter so as not to come across as confrontational.
- Keep notes of every interaction with your noisy neighbour. Dates, times, places etcetera in case you need to lodge a formal complaint later on.
- Enlist the help of someone to act as a mediator between you and the neighbour. This could be a landlord if you are renting or a neutral third party.
- If all else fails, contact the local authorities to step in and deal with the noisy neighbour. Generally speaking, most local municipalities have a department that deals with noise control whose details can be found online.
Did I follow the above steps? No, I skipped one through five and went straight for six. As my finger hovered over that well-worn noise control number on my cell phone with a drunken wail and a last warble to Adele, which had been on repeat for four hours, my noisy neighbour must have eventually keeled over and passed out. Silence reigned supreme…until the next time.
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