Our next-door neighbors in our apartment building hung a cuckoo clock on our common wall. The walls are thin, so we hear the clock chiming loud and clear—every hour, day and night. We’re having trouble sleeping because of the noise; it often wakes us during the night. Is it fair to ask our neighbors to take down the clock? Should I speak to them or go directly to the landlord? —Sleep Deprived

Asking neighbors to be quiet at night seems reasonable. As long as you have a good (or neutral) relationship with them, head next door and calmly explain the problem. They’re probably unaware of it. They may also be unaware of the manual lever on most cuckoo clocks that silences the chiming. If the noise only bothers you at night, ask them to switch off the chimes in the evening. (You may need to remind them occasionally, but that’s the essence of close quarters.) If you don’t want to hear the chimes at all, you could ask your neighbors to hang the clock elsewhere in their apartment. I would go to the landlord only if your neighborly approach is rebuffed. 

—Adapted from “Social Q’s” in The New York Times Magazine