Speaking with your noisy neighbor: If you don’t want to waste good money on soundproofing and would like to thrash out the issue with your neighbor, by all means do so. However, don’t approach him if you feel he could be violent. If you do approach him, wait until a suitable time. Just don’t go rushing to him complaining about the noise when it’s actually happening. Chances are he’d be drunk or partying hard and will be in no mood to talk, and may even interpret it as your spoiling his fun. So, it is best to approach him when all is calm and quiet, and he seems in a receptive mood. Be friendly and approach him without anger or excess emotion. Try hard to keep the conversation light hearted and friendly. It may be that there is a situation that you’re unaware of and this could clear the air between the two of you. The worst thing you can do is to disgorge all your pent-up resentment, harbored throughout the months of sleepless nights, in one go. You may be surprised to know that, more often than not, your neighbor may not even be aware of the nuisance that he is creating. You can, through an attitude of helpful cooperation, mutually agree upon an acceptable period of high volume. You may even persuade him to keep the noise level down at all times. If you are lucky and this works out, this can be your first and last step to settle the issue. In any case, record the date you spoke with your neighbor. This documentation may come in handy at a later date, in case the nuisance doesn’t stop.

Speaking with other neighborhood sufferers: To think that this slob will be courteous enough to stop the moment you convey your problem is usually wishful thinking. If he were such a nice guy, the situation wouldn’t have arisen in the first place. So, if there is no let up in his behavior and the problem persists, seek out other neighbors who are undergoing the same trauma. Ask them to approach this offending neighbor too, but urge them to remain pleasant while addressing the problem. If your fellow neighbors have young children, let them show how this loud music or other noise is keeping them awake at night. It is possible that the sheer number of complaining neighbors may make this offender realize the enormity of his nuisance and intimidate him into towing the line. It is wise to keep a detailed record of all those who approach this noisy customer.