Tenants obsess over every detail of a NYC commercial lease. Rent, term, build-out, who pays for electricity. I get it. But after years as a broker, I’ve watched smart tenants sign solid deals and still end up miserable because of something they never thought to check: sound.
One of my recent clients, an eyelash extension studio, learned the hard way. They signed for a suite with three treatment rooms, a layout that made total sense for their business. Weeks later, they called me about a persistent mechanical hum in one of those rooms. Their clients couldn’t relax. The room became useless. And when they pushed the landlord to fix it? Nowhere fast.
I’ve seen versions of that story play out dozens of times. HVAC systems, elevator shafts, plumbing, loud neighbors. Sound problems have a way of surfacing after the ink dries. Worse, most of them don’t violate any code. They just make your space miserable to work in.
However, there’s hope. You can protect yourself if you understand what you’re dealing with. Three types of sound problems are problematic for commercial office tenants, and each one requires a different strategy.
1. Noise Entering Your Space
The most common problem, and the most urgent: sound coming into your space that makes it difficult or impossible to use.
Where does it come from? Usually one of two places.
- Other Tenants: A gym upstairs dropping weights. A bar below running compressors late into the night. A neighbor with heavy foot traffic or loud machinery.
- Building Infrastructure: Circulation pumps, plumbing risers, elevator shafts, or HVAC systems that send vibration through the walls and floor.
My eyelash extension client fell into the second category. Vibration traveled through the building’s pipes and resonated inside one treatment room. A hidden problem that blindsided an otherwise careful tenant.
What to Do if It Happens to You
Move quickly, but methodically.
- Notify the managing agent in writing first. Be specific: where the noise is loudest, when it occurs, how it affects your business. Document everything with video and audio recordings and a simple log of dates, times, and patterns.
- Give the landlord a fair chance to investigate. You want a record showing you were reasonable and cooperative. If they stall, send a certified letter requesting a plan and timeline. The goal here is creating a paper trail, not picking a fight.
- If the landlord disputes the problem, hire an acoustical engineer. Sound feels subjective until a professional measures it. An engineer can identify transmission paths, produce a written report, and give you real leverage.
- You can also file a 311 complaint strategically. Landlords don’t love inspectors showing up unannounced. Save that move for when they refuse to engage.
- If legal action becomes necessary? Focus on getting a cure, not chasing damages for years. Most tenants fighting a NYC commercial lease dispute don’t want a drawn-out court battle. They want the problem fixed so they can run their business.
2. Your Business Has a Low Tolerance for Sound
Sometimes the space isn’t defective. Your business just requires a quieter environment than the average tenant.
Specific industries can’t function without it. Medical tenants, such as psychotherapy and psychiatry practices or medical consults and telehealth operators. Wealth management and financial advisory firms. Law firms. Really, any type of business built around confidential conversations.
I’m currently representing a financial advisory firm whose clients work mostly in healthcare. Sensitive phone calls need to stay private. Their space is being modified with new offices and phone booths, and sound control sits at the top of the priority list.
The Key Difference Here: The Landlord Isn’t at Fault
If your business demands unusually quiet conditions, that’s on you to plan for—not something to assume will be handled automatically. And the right time to address it isn’t at the eleventh hour before the lease is signed. It’s at the very beginning, when your broker first submits your offer.
Miss that window, and you could find yourself learning the hard way that every conversation bleeds through the walls.
So, How Do You Actually Get This Done?
Design and construction choices matter, and the place to address them is in the “Landlord’s Work” section of your offer. This is where negotiation happens, through offer and counteroffer, before anything gets formalized.
Consider requesting:
- Slab-to-slab walls that don’t stop at the drop ceiling.
- Sound-mitigating insulation inside wall cavities.
- QuietRock sheetrock where appropriate.
- Solid-core doors with proper seals.
- Phone booths built to real acoustic standards, not flimsy partitions.
Once terms are agreed upon, they’re memorialized in the work letter, which becomes part of your lease. That document locks in exactly what gets built and to what specifications—so performance matches expectations.
Because once you’re in, retrofitting for sound is expensive and disruptive.
3. Your Business Creates Sound That Interferes With Others
The reverse problem: your business produces noise or vibration that impacts other tenants. Even if your use is completely legitimate, complaints can turn into a lease compliance issue fast.
Gyms, training studios, and physical therapy practices generate impact and vibration. Music instruction sends sound through walls. High-traffic operations create constant activity near shared corridors. Certain medical or industrial equipment hums and rattles.
If neighbors complain, the landlord may pressure you to mitigate at your own expense, restrict your hours, or claim you’re violating lease provisions. You don’t want to learn about the problem after complaints pile up.
Best Practices During the Search and Negotiation Process
Sound and vibration concerns should be addressed long before you’re reviewing a lease. Ideally, from the first conversation between your broker and the landlord’s managing agent.
- Know Your Use and Its Acoustic Profile: If your operations generate sound (a gym, a physical therapy practice with exercise equipment, or a light manufacturing business), your broker should ask about the building’s tolerance for noise and vibration from the outset. If your work demands quiet (legal practice, psychiatry, financial advisory), your broker should clarify what level of acoustic privacy the space can realistically provide.
- Listen During Tours: For standard office uses, sound may not be top of mind. But a good broker pays attention anyway. Unusual HVAC noise, vibration from nearby mechanicals, or sounds bleeding through from adjacent spaces are all things you can catch during a walkthrough.
- Ask What’s Above, Below, and Adjacent: A quiet accounting firm next door differs greatly from a fitness studio beneath you. Understanding your neighbors before you submit an offer helps you assess risk and negotiate accordingly.
- Address Mitigation in the Initial Offer: If your use requires soundproofing, acoustic flooring, or vibration isolation, include it in your offer letter. This sets expectations early and ensures both parties negotiate costs and responsibilities upfront.
- Consider Building Class: Sound issues can occur anywhere, but they surface more often in Class B and C buildings. Older mechanical systems run louder, structural elements transmit vibration more easily, and prior build-outs often ignored acoustics. Class A landlords generally invest more in maintaining a controlled environment, but verify rather than assume.
- If Problems Arise After Move-In: Most landlords will act reasonably when tenants raise legitimate concerns. But if complaints go unaddressed, solid documentation (dates, descriptions, communications) protects your rights under the lease.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Ignore Sound During Tours
Sound issues don’t happen often, but when they do, they derail everything. If you’re touring NYC commercial space for a business that relies on quiet, privacy, or a calm client experience, make sound part of your diligence.
Pause and listen in each room. Ask what uses occupy the floors above and below. Identify risers, mechanical closets, and elevator shafts. If your industry demands sound control, plan for mitigation during build-out.
A space can look perfect on a tour and still become a problem once the building systems cycle on, a new neighbor moves in, or vibration starts traveling through the structure. A little awareness upfront can save you from a major headache after you’ve signed your NYC commercial lease and moved in.
