Don’t be creepy or annoying. While being friendly is important, it’s equally important to allow your neighbors the level of privacy they desire. Don’t just knock on people’s doors and expect them to invite you in. Read your neighbors’ body language. Does it look like they’re in a hurry? Have they actually told you that they are in a rush? Then stop talking and let them go! Get to know the property management and employees. Be sure to keep a contact list in case you need a maintenance fix or for emergency purposes. Put all requests for work in writing. Participate in your apartment’s events, discussion board or tenant portal. One of the potential benefits of apartment living is that neighbors look after one another. Introducing yourself is the first step toward getting the most out of your community. [3] X Research source
Try to vacuum or use exercise machines on the weekends or when you know people are at work. Noise and vibrations goes through floorboards and can be louder than you think. Practice “quiet time” rules with children. Allow them to jump and run around during the day, but instruct them that they need to stop doing so when the sun goes down. Instead of having them create havoc indoors, spend quality time outside, such as in a small community playground. If you don’t have carpet, have plenty of rugs down on the floor to muffle the noise of children. Don’t allow children to run or play in the hallways. Turn the volume down on electronics, such as radios and televisions. For wall-to-wall neighbors, you may want to move devices away from those specific walls. If you’re hard of hearing or if you like to listen to media at a high volume, invest in headphones.
Never stop another person’s laundry mid-wash or mid-dry to use a machine. Never insert another person’s wet clothes into a dryer. Every person has their own specific way of drying clothes, whether it’s air drying or using a particular machine dial/setting. And then there are the delicates that shouldn’t be placed in the dryer at all! If no washers and dryers are available and another person’s clothes have been sitting in an otherwise usable machine, you may remove them. It is considerate to wait at least 10 minutes if you can. Lay their clothes on a clean plastic bag, on a counter or on a folding table - never on the floor. Always clean out lint screens and wipe up any spills. Who wants to clean up after another person that did a load before you?
If you see a neighbor struggling to take their trash cans in or out, you can approach them and ask if you can help in some way. Or if you observe them driving in a way that may not be safe and if you know their family, you can tell them that you observed something which can be unsafe for them. There is a network of various organizations in every community that provides free medicines and other facilities. You can donate money to them or work as a volunteer. [8] X Research source
Make sure your trash bag is secured closed and that it isn’t leaking. Double bag if necessary. Be sure to wrap sharp edged items carefully and multiple times in newspaper or paper shopping bags. Leaky bags leave behind odors and stains that are likely to offend your neighbors and management won’t have any trouble following the trail of the stain that probably ends at your door. In that case, you may be charged for clean up costs or even for carpet replacement. Do not overfill bins or attempt to squeeze a too large bag down a trash chute. If your bag expands even a little as it falls, it could get stuck and create a back up.
If holding a party, let those neighbors likely to be inconvenienced know about the occasion. If you think the neighbors will enjoy themselves too, consider inviting them. Avoid having loud get-togethers on weeknights. Most importantly, be tolerant. Whether you forgot about a load of laundry in the dryer or accidentally started a fire, we’ve all behaved inconsiderately at some point. Your neighbors are no different. They aren’t perfect either.
