They've came and knocked on the door 3 times this week (so far). We've been living here for about 2.5 weeks. No one walks around with their shoes on or etc. There is carpeting everywhere but the kitchen.

1st time- ~10pm weeknight...we were sitting watching tv...I walked to the bathroom, to the kitchen, and back to the couch. Knock on the door...neighbor asking us to keep it down...her kid and her are trying to sleep. We just apologize and say okay.

2nd time- ~8pm weeknight...Knock on the door saying that it sounds like we are stomping with boots on and it's shaking the glass in her window panes. We were playing fooseball earlier but were just sitting when she knocked. We apologize and say we won't play anymore fooseball tonight.

3rd time- ~10:30pm Friday night...puppy accidentally knocks over a lamp. It broke and made a loud thud, but it was a one time noise. We here them storm upstairs and bang on our door...apologize again and say it wasn't intentional, the lamp just fell. They are pretty pissed at this point.



What's the best way to approach this? If I can get my roommates on board I'm just going to try to ask the leasing office to find us a similar unit downstairs so we don't have to deal with the harassment. I'm fine with 24/7 noisy neighbors above me, I just don't want to have to feel like tiptoeing in my apartment.

Anyone have any experience on what to say to the leasing office, etc.?



ibt it's your fault be quiet blah blah

8/12/2011 10:54:00 PM

send the leasing office a link to this thread.

8/12/2011 11:07:45 PM

Honestly, besides sitting down with them and explaining your case, or giving the management a heads up, there's not much you can do. I lived in the Raleigh Apts which had old wooden floors and my neighbor below was a nightmare. I was a grad student with glasses from 3p-9p usually, and they worked from like 7a-4p. Needless to say, I often got home or would be studying/tv'ing until 3-4am and basically just pushed me entire schedule back a few hours. I always kept the tv low, didnt turn on my stereo past 10pm, but she complained that my walking was too much...my walking. Anyways, my inability to move became an issue but luckily I was moving out anyways within 2 months so we just dealt with.

So, (1) apologies, (2) apologize for the noise but explain you're just walking around, and (3) give management a heads up so they know the 'true' story before the neighbors complains about how ridiculous youve been.

8/12/2011 11:12:32 PM

I have your answer right here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Qz7ksl63Y

8/12/2011 11:53:11 PM

haha yeah i'm not even planning on putting my surround sound up because i know how that will go


think there's any chance they'd let us move to a downstairs unit?

8/12/2011 11:57:20 PM

I think that if they are so sensitive about just the walking around, they need to reevaluate where they are living. You are paying rent there and should be able to walk around and do things in your own apartment as long as you aren't creating excess noise (like playing loud music or watching movies with the surround sound turned up). If they don't like it, they can choose to move, but you need to inform your leasing office about the problem.

8/12/2011 11:58:26 PM

^Agreed, if they don't like having people above them, live on the top floor.

8/13/2011 12:10:43 AM

I would make sure the office/management hears my side of the story first.

If your neighbor goes to them and starts complaining and THEN you decide to go down there and let them know...well...your neighbor got to them first.

8/13/2011 8:06:17 AM

http://offbeathome.com/2011/04/noisy-neighbors-passive

8/13/2011 9:41:11 AM

i lived in parkwood village in 1996-97

and there was NOTHING we could do on the top floor that didn't sound like the ceiling was going to fall in on the lower floor

8/13/2011 10:21:21 AM

Had an annoying neighbor move out about a month ago and within 2 weeks an even more annoying fuck moved in beside me. DO NOT PUT YOUR GOD DAMNED BED RIGHT UP AGAINST A SHARED WALL AND THEN FUCKING TALK ALL NIGHT.

8/13/2011 10:22:53 AM

Next time they try to complain, politely tell them to fuck off. You pay rent just like them and you have every right to live your daily life, within reason. If they don't want to live near people, they shouldn't be in an apartment in the first place. I used to have neighbors like that below me; they'd beat on the ceiling whenever we walked through the kitchen and would call the office and complain. But all we were doing was living, no parties, no crazy shit, nothing, so the office just told them to chill the fuck out.

8/13/2011 12:03:17 PM

8/13/2011 12:11:27 PM

Quote :

"I think that if they are so sensitive about just the walking around, they need to reevaluate where they are living. You are paying rent there and should be able to walk around and do things in your own apartment as long as you aren't creating excess noise (like playing loud music or watching movies with the surround sound turned up). If they don't like it, they can choose to move, but you need to inform your leasing office about the problem."

this.

anyone with 1/10 a brain knows that you don't live on the bottom floor of an apartment unless you can deal with some noise. i would talk with the management about the situation, say you're frustrated you can't sneeze in your own place without being harassed and then ask to try and meet with all parties (you, them, management) to try and straighten things out.

8/13/2011 1:31:55 PM

Apartments are for peasants

8/13/2011 1:42:38 PM

a fine addition to the thread.

8/13/2011 1:54:07 PM

Next time they roll up to your door, turn off all the lights, take your shirt off and smear some chicken blood all over your chest and face. Hold a knife in hand for that extra little touch. Problem solved.

8/13/2011 3:08:41 PM

Quote :

"BRUNT: I'm going to make you a pauper. Uri'lash, we're leaving. Say goodbye to these poor people. "

8/13/2011 3:14:58 PM

just out of curiosity, what apartment complex do you live in?

8/13/2011 3:44:19 PM

Next time they come up and ask about the noise, ask them if they want to switch apartments, so that you can live on the bottom floor. See if they're open to the idea of a switcheroo. A ClassicMixup, if you will.

Meanwhile, buy your neighbors upstairs a Nintendo and the "Track and Field Pad" videogame, and yourself a nice surround sound system, so that you can double penetrate your neighbors with noise.

8/13/2011 3:47:37 PM

jesus h christ, that is a good idea.

8/13/2011 6:11:31 PM

foosball is pretty loud for an apartment

8/13/2011 6:46:07 PM

I agree that you should check in with the main office and give them the scoop, especially if there have been complaints just from you walking around. You should be able to walk around at all hours of the day or night. Yes, she can hear you (I hear my neighbor and their two dinky kids walking around upstairs right now.) She needs to be able to deal with it or move somewhere else.

I had a roommate in college who constantly complained about the guys living above us making noise. She would go up there and complain a couple of times a week, and honestly it was barely audible. I never noticed their music until she said something, and they started getting pretty rude to her when she went up to there to complain and I don't blame them. Finally they just started REALLY turning it up loud after she made a visit up to bitch them out, which I just found entertaining but I never let on that I thought she was being ridiculous. Thankfully she moved out after only one semester.

8/13/2011 7:49:38 PM

Heh, one chick brought her bf upstairs with her to bitch me out for being loud one night. He had this, "im so sorry" look on his face while standing behind her. A few days later, after never having spoke to him, he comes up and talks about how big of a bitch she is and let me borrow all his xbox games. Ah ha

8/13/2011 8:01:41 PM

I lived in five different apartments with someone above me and never had a problem with noise. Maybe it's because I have TV/music on during the day and a fan on at night. Bottom line, if they're complaining about footsteps, that's their problem. They need to STFU or move to a nicer place. I heard footsteps sometimes. Who cares? They're footsteps. They last 10 seconds. I also think people should be able to put up with a few minutes of foosball per week. I put up with hearing kids run around for a few minutes. What the hell are your neighbors doing anyway, meditating?

8/13/2011 10:51:18 PM

omg i had this problem too. at the raleigh apartments this indian family lived below me. they would complain when i wasn't even moving. i mean i'd have to move to get the door when THEY woke ME up in the night to tell me i was being too loud. um i was sleeping too loud? wtf. it was seriously annoying. but like a previous poster, i was moving asap so i just put up with it until i left. i wouldn't be able to stand that for the long term though.

8/14/2011 12:58:42 AM

If you're not stomping around, don't apologize, but try to me sympathetic.

Something like "look i'm not stomping around up here, i'm not sure what I can do to satisfy you. if you can hear us just casually walking around, that's just how apartments are..."

kind of thing

8/14/2011 1:08:06 AM

I'd be all like FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!

People living above you = footsteps.

[Edited on August 14, 2011 at 1:27 AM. Reason : /]

8/14/2011 1:26:16 AM

I am the bad guy here.


I had some guys that lived above me a few years back that had parties every weekend until 3 AM, which I was cool with. The week of exams they decided to do it on a Tuesday night.





I raged... no more parties.

8/14/2011 1:44:18 AM

Quote :

"Next time they try to complain, politely tell them to fuck off. You pay rent just like them and you have every right to live your daily life, within reason. If they don't want to live near people, they shouldn't be in an apartment in the first place."

This. And this is why we're hoping to close on a house by the end of next month. I hate sharing walls with people I don't know. If they can't deal with "noise" and they can't afford to buy a house, they should be renting a house.

8/14/2011 3:44:22 PM

Is this in Cary? Sounds like my old neighbor...

8/14/2011 9:22:47 PM

http://www.mydogtess.com/buyinghouse.aspx

8/14/2011 10:35:34 PM

This is EXACTLY what happened to me and my wife at our last apartment.

We were on the 3rd floor (top floor), she was on the second. She complained constantly about the noise, but when her lease ran out she still renewed it! It became a 6 month ordeal that drove us INSANE.

Eventually, the apartment complex offered her a great deal on an apartment with a better view, better accesability to the gym, new fridge/stove/etc. AND they offered to pay to help her move. She *refused* to do it. So....we took the deal.

That bitch stayed on the second floor and eventually someone else moved in above her. We've heard that she is STILL miserable and giving her new neighbors the same shit. Hahaha fuck that bitch.

8/14/2011 11:22:01 PM

^ At first I thought the 'she' in your story was referring to your wife instead of your downstairs neighbor and I was really confused by your story. Then I found five dollars so everything worked out.

8/14/2011 11:47:30 PM

There is absolutely no excuse for living in an apartment in this town right now.

Getchoo a house.

8/14/2011 11:53:13 PM

Ignore them and live your life. Dont answer when they come and knock on the door. Explain to the management company the situation and that they have been harassing you. Get decibel meter or software to monitor and record how loud you are being as proof you are well withing normal ranges.

8/15/2011 7:40:17 AM

^ Very nice. Get some statistical data on your side with a dbm meter, you can download free ones on your smart phone.

Present the neighbor with pages and pages of printouts of volume levels. Fake it if necessary. Just make long lists in excel with fake times and put 60-65db as the reading. That is the volume level of a standard conversation.

When they throw the printouts on the floor and go into the only response they know--rage "I know wut I heard" step up your game and upgrade into elitist mode. Put on dat daft punk armor and fuck em up. Remember, math and cold hard data trumps emotion every single time. Crack a smirk so they know that you know you are better than them and you arent taking their shit. You have proof on your side.

Invest in a train horn. Carefully plan out the proper opportunity to use it for great effect. Wear ear protection when you do. You will be able to use it once, no more, and get away with it. Don't be greedy, and don't stash it in your apt after the fact.

The rest is in your hands. Seriously, go to the prop manager first and you will have the advantage.

8/15/2011 10:01:14 AM

Quote :

"Ignore them and live your life. Dont answer when they come and knock on the door. Explain to the management company the situation and that they have been harassing you. Get decibel meter or software to monitor and record how loud you are being as proof you are well withing normal ranges."

Ignoring your neighbor is easier said than done. In my situation, the neighbor was constantly banging on the ceiling to let us know we were too loud. Once, she even did it at 3am when my wife and I were both asleep and obviously making no noise! The next night she called the fucking cops.

Its easy to ignore or fight back for a few weeks or even a month or two, but after a while you get tired of fighting. You just want to come home and fucking relax. Not wage war against a deranged nutcase.

I don't think a decibel meter would help your case much either. In my situation, apartment management was already pretty convinced that we were not doing anything wrong and just told the bitch neighbor to be cool. But she ignored them and kept banging on the ceiling and causing a fuss. So what to do? Eventually, the management would have thrown her out, but that would take MONTHS to happen. Hell, we moved out last year and she is STILL living in that apartment giving her new neighbors grief over the same shit.

IMO if you can't sort it out with your neighbor 1-on-1 and you want to resolve this issue sometime this year, start talking with apartment management about wanting to move to a different apartment in the complex. They will likely offer you a great deal on a better apartment and help cover moving costs.

8/15/2011 11:32:57 AM

If they start banging on the ceiling, go down and tell them they're being loud.

One good turn deserves another.

Bonus points if you tell them that while you hope it was just the ceiling, you want to rule out that someone in the apartment is abusing someone else.

[Edited on August 15, 2011 at 12:14 PM. Reason : .]

8/15/2011 12:12:31 PM

Every apartment I look at I subtly mentally rate in terms of suitability for DDR.

8/15/2011 12:22:17 PM

Quote :

"Ignoring your neighbor is easier said than done. "

I can understand this. This is most likely not going to be resolved without some sort of hassle. I think you should schedule a meeting with management, tell them the situation and have them request a meeting with the neighbor, where you all sit down and discuss the issue. You can also take a stand and next time the neighbor comes and knocks on the door, inform them that you are not being unreasonably loud and you have no intentions of changing the way you live to accommodate him/her and if they have a problem with that, that it should be taken up with management or the police. Just make sure that management is aware of the situation before taking this route.

also, if you dont have assigned parking spaces, park where your neighbor likes to park. Anytime they leave, move your car into their spot. There are many different ways to subtly get to them.

Might want to look up the local noise ordinance regulations and make sure you are conforming to them.

8/15/2011 12:32:09 PM

Update?

8/16/2011 9:58:14 AM

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/Tenant_Savagely_Beats_Downstairs_Neighbor

8/16/2011 12:38:24 PM

I was so hoping that link was real.

8/16/2011 12:42:40 PM

We have a lady who has probably a 9 year old and a dog above us. As soon as my wife puts the baby to bed she goes to defcon 1 and wants to storm upstairs at every footstep. It's my first time on a lower floor that didn't have large concrete slab between floors and it doesn't really bother me at all so I just talk her down. Rick has only woken up once when the puppy and kid were wrestling at 9pm, but that was technically before quiet hours and he fell asleep as soon as we picked him up from his crib.

So I guess I can see how both sides would feel, having been bitched at a lot while at a 3rd floor apartment. Typically normal people don't have this problem, they know not to have a squaredance at 3am or to complain about how loudly their neighbors are thinking. Definitely let management know that you aren't violating noise ordinances (hopefully no other adjoining units have complained) and they will see that you are more reasonable.

8/16/2011 11:22:17 PM