This might be common if you live in an apartment building with a bunch of savages but it’s quite common in neighborhoods and even the suburbs too (especially since the richer folk can afford million-watt audio systems). If you want some peace and quiet but your neighbor won’t let up, then it may be time to deal with the person. The following is a guide to deal with the person tactfully. A kind word can do the job better than a clenched fist.

Be a friendly neighbor. If you’re everyone’s friend then chances are it would even be challenging for you to politely ask your neighbor. It’s easier to charge it to neighbor’s favors. However, if you carry trivial relations to your neighbors you might want to take the more careful route in dealing with them. Banging on their doors and shouting at them to “turn the f*ckin’ music down” will only lead to more hostility.

Get acquainted. The best route is to get to that friendly status. It doesn’t have to be a knowing relationship but get to the point where you can casually tell the person that s/he has the music turned too loud. You can start by catching the person’s eye during the morning or in the afternoon and smiling at the person. This might take a week to accomplish but it’s better to make friends than enemies.

Warm up. Engage the person in casual conversation once in a while. Chat the person up trying to know things about the person like the job, where the person comes from, and other details. Try to chat about interests too.

Drop the request. By now (after a week or so), you have a more or less an acquaintanceship with your neighbor, you can now ease in your request that your neighbor turn the music down. Explain to them that it hampers your quality rest time at home. If the person’s sensible enough (and most people are), that would be enough to solve the problem.

If all else fails… If your neighbor is totally unrelenting (a real bastard would be the best description), then consider taking action. Check with your other neighbors if they too, experience this same problem. There is strength in numbers. Check with your landlord if s/he can do something about it. Many communities now have noise ordinances so check your locality if you can file a complaint against your neighbor.