How to Have a Party Without Enraging Your Neighbors
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Version 0 of 1. Q: Last year, I had a New Year’s Eve party and my downstairs neighbors called the police. The party wasn’t wild, just 20 friends dancing and talking until pretty late. I don’t normally have loud parties, but it was New Year’s Eve! I want to have another one this year, but I’m worried my neighbor will call the police again. What can I do to appease them so the night goes better this year? A: New Year’s Eve gets noisy. It goes with the territory. In an ideal world, your neighbor would make an exception for this one night. But we all have our limits, and if your party raged into the wee hours, the people living below you might have reached theirs, especially if their night wasn’t as festive, or ended far earlier. You still have time to get this party off to a good start, and the New Year is a great time to begin a new chapter in your relationship with the people who share walls, floors and ceilings with you. Go downstairs and introduce yourself, if you haven’t already. Explain that you plan to have another party this year, and want to cause as little disruption as possible. “Acknowledge their concerns, whether they were justified or unjustified,” said Elaine Swann, an etiquette expert. Tell them that you will be mindful of the volume and do your best to limit late-night dancing (this is an apartment, not a club). Give them an estimate for when the party might end. Approach the conversation with compassion, not resentment. You may not know your neighbor’s circumstances, even if you’ve met them before. Maybe they struggle to sleep (or have children who do), or have to work on New Year’s Day. If no one is home, leave a note and include your phone number. While you’re at it, leave notes with the neighbors next door and upstairs. “You want your neighbor to know that they have a direct line of communication with you,” Ms. Swann said. You may also want to extend an invitation to your neighbors. They probably won’t come, or if they do, they may not stay long. But the gesture should build good will. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this story: Years ago, I lived in a Brooklyn apartment above a woman who often complained that I was noisy (I probably was, I was very young). I threw a big party and figured she’d probably knock on my door to complain, so I invited her to come, assuming she’d ignore the invitation. To my surprise, she showed up, poured herself a glass of wine and was one of the last people to leave. For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate. |