How should I deal with my inconsiderate neighbors?

Question

I'm sure this problem is very common but I'm not sure what to do. We live downstairs and our neighbors upstairs don't have any carpet in their apartment. We hear everything and know exactly what room they are in at all times. Lately, they have been stomping around all night long and keeping me up. At least it sounds like stomping at 4am. They move furniture etc...
My husband is the super in the complex we work and I don't want to start any trouble. The man upstairs thinks he's the only person on earth. They have a little girl that cries all the time(which doesn't bother me)and I think that's why they stomp. They shake my whole apartment and my bed.
But I have a son of my own and I need to take care of him during the day. I feel like I'm cheating him out of things sometimes because I'm so tired. Should I just ask these people to keep it down. It's kind of hard to ask someone not to walk around, right?

Answer 1

I'm having the exact same problem with my neighbors. They don't seem to understand that their floor is my ceiling. I have tried speaking to them directly and all I got was attitude. This is something that is the landlord's job to deal with. Tell the landlord that the noise is excessive and the neighbor has to be spoken to. It's not your job to deal with them, its the job of the landlord to deal with them.

Answer 2

How old is their little girl? Is she an infant, in which case the crying is understandable? Or is she older, at an age where she shouldn't be crying near so much as a baby will? If that's the case, then abuse could be going on, or she may have mental, emotional or developmental issues that her parents simply aren't capable of dealing with effectively. Use your best judgment on this, but if you sincerely think that child protective services should be so informed, then don't hesitate to do so. But please don't do it as a solution to your noise problem, even if it seems to be your last resort.

On the other hand, though, it's hard for me to understand why a crying child would lead someone to stomp around at 4 in the morning. Could poorly constructed floors make it only seem like stomping?

If everything's O.K. with the little girl, then I would make the following suggestions. If your husband as super is unable to install carpeting that might deaden some of the sound, he might check with other tenants near the offending couple. If they actually are as loud as they seem to be to you, then maybe some of the neighbors are being bothered as well. In which case, your husband can go to the owner with a little bit more ammunition than if you and your family are the only ones troubled by their noise.

As a last resort, you could always move, as someone else mentioned. It might not be the easiest solution, but with all things considered it might be the best.

Answer 3

Chances are if you say something it will make them mad. Maybe they will even move out. I would have the "super" say something. You can't have this going on. If it's really loud in the middle of the night I would call the copes. I lived in an apartment before above a guy and in the middle of the night it was really loud. It turns out our sicko of a neighbor was raping a girl. We did call the copes. Then moved away shortly after. Just be careful! I would do something though! You need ur sleep!

Answer 4

I empathize with you. I hate hearing noise from above. I suggest checking to see if your jurisdiction has laws that require rugs or carpet on a certain percentage of the floor. Here in Washington DC, if you have anyone living in a unit above you they have to have something like 75% of the square footage covered in carpet or rugs. Since your husband is the super and this is a legal matter, it should be a simple situation to explain to them the law and what they need to do to stay within it. That being said, it's never easy to deal. I did like the response of the person who suggested inviting them to a meal, however I don't like to be that close to my neighbors, lest they be knocking on my door all the time looking for favors. Good luck!

Answer 5

You could try to fight it; in doing so, you will want to record the sounds their making from your apartment, and note the date and time the recordings were made. Then you could ask the neighbour to address it, playing the recordings so they are aware of what it sounds like to you. Failing that, you could even take legal action. However, at the end of the day, after going through all the trouble and bother, you will discover that it's much easier and less stressful to just move to another place.

Answer 6

i had the same problem with this couple that used to live upstairs like around 1am i will hear like if they where wrestling and then all of sudden start hearing this moans and screams so i grab the broom and started banging on the roof so they will stop so they did next day my bro went and talk to the lady she said she was asleep the whole night yeah right but anyhow i guess people got freedom of speech and also to feel free but to act like a donkey at 1am its not so good so just talk to the lady give it a chance and have a good night sleep

Answer 7

When you are the one who lives below someone else the noises are always amplified. I am sure that if the apts. were reversed the everyday noises your family makes would seem like a storm. Imagine telling your son all the time shhhh shhh shhh. After a while the poor kid would become a nervous wreck. I would move.

Answer 8

oh my gosh this is probably what my downstairs neighbor feels like.
See sometimes the people who live upstairs are not rude or anything, they just have alot of people there or kids, and kids can be noisy. At least the people above you do not like wrestling!

now i want to give my downstairs neighbor a fruit basket.

Answer 9

Go talk to them, let them know you can hear everything...and emphasise the .. EVERYTHING .. that should embarrass them enough to tone it down on their own... at least you approached them first...if that dont work..your hubby has a boss right, so the boss must be the manager..go tell him and let him do his job..manage the peace and good behaviour problem... if that dont work...go to the owner of the unit, give him or her the chance to sort it...then if none of the above work, go to the tenancy tribunal place over there...(the ones who make the rules and regulations about tenancies...)...If that dont work, you dont want to cause trouble you say, then I am afraid, you are stuck with it....I still say, tho, the first one will work..embarrassment works wonders !!.....
Good Luck....

Answer 10

It doesn't sound like the noise they're making is anything that your neighbors can do something about, so complaining to them won't help. I'd go the indirect route and tell your husband about the sound, and maybe he'll be able to install some carpet, or other sound dampening device.