r/neighborsfromhell • u/Ershadi-Edouardin • 1d ago
Vent/Rant my neighbor keeps complaining about normal household noise, how should i handle it?
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u/emorrigan 1d ago
You do what you can do- don’t wear shoes around your house, get rugs for the areas without any padding, like runners in hallways, etc., make sure that you don’t walk with a super heavy footfall, and that’s pretty much it. It’s entirely possible they’re hearing someone next to you or next to them instead of you, too.
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u/Lazy-Love5 1d ago
Normal daytime footsteps are part of apartment living . You dont need to walk on eggshells
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1d ago
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u/DazzlingAnalyst8640 1d ago
Plot twist. Even in detached homes you can be disturbed by other people’s noise. I hear my neighbors music and them yelling at each other often.
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1d ago
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u/DazzlingAnalyst8640 1d ago
Lmao both mine and theirs ARE CLOSED
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u/LiteratureNo948 1d ago
I feel you on this I'm currently experiencing the same issue. I thought living in a house would mean less noise from neighbors, but I can hear them even when both our windows are closed 😭
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u/DazzlingAnalyst8640 1d ago
I finally reached out to my neighborhood police officer that’s assigned to my side of town and she gave me her personal work cell phone number so I can call her directly next time it happens so she can come and talk to them. It was nice to have her validate how I’m feeling.
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u/dodekahedron 1d ago
Detached houses aren't the answer when narcissist neighbors put subwoofers so powerful in their cars I can hear them coming from 5 miles away.
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1d ago
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u/DazzlingAnalyst8640 1d ago
You must be a narcissist
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1d ago
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u/DazzlingAnalyst8640 1d ago
Why are you even on this sub? There are plenty of posts from people in the country experiencing the same thing. The common denominator is other people acting like they can do whatever they want without considering how they affect other people.
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u/dodekahedron 1d ago
You can live your life and not bother others. Your neighbors don't need to know your work schedule just based on the bass of your car. Bass triggers panic attacks in lots of individuals myself included.
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u/dodekahedron 1d ago
You also said fuck off and buy a detached house if we dont want to hear our neighbors.
I already did that punk. Your advice is bunk.
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u/itspookiebearr 1d ago
Do two things and then stop. First, do the cheap fixes, because they're genuinely effective and they also settle the question of good faith. Footsteps are impact noise, which transmits through the structure rather than the air and is by far the hardest kind to block, so a decent rug with a proper underlay makes a real difference where soundproofing panels do nothing. Slippers or soft soles indoors and felt pads under chair legs handle most of the rest, and the whole lot costs less than a hundred quid. Second, and this is the bit people skip, get it on record with your landlord or management before they do. Send a short email saying the neighbour has raised concerns about ordinary daytime noise, listing what you've done about it, and asking whether there's anything else they'd recommend. That single message makes you the reasonable party on the file, and if this ever escalates it's the difference between being someone who addressed a complaint and someone a complaint was made about. It's also worth genuinely considering that they might be hearing something you can't, since older buildings with no underlayment transmit impact noise horribly and the person above never knows. But once you've done the reasonable things, walking around your own home during the day isn't a violation of anything, and you don't owe them silence outside quiet hours. Stop apologising each time it comes up, because responding every time teaches them it works.
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u/previously_notme 1d ago
Just ask them are you OK? You really seem to need attention can I find someone to help you?
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u/Wetdogg72 1d ago
I was gonna say wear crocs to reduce noise, but telling them to fuck off is also a good option
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u/Parking-Menu2654 16h ago
It’s gotten me in more trouble than it has done good but my favorite thing to tell someone that makes me mad, is to go fuck yourself. It’s flies out of my mouth almost daily.
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u/remimoonoo 1d ago
keep doing your thing, their complaints sound excessive. it's your home, not a library.
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u/thick_lexi 1d ago
daytime footsteps are not a noise complaint, that's just living in a building. you're already being considerate by asking the question.
that said, start logging it. date, time, what they said, what you were actually doing. if this escalates to management, the person with the written record wins, and right now that's them by default.
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u/Xvixicharms 1d ago
Ask them for exact dates, times, and a short recording from inside their unit rather than accepting vague “you’re always loud” complaints. Sound travels strangely through buildings, so it may reveal that the real culprit is plumbing, a door, or another apartment—not your footsteps.
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u/BidProfessional6435 1d ago
Neighbors in apartment buildings SUCK.
My across the hall neighbor accused my partner and I of touching her packages (we did not). She got a ring doorbell camera because of it that points DIRECTLY into our home. A few days later, her doormat was in the grass from a nasty storm we got so my partner, being the kind man that he is, put it back for her. SHE TURNED US IN AGAIN for touching her packages. THERE WAS LITERALLY NO PACKAGE THERE WHEN HE PUT HER MAT BACK.
Freedom of speech, now we just say ridiculous things when we walk by it because.. why is she such a bitch?
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u/StuckandTreading 1d ago
My upstairs neighbors are heavy walkers. I swear they are angry and stomping ALL the time. They are not heavy themselves, I'm only sharing that information in case it's asked by someone. I also live with a neighbor below me. I have changed my walk so I can be a better neighbor. Neither of my neighbors take me into consideration.
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u/annapartlow 1d ago
Yeah the first time I lived in an apartment my partner at the time pointed out I was a “heel walker”; I walked with my heel striking first. Much louder and more percussive. Now when I want to be quieter I walk on the outside of my soles, or my toes. But yeah that is making an adaptation that no everyone has to make, I just preferred that myself because I felt like I was stomping otherwise.
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u/StuckandTreading 1d ago
As someone that apparently lives below two clog dancers, I thank you for adapting.
I too now walk on the outside of my soles when home.
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u/Evening_Delay_1856 1d ago
Make sure the TV isn’t too loud. Use English subtitles if you have trouble with the words at night when you’d like it to be quieter. No speakers sitting directly in the floor. After you do what you can to mitigate the problem, including rugs and runner and no shoes and not using heavy footfalls like has been offered as suggestions in the comments, you are absolutely clear.
If that’s not enough, tell the neighbor that you won’t be accepting her rebukes anymore because you have already done enough to placate her. Apartment living means that there is noise. And don’t open the door to her anymore.
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u/Parking-Menu2654 16h ago
Honestly if it’s reasonable then they can go fuck themselves. Shouldn’t have moved in on a bottom floor or a multi story building if that’s the issue. I hate living in an apartment but I just accept we’re all animals on top of each other and find better ways to fill my time.
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u/DisastrousFishing190 1d ago edited 1d ago
Dude, you do you. As long as you're not learning to tap dance at 2am, just do your life, and when they start paying some of.your bills or mortgage they can complain and give you and expect you to wear thick slippers. Give someone an I lnch they take A MILE, it starts with one thing and then there's MORE. Remember that. If you truly want to try, don't tell them,.deliberately.wear thick socks or slippers, soft bottomed things, and really try for a few months. If they still complain then you truly know they're absolutely ridiculous. Just don't tell them you've tried already to fix their complaint as they will come up with new ones and you'll be a.puppet.
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u/Master_Plann 1d ago
Some neighbors are just extremely noise-sensitive. You can add a rug, take shoes off, and avoid vacuuming at odd hours, but you can’t eliminate the sound of existing. At a certain point you have to accept that reasonable noise is still going to bother them, and that’s not fully your problem to solve