How to tell if a home is noisy before you rent or buy
Traffic, bars, neighbours, planes: how to judge noise in a 20-minute viewing, and where to find the official noise map.
Noise is one of the hardest things to judge at a viewing and one that matters most day to day. A lovely flat on a street with bars open until 2am, or next to a neighbour with a loud TV, can become a real problem. Here is how to judge it before you decide.
During the viewing
- Close all the windows and stay silent for a minute in the bedroom. Do you hear traffic, voices, the lift, pipes?
- Open the windows. The difference tells you how well they insulate, and in summer you will want them open.
- Check the windows: double glazing makes a big difference on a busy street.
- Notice where the bedroom is: facing the street or the back?
- Knock lightly on walls shared with neighbours: thin walls let conversations through.
- Floors: in an old building with wooden floors, footsteps from above carry.
Around the home
- Bars, restaurants with terraces, clubs or busy viewpoints nearby.
- Bus or tram stops, uphill streets (engines straining), traffic lights.
- Schools (noise at predictable times), ongoing building work.
- Flight paths: in several parts of Lisbon and around, planes pass low and often.
- Rubbish collection and early-morning deliveries.
The most important tip: visit the street at night too, ideally on a Friday or Saturday. See why you should view a home at night.
The official noise map
Municipalities publish noise maps showing traffic and other noise levels street by street. On SherlockHomes, for Lisbon addresses, we show this on the address page. Type the address in the search and see.
The map shows an average; it does not show the noisy neighbour or the bar that opened last year. That is why reviews from people who visited matter so much.
Questions to ask
- What is the street like at night and at weekends?
- Has there been any problem with noisy neighbours?
- Is any work planned in the building or the street?
Share what you heard
If you viewed a home, give it "Quiet" stars on SherlockHomes. It takes a minute, no sign-up, and it is exactly the information listings never give.