Apartment living affords a special closeness with neighbors and fellow residents in your building. While this is great for fostering a sense of community and closeness, it’s also important to be responsible and respectful toward your neighbors when having a get-together.
As long as you’re conscientious while having friends over, any conflicts or issues with neighbors can be easily avoided and handled! After all, your apartment is your home, and you shouldn’t have to spend much time worrying about neighbors while you are entertaining. Remember, they probably like to have guests over from time to time, too!
It takes minimal effort to be considerate while throwing a party, and it’s a great way to maintain a respectful relationship with those who live around you.
First of all, if you’re going to have an especially large group of people over, it’s always a nice gesture to let your neighbors know you’ll be having guests. Even if you don’t expect to be noisy or for your company to be over late, it’s a considerate way of letting your neighbor know that you have them in mind and to make sure it won’t cause any conflict.
Once your guests have arrived, keep your party inside your apartment. You’ve probably been to a party or two that has gotten so crowded that guests started spilling out into the hallway or on to balconies. When this happens, it can bother neighbors who need to come and go. No one wants to deal with an obstacle course of strangers when trying to get to their apartment door, especially if they have groceries or other items in tow.
Beyond simply being an obstacle, it can also be a nuisance for the neighbor if they have to put up with the extra noise your guests might create for them. Remember, your apartment is exclusively your space, but hallways and shared balconies are part of the common area that you share with your neighbors. So, if you’re having many guests over and the gathering starts to spill out into shared areas, try to entice your guests to move back inside.
Be aware of what the noise level of your get-together is, and always keep your neighbors in mind while playing music. Take into account how thin or how well insulated your walls, ceilings, and floors are, and factor that into how loud you play any music. Even if your party is a little noisy, your neighbors are more likely to put up with it if it’s not a common occurrence or if it’s not keeping them up late into the night before a work day.
If a neighbor knocks and asks you to keep the noise down, keep in mind that they’re not looking for a confrontation, but a resolution. Understand their point of view and take their circumstances into consideration. There’s no reason a reasonable request can’t be dealt with courteously while still allowing your gathering to continue.
Another nice gesture is to consider inviting your neighbors to your get-together. If you’re having a strictly family gathering, obviously this isn’t a sensible option. But if you’re throwing a general party, consider inviting some neighbors, especially if you could use more guests. Perhaps they’ll stop by briefly, stay the entire evening, or not come at all. But your neighbors will most likely appreciate the gesture, and even if they don’t come, they’ll be less likely to feel contempt or resentment toward your party and be more understanding of your situation.
In the end, it’s all about having fun and taking very simple measures to make sure that you can maximize that fun while still being conscientious toward your neighbors.
Even if you take all the steps necessary to ensure a problem-free party, try not to make it a common event. Pushing the limits of your neighbors’ patience with too many parties can bring about unwanted strain on your friendly relationship and can even result in them complaining or taking action with management. All things in moderation!
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
