NEW YORK – Extra time spent at home during the pandemic may have created too much togetherness for some neighbors. Fifty-two percent of 1,000 Americans recently polled said they’re annoyed by their neighbors multiple times a year, and 35% are annoyed by their neighbors at least once a month.

Younger generations – millennials and Gen Z – appear to be irked most by their neighbors’ habits, according to a recent survey of homeowners and renters by insurance company Lemonade.

Pets, television, music and yard work are the most common noise complaints, the survey found. Gen Z – the youngest generation in the housing market in their 20s – cited screaming or crying children as one of the most common reasons for noisy neighbors. Baby boomers blamed barking pets along with crying children as their biggest complaint.

Respondents said noisy neighbors made them feel “annoyed” or “irritated.”

It makes them want to move: 53% of respondents say they’ve either considered moving or have moved because of a neighbor, a percentage that rises to 61% among people who live in apartments. Slightly less (41%) of respondents who lived in a single-family home would move because of a neighbor.

Some homeowners and renters document their neighbors’ offenses and turn logs over to homeowners’ associations or property managers to file complaints. Others try the “courtesy knock” first to have a face-to-face conversation and, if the time is right, request moderating the noise.

Noisy neighbors appear to be the biggest problem in Texas, which has four of the loudest cities nationwide: Fort Worth, El Paso, Austin and San Antonio, according to a separate survey conducted by HomeAdvisor. California follows, with San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego hitting the list.

Source: “Rude Awakening: Over Half of Americans Are Annoyed by Neighbors Multiple Times a Year,” Lemonade.com (2022)