A householder was left miffed at their neighbour’s seriously annoying habit, but they didn’t know how best to confront them, as the housing company weren’t being helpful
If you live in an apartment building, you’ll know all too well that the way your neighbours conduct themselves on a daily basis can have a direct impact on you – but would you confront them if they had an annoying habit?
One fed-up householder said they had reason to believe their neighbour was “intentionally” trying to irritate them, by allegedly stomping throughout their flat, rather than it just being standard day-to-day noises. “This has been ongoing for months, enough of a pattern for me to believe the behaviour is in fact intentional and not just normal living noise”, they fumed.
They were left wondering how they could address the issue when they wrote a post in Reddit’s ‘Neighbours From Hell’ forum. They penned: “I’ve posted about this neighbour before. I believe that my upstairs neighbours intentionally stomp and creak the floor while I’m doing activities around the apartment.
“Talk on the phone? Stomp. Washing dishes? Stomp. Cleaning? Stomp. Cooking dinner? Stomp. This has been ongoing for months, enough of a pattern for me to believe the behaviour is in fact intentional and not just normal living noise. I know what their normal footsteps sound like and what stomping in succession sounds like.
“In March I tried to email management about the issue and they sent an “anonymous” email to the tenants and told me to just address it in person next time. End of April, the issue continued (and basically escalated after they received the letter), so I tried to knock on their door after I got off work, around 5pm. I knew they were home, they were stomping like mad because I was picking up around my apartment. No answer.
“I’m unsure what to do next. The behaviour happens during the evening but not past quiet hours. I’m unsure if I should try to knock again or write a letter to my neighbours. How should I resolve the issue so that I can peacefully resume my life again?”
In the comments, someone suggested fighting fire with fire to get revenge, penning: “I would never hear it. I would have my sound bar up high enough and long enough for them to give in.”
The original poster responded by saying it was “frustrating” because they’re normally “pretty quiet”, but they have felt the need to make some additional noise due to the neighbours. “I’m tired of fighting fire with fire. I just want to be able to peacefully enjoy my space. I’m exhausted”, they wrote.
Another fumed: “I think it’s a little crazy that management told you to address it yourself in person after they emailed them anonymously. What was the point in being ‘anonymous’ if they just want you to go speak to them yourself after?
“I personally would never want to confront my neighbour myself because of past horrible interactions. I would keep bothering management. It’s management’s responsibility to handle the situation.” Someone else encouraged them to “invite management to experience it”.
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