living in an aprtment sucks when....

[Schadenfroh]

That is why I specifically requested an apartment on the top floor. Be glad that you do not live below me, for I weigh about 180lbs. I do sit most of the time, working my mathematical proofs or playing computer games with my headphones on. Except when I have to go refill my tea / coffee or urinate the remains of previous beverages.

 

[Acanthus]

I believe we need an epic MS Paint drawing of the situation to save this thread.

 

[Brainonska511]

That is why I specifically requested an apartment on the top floor. Be glad that you do not live below me, for I weigh about 180lbs. I do sit most of the time, working my mathematical proofs or playing computer games with my headphones on. Except when I have to go refill my tea / coffee or urinate the remains of previous beverages.

I live on the top floor of my building, but the guy below me likes to talk really loudly and/or has a really bass voice, so I can hear him pretty clearly when he's talking.

 

[dennilfloss]

Guy upstairs started tuning his electric guitar at 1:30 am last night. That went on for over 1/2h.

 

[n7]

Concrete flooring ftw in apartments.
Otherwise it's so annoying.

In my case, living in a basement suite, when the people upstairs decide to hang out all night upstairs playing music & walking about on what the damn creakiest floor ever = :|

 

[Svnla]

This is why I am glad that I did take the upper floor in my current apt.

But still have noise from next door neighbor's kids.

<<---will move in a stand alone home with yard and fence soon.

 

[Modelworks]

I'm glad I live in apartments where everyone is pretty friendly and considerate. Like I do not use surround sound and try to be quiet after about 8pm. After about 10pm it gets so quiet here you can hear a whisper. I think people that live in apartment without consideration of others should be able to be voted out by the people there

 

[SparkyJJO]

My first apartment was nice. 2 story, the garages were below me, nobody above me, and the living room area was on the outside corner of the apartment so my sub at a reasonable level didn't bother the neighbors. Was nice

 

[Anonemous]

Sounds like my roommate. He likes to walk around the house by shuffling his feet and stomping like he's tap dancing (I kid you not) everyday. It's especially noticeable in the morning when he gets up at 8am. The thing is the dude is thin as a stick but walks like an elephant.

 

[Modular]

The apartment my wife and I were in until we bought our first home was amazing. I'd move back there in a heartbeat if need be. It was very quiet and very solidly built. We never heard anything from neighbors on any side or below us. We were good friends with the people below us too and they never mentioned that they could hear us.

 

[Demo24]

Better yet, when your apartment is built so shitty that you can feel and hear the guy walking below you! Thankfully he just walked around noisily in the day time, and at night quieted down enough. At least I didn't really have to worry about my stereo. Especially since we seemed to have similar tastes.

 

[mAdMaLuDaWg]

While I was in college, I rented an apartment and had this guy living above me. I used to hook up my TV to the computer via TV-out on my video card and blasted the volume when I was playing Rainbow Six. I think it may have annoyed the hell out of the guy above me because he would come by every so often and I'd open the door and he'd look at how I was using a mouse and keyboard in front of my TV and ask me questions about it including how clear the sound coming out of the speakers were. But he never asked me to turn it down. The fact that I was in college and it was my first apartment didn't make me realize how annoying it would be to someone living above.

My second apartment was a bit more interesting. I'd constantly hear the couple above me fighting and then shortly after I'd hear the bed squeaking like crazy. I really hoped that the scenario wouldn't play out when I had guests (like my parents) over, thankfully it never did.
Towards the end of my lease, I think I actually heard the guy above me cheating on his gf because later in the day, his gf comes back home and I hear yelling and screaming and then glass breaking all over the apartment.

I now own a condo and the situation is much better since I live on the top floor. However, my neighbor plays the electric guitar. But it sounds awesome so I leave my windows open when he starts. I've gotten the downstairs tap on the ceiling when I've played movies too loud at night on occasion and especially when my 2 year old niece is over and starts jumping like crazy.

 

[techs]

the guy above does not seem to remember that people live below him. WTF....it sounds like this guy is about 400lbs with every step he takes....but he is actually around 150 pounds. Why can't he just sit down for 30 f'n minutes. I no longer need an alarm clock because this guy keeps me up all night. I swear, it sounds like he loves doing jumping jacks through out his whole apartment. I talked this guy one and he just gives me a "well tough" attitude". When will resorting to retaliation be justified?

I feel your pain. After 15 months of almost the exact same thing, I am moving. The guy upstairs is like 250 pounds and he doesn't sit down for even 5 minutes. AND he is up to 4 a.m. every day!
He has mental problems and he thinks he has lost "something" so he is constantly moving the furniture to try and find it.

Here's what you can do. First find out if your town or city has a noise ordinance, most do. In my town its 10pm to 8 am. Then contact the landlord. The landlord MUST look into it. Or, in most parts of the country you can sue him, either in small claims or regular court. AND you can sue the guy above you. I forget the exact term, but its interfering with your reasonable right to enjoy your rental property.

According to the police in my town, no single noise must be particulary loud. Constant noise of a low level is prohibited.

In my case, the fellow upstairs can't help himself. And I don't want to sue him since he has no money anyway, and it wouldn't fix the problem.
My landlord is a heckuva nice guy and won't evict him. He has no lease. However, I am not going to sue my landlord since he is trying to help the guy since he really is not capable of finding another place.

Luckily for me, I found a much better place, for just a little more.
But if you have a lease, and/or really don't want to, or can't move, explore the options above.

btw if you don't have a lease, or are afraid you will be evicted or not have your lease renewed if you take action, check with your local legal aid or a lawyer.
In my state, if you have made a complaint about a health and safety violation and the landlord tries to evict you for any reason, its assumed to be retaliation, and he has a huge hurdle to prove it's not. In effect, in my state, you can stay as long as want, as long as you pay the rent if you do this. In my building there is a smoke detector that has been broken and hanging down for 4 months. So I had an easy complaint. Even a front door that doesn't close unless pulled tight is a valid complaint in my state.

Lastly, if you really feel your landlord is not doing his job, in most states you can not only sue for the part about enjoying your rental property, but can sue him for anything related to it. For example, if you can't sleep and lose your job you can sue him big time for that.

 

[Ronstang]

Living in an apartment ALWAYS sucks. I don't know how people do it. I have been fortunate enough to never have to live in one.

 

[Rubycon]

Bolt a 1/4" thick steel plate to the ceiling just below where you hear the noise. When you get agitated practice on the plate with a large hammer drill! Make sure you wear ear plugs!

 

[Schfifty Five]

the guy above does not seem to remember that people live below him. WTF....it sounds like this guy is about 400lbs with every step he takes....but he is actually around 150 pounds. Why can't he just sit down for 30 f'n minutes. I no longer need an alarm clock because this guy keeps me up all night. I swear, it sounds like he loves doing jumping jacks through out his whole apartment. I talked this guy one and he just gives me a "well tough" attitude". When will resorting to retaliation be justified?

Damn I know how you feel.

I had a guy above me make tons of stomping noises throughout the day/night. It even sounded he was throwing weights around the floor sometimes.

I ended up leaving a polite note for him to ease up on the stomping and it helped some. But yeah man, it totally sucks having to hear someone pound the floors above you all the time.

 

[Miramonti]

I don't know why, but some people can really slam their heels against the ground when walking. Doesn't mean they can't try to walk softer, but without trying, some just walk funny.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm glad I live in a house. I don't even know how it's like to live in an apartment, never did it, I just know it sucks from what I hear.

I don't get why apartment builders don't think of these things though. Ex: use thick concrete floors or at least sound insulated joists. Guess most of them are penny pinchers.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

I'm in one half of a duplex. My neighbor is really quiet so no problems here.

However, I used to live in dorm-style apartments when I first moved out. It was a hospital about a hundred years ago so each wall was complete but had a bolted shut door. You could hear and even sometimes smell the other rooms around you.

Never again...

 

[Whisper]

While I was in college, I rented an apartment and had this guy living above me. I used to hook up my TV to the computer via TV-out on my video card and blasted the volume when I was playing Rainbow Six. I think it may have annoyed the hell out of the guy above me because he would come by every so often and I'd open the door and he'd look at how I was using a mouse and keyboard in front of my TV and ask me questions about it including how clear the sound coming out of the speakers were. But he never asked me to turn it down. The fact that I was in college and it was my first apartment didn't make me realize how annoying it would be to someone living above.

You must have somehow influenced the guy now living below me. He plays his music and video games loudly enough for me to almost be able to discern when individual monsters are getting shot and/or to make out the lyrics of the songs he likes. He continues to do this despite having been fined by the rental office for noise violations. It's no wonder that both his next door and downstairs neighbors have both moved out within the past month. Apparently, some people just never learn. Sigh.

 

[Whisper]

I'm glad I live in a house. I don't even know how it's like to live in an apartment, never did it, I just know it sucks from what I hear.

I don't get why apartment builders don't think of these things though. Ex: use thick concrete floors or at least sound insulated joists. Guess most of them are penny pinchers.

The walls and ceilings/floors of the building in which I live (constructed in the 1960's I believe) are concrete. Still doesn't do much to deaden the noise from the downstairs neighbor I mentioned in the post above this one.

Which is why me being able to hear his TV is all that much more annoying. He's the first neighbor (of at least four or five) who's lived in that same unit over the course of the past four years who I've been able to hear at all.

 

[fstime]

Stop fvcking whining and move out.

If you came to my apartment and complained that I need to "walk" less than I would laugh and slam the door in your face.

It's not the other persons problem that your apartment complex has shitty paper thin floor boards with no sound insulation.

Maybe you should have thought of that before moving into an apartment with people living above you genius.

Maybe you should ask him to tippie toe to the bathroom at night.

I own my own house btw, you should rent a house or something, or at least half of a duplex. Thats the style of living you choose when you decided to live in a complex, you will never have all your neighbors be perfect little angels who are out all day and only come home to peacefully sleep.

 

[Leros]

This is why I find one level apartments. Nobody above you and you're still on the ground floor.

 

[rh71]

music with plenty of bass, left on all day while you're at work. Doesn't have to be loud, the bass will do the work for you.

BTW, my cousin just moved into an apt and complains of her upstairs neighbor. Everyone seems to have this problem. House-time.

 

[Saint Nick]

I actually feel for the people below me, and try to walk very quietly around my apartment. Unless, of course, I am moving something.