What to Do When Your Neighbor Keeps Slamming Doors

Home is a place to rest and relax after a long day. Loud slamming noises are the last thing you want to hear while you’re in your private space. Not only is the sound a disturbance, but the door slamming can cause property damage that might impact your space as well. Find out what to do when your neighbor keeps slamming doors, including answers to related questions about slamming doors and dealing with neighbors.

Key takeaways

• Try talking to your neighbor about the issue and providing possible solutions
• Door slamming can wear down the door and lead to cracks in your walls
• A complaint can be filed with your landlord, HOA, or court against door slamming

What to do when your neighbor keeps slamming doors

The first thing you should do if your neighbor keeps slamming doors and the noise is bothering you, is to talk to them. You can talk to them directly, leave a note under their door, or talk to them over the phone. This step could resolve the issue immediately since most neighbors are sensible enough to consider the feelings of others.

If talking and offering solutions to prevent the sound of slamming doors doesn’t work, you can raise the issue to your building manager or landlord. They may hold a council for the community or issue a warning to your neighbor. You can also take more serious measures if you are ready to be patient with the official process of legal proceedings.

How do you talk to your neighbor slamming doors?

When approaching your neighbor about their door-slamming habits, make sure you are calm. Don’t storm over and start demanding they stop or it could lead to more tension.

Have an even tone and clearly explain the issue to them, including specifics on how it bothers you. You can also provide examples of when the door was slammed and how it impacted you.

Make sure you use I statements, stick to facts, and don’t come across as angry or accusatory since they might react in a similar manner. Bringing up potential solutions can also be helpful, especially if they didn’t intend to slam the door and need tips on avoiding it.

How do you prevent doors from slamming?

While you can’t change your neighbor’s behaviors, you can offer them tips on how to prevent their doors from slamming. Sometimes doors slam shut for various reasons even without someone physically closing them. I once rented a duplex where the screen door slammed shut very loudly unless you carefully closed it.

So please keep in mind that the neighbor isn’t necessarily angry and trying to make noise. Sometimes your neighbor may not even know how loud their door is. So again, talk to them first.

However, if your neighbor does have anger issues and needs anger management classes, these options might not completely prevent their bad habit but can help reduce the noise and vibration from the slamming door from disturbing you in your home. You’ll of course have to get your neighbor’s permission to inspect their door and diagnose why it’s so loud.

Some ways to prevent doors from slamming include:

• Use a doorstop wedge or spring doorstopper to prevent air currents from slamming the door
• Check the hinges and tighten or replace the screws
• Stick some felt pads along the edge of the doorframe
• Use foam weather stripping to secure the seal and muffle sounds
• Install a pneumatic door closer that slowly swings the door close
• Add insulation around the door jamb

Does slamming house doors cause damage?

Yes, continuously slamming doors can wear down a door frame or cause permanent damage to the home or property. For this reason, it can be an incentive for every neighbor in an apartment complex or townhouse community to be mindful of their door-slamming habits. The heavy impact from slamming doors can lead to:

• Weaker joinery
• Damage to hinges, handles, and frames
• Cracks in your walls
• Worn out rubber around the door
• Oxidization of metal components

As your door wears down, the quality of the door staying closed or locked will also be affected. If you are constantly slamming your front door, this could mean the security of your home is jeopardized. You could bring up this reason and the ones listed above to your neighbor’s attention to incentivize them to stop slamming their doors.

Can you file a legal complaint against slamming doors?

Yes, but it should be your last resort. You’ll want to check the local noise ordinances and harassment laws in your state and local area. However, slamming doors is generally considered an antisocial behavior that can be annoying, upsetting, and disturbing.

It can be seen as a mild type of harassment, nuisance case, or violation of noise orders. Before taking the issue to the police, check your lease or HOA agreement to see if this can be solved within the community.

Check if there are any noise violations your neighbor’s door slamming activity is violating. Also, consider offering to pay for some of the methods previously listed to reduce the noise and vibration of slamming doors. Paying for your neighbor’s upgrades would be cheaper than hiring a lawyer to go to court.

Conclusion

Slamming doors is a disturbing sound that nobody wants to hear when they are home trying to rest. Luckily, there are different methods your neighbor can adopt to prevent their door from slamming, especially if it’s happening unintentionally.

If politely talking to your neighbor doesn’t resolve the issue, consider reporting to your landlord or HOA, offering to pay for the installments, or filing a legal complaint.