How to handle screaming kids in hallway?

Question

Hey everyone,

I've been living in Skycourt Towers for about a month now, and I'm reaching my limit with the constant noise from screaming kids around my apartment. For anyone considering moving here: don't if you care about peace of mind.

I want to be clear, I have nothing against kids being kids. But to the parents out there: the hallways are not an extension of your apartment. Please understand this and act accordingly.

The noise starts around 9 AM and often doesn't stop until 11 PM. I've contacted security countless times about this. To their credit, they come quickly and handle the situation, and it gets quiet, for about 30 minutes. Then it starts all over again. I've even gone out of my way to buy small gifts for the security guards to thank them for responding so frequently, but the problem persists.

I've also tried speaking directly with some of the parents. Unfortunately, those conversations made it clear that the issue often stems from the parents themselves, many of the most disruptive kids seem to be a reflection of their upbringing.

This constant noise is really starting to mess with my head and my work (I work from home 7 days a week). I regret signing a year-long lease, and I'm desperately looking for effective solutions.

Has anyone here faced a similar issue and managed to resolve it? Would calling the non-emergency police line be a reasonable step? I don't want to escalate things unnecessarily, but I'm not sure what else to do.

Right now, as I type this, I can still hear yelling in the background. Any advice would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

PS: As a side-note, if anyone knows of a cost-effective handyman who can help me soundproof a door, I'm all ears..

evalinde · Answer

yeah the police line is a dead end, they'll just tell u it's a civil matter and to call the building. trust me, been there with a neighbor in a different tower. what actually worked for me was recording the noise levels with a decibel meter app on my phone, then sending that to the building manager with timestamps. numbers are harder to ignore than complaints.

for the door, skip the fancy foam, go to Dragon Mart in International City and grab a pack of those thick rubber door seals for like 30 dirhams. also, those cheap foam floor mats, the interlocking ones, cut them to fit the gap under the door. it's ugly but it works way better than a curtain.

the 9am to 11pm thing is brutal, but honestly you might have more luck getting the short-term rental owners on board. those are the ones with the revolving door of families, and if you get their property management company involved, they'll actually enforce rules because it affects their listings. skycourt has like 3 or 4 different agencies handling those units.

one thing nobody mentioned: check if your lease has a "quiet enjoyment" clause. if it does, you can threaten to break the lease early citing that, and most landlords here will fold rather than fight it in court. worst case, you pay a penalty, but it's cheaper than a year of this.

veronica · Answer

i get the frustration but calling police or rera is gonna take forever and might just make things worse with the neighbors. have u tried the building's whatsapp group? skycourt has one for each tower, and sometimes just posting a polite note there with the times makes parents more aware cause it's public. also some units here are airbnb style, check if the ones near u are listed, if so screenshot the noise times and send to the booking platform, they actually care about reviews.

for the door, skip all the foam stuff, get a thick rubber door bottom from speedex, the one with the aluminum strip, it's like 60 dirhams and seals way better than tape. also put a towel under it at night, sounds dumb but works. if u really wanna go extra, those blackout curtains from ikea are thick and u can hang one over the door with a tension rod, looks less weird than foam mats.

the quiet hours thing is real, 10pm to 8am is the rule, so daytime noise is technically legal. but u can push the building manager to enforce the "common area conduct" rule, most leases have it, kids can't run or scream in corridors. mention that specifically, security probably doesn't know it applies. if ur lease has it, u got leverage to break early without penalty, just tell the landlord ur invoking that clause, they'll usually let u out cause it's cheaper than a fight.

doro · Answer

honestly, the police line is overkill for this. security already responds, so they're doing their part. the real issue is the parents, and you can't fix that with a complaint ticket. i'd lean into the soundproofing angle instead, it's the only thing you actually control here.

for the door, check out the hardware stores in Al Quoz, like Speedex or Ace on Sheikh Zayed. get some rubber weatherstripping and a door sweep, that kills a lot of the hallway noise. if you want it thicker, a roll of acoustic foam or even heavy curtains hung over the door works in a pinch. cost effective? prob under 200 dirhams total.

also, talk to the building manager directly, not just security. skycourt has a few units that are short-term rentals, so the turnover is high and management sometimes forgets to enforce quiet hours. mention the 11pm thing specifically, that's past the usual 10pm cutoff in most buildings here. if they won't budge, you can file a written complaint with the RERA, but that's a slow process.

for your sanity, invest in a white noise machine or good headphones. i know it's not a fix, but it beats fighting a losing battle every day. and if the lease allows, sublet and move to a quieter spot like JVC or Motor City, lots of families there but they're way better about hallway noise.

romanareichert · Answer

the rera route is slow but u can speed it up with a written complaint to dubai municipality too, they handle noise pollution in residential buildings and actually fine the building owner. skycourt's management will care way more about that than a tenant grumbling.

for the door, skip dragon mart if u want something less janky, check the soundproofing shops on al quoz industrial area 3, there's one near the ace hardware that sells proper acoustic panels. 4 or 5 panels on the hallway side of ur door plus a threshold seal runs maybe 300 dirhams, way better than foam mats.

also consider the time angle, 9am to 11pm is not quiet hours violation technically in dubai, quiet hours are usually 10pm to 8am. so security is probably just humoring u. parents know this too, that's why they let the kids run wild all day. ur best bet is making the hallway less fun for them, talk to the building manager about putting up a "quiet zone" sign on ur floor, some towers do that for wfh residents.

if u wfh 7 days a week, honestly the sublet idea from the other reply is the real move. check if ur lease allows it, skycourt has a decent short-term market, u could break even and move to somewhere like dubai hills or al barsha south where the buildings are newer and better insulated. a year of this noise will cost

luisa · Answer

ngl the decibel meter thing works but also try the dubai police app, there's a noise complaint section that logs it officially without calling anyone. that paper trail made my landlord actually do something.

for soundproofing, check the building's maintenance guys first, sometimes they'll throw on extra seals for free if u tip them 50. otherwise the dragon mart route is solid, but get the foam tape with the adhesive backing, it stays better in this heat.

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