What can I do with the loud neighbors issue?

Question

There's a family of four living right above my apartment. They are very noisy, particularly at night. They are running back and forth between the rooms, moving some piece of furniture (could be a suitcase or a vacuum cleaner used as a toy); and this lasts for hours. Today they were doing this from 3am till 7am. The timing is not often that terrible, but otherwise this is quite the routine: I assume the older kid is playing active games, likely together with one of the parents.

What can I do about it? I doubt that just asking them to stop would take any effect (we've recently had a conversation on another issue and they just ignored it).

emmy · Answer

One thing people overlook is that in Berlin, quiet hours (Nachtruhe) are legally enforced from 10pm to 6am, but also during Mittagsruhe from 1-3pm if it's in your Mietvertrag. Check your lease for that clause. If the noise is happening during those protected times, you have a stronger case with the Hausverwaltung.

You could also try a different angle with the family itself. Instead of complaining about the noise, frame it as a structural issue. Ask them if they've noticed how thin the floors are, and mention you're planning to ask the landlord about better insulation. Sometimes that makes people more self-conscious about their footsteps and dragging sounds.

If you end up calling the police at 3am, keep in mind they'll likely just give a verbal warning unless it's extreme. But that warning goes on record with the Ordnungsamt, and if you collect a few of those reports, the Hausverwaltung has to take it seriously under Berliner Mietrecht.

siska · Answer

tbh asking nicely is your first move even if they ignored you before, sometimes a different tone works. if that fails, document everything with timestamps and file a lärmprotokoll with your hausverwaltung - they have to act on persistent noise violations under berlin law. worst case you can call the polizei during quiet hours (10pm-6am) but they'll only show up if it's really egregious, like that 3-7am session would qualify

kirstin · Answer

if the family room is above yours and they're dragging stuff at 3am, it might be worth checking if the floor has proper schallschutz. a lot of altbau apartments in berlin have shitty insulation between floors, so even normal walking sounds amplified. you could ask your landlord about teppich or a heavier bodenbelag requirement for the unit above

also, the 3-7am thing is past the point of being polite honestly. next time it happens that late, call the polizei on 110. they won't always come but if you say it's been going on for hours and it's 4am, they'll usually send someone. the family will get a warning and a record, which helps if you need to escalate to the hausverwaltung later

adelheide · Answer

You could also try getting a mediator involved through the Berliner Mieterverein if you're a member. They can write a formal letter to the family or your landlord that carries more weight than you doing it yourself, and it might shake them into taking it seriously.

Neu aus Berlin