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For those of you who live in multi-unit housing, I was wondering if you ever have any problems with your neighbors where you are on the receiving end of complaints.
I'm not asking about rules and regulations of such living since they vary so much. It's really more in the nature of a rant.
I have lived in my current place (a condominium) for a little over 15 years now. I have never had any problems with neighbors until a few years ago, when one of my neighbors next door got married. All of a sudden, they both started acting like I was some sort of child molester. There was a constant stream of criticism about my making noise at all hours of the day and night. They actually had the nerve to ask me to not work in my kitchen on Saturdays before 9:00 am. One year the guy came over the day after Christmas to complain that I was making too much noise early in the morning. WTF? It's a regular freaking work day, and I was getting ready for work! They were always complaining that I was making "scraping noises" when I was in the kitchen. One day the guy came over at midnight, rang my bell, and woke me up to scream that I was making "banging noises". When I said "what banging noises, maybe they came from downstairs" he insisted he heard them coming from my unit.
And it turned out that it was mainly the wife who was making the complaints, but she would always send her husband over to complain, or leave notes on my door. She never did it herself. She seemed to be hostile and take a dislike to me. One day I noticed they were having plumbing work done, so I called them with a question about the water being shut off in the building. The wife answered and was totally hostile.
Well, the whole thing made me feel like crap. I was afraid to do anything in my own home. It all ended, fortunately, when the wife suddenly decide to get a divorce, and she moved out. The husband has another home somewhere and isn't living next door right now.
So now it has started again this year. The guy who owns the unit under me (I live on the second floor) is renting to somebody else, and apparently he doesn't like the noises he hears when I walk around, especially in the middle of the night (I get up to go to the bathroom, I have a crappy sleeping pattern and can suffer from insomnia). He came to my door to complain one time. Just a little while ago, I heard banging noises coming from below because I'm sitting at my computer (NOT walking around) in the middle of the night.
It's not like I weigh 200 pounds. I'm a little thing and quiet as a mouse. The walls and floors are thin.
I always assumed that noises from neighbors are part and parcel of multi-unit living. When I was living in my first apartment, a neighbor across the way would have parties on Saturday nights with LOUD music continuing past midnight. It never occurred to me to complain. (On the contrary, I wished he had invited me over!)
A couple on the other side of me would have knock-down-drag-out LOUD fights. It never occurred to me to complain. The people in the apt. above me sounded like a herd of elephants. It never occurred to me to complain.
Are these people who live in my current building just way too sensitive? It's annoying to me. It's not like everybody in the building keeps the exact same schedule. I have a right to walk around at 3:00 in the morning if I want. I pay a lot of money to live here and this is my home. And I weigh just 105 pounds, for heaven's sake. I never have parties. I never have loud music on or loud television on, especially late at night. I try to follow the rules of living here such as closing the laundry room door when the LOUD dryer is running, not slamming the garage gate late at night, etc.
So why do I feel like I have no rights here?
I'm sorry for such a long rant, but I just had to get it off my chest.
I'm not asking about rules and regulations of such living since they vary so much. It's really more in the nature of a rant.
I have lived in my current place (a condominium) for a little over 15 years now. I have never had any problems with neighbors until a few years ago, when one of my neighbors next door got married. All of a sudden, they both started acting like I was some sort of child molester. There was a constant stream of criticism about my making noise at all hours of the day and night. They actually had the nerve to ask me to not work in my kitchen on Saturdays before 9:00 am. One year the guy came over the day after Christmas to complain that I was making too much noise early in the morning. WTF? It's a regular freaking work day, and I was getting ready for work! They were always complaining that I was making "scraping noises" when I was in the kitchen. One day the guy came over at midnight, rang my bell, and woke me up to scream that I was making "banging noises". When I said "what banging noises, maybe they came from downstairs" he insisted he heard them coming from my unit.


Well, the whole thing made me feel like crap. I was afraid to do anything in my own home. It all ended, fortunately, when the wife suddenly decide to get a divorce, and she moved out. The husband has another home somewhere and isn't living next door right now.
So now it has started again this year. The guy who owns the unit under me (I live on the second floor) is renting to somebody else, and apparently he doesn't like the noises he hears when I walk around, especially in the middle of the night (I get up to go to the bathroom, I have a crappy sleeping pattern and can suffer from insomnia). He came to my door to complain one time. Just a little while ago, I heard banging noises coming from below because I'm sitting at my computer (NOT walking around) in the middle of the night.
It's not like I weigh 200 pounds. I'm a little thing and quiet as a mouse. The walls and floors are thin.
I always assumed that noises from neighbors are part and parcel of multi-unit living. When I was living in my first apartment, a neighbor across the way would have parties on Saturday nights with LOUD music continuing past midnight. It never occurred to me to complain. (On the contrary, I wished he had invited me over!)

Are these people who live in my current building just way too sensitive? It's annoying to me. It's not like everybody in the building keeps the exact same schedule. I have a right to walk around at 3:00 in the morning if I want. I pay a lot of money to live here and this is my home. And I weigh just 105 pounds, for heaven's sake. I never have parties. I never have loud music on or loud television on, especially late at night. I try to follow the rules of living here such as closing the laundry room door when the LOUD dryer is running, not slamming the garage gate late at night, etc.
So why do I feel like I have no rights here?
I'm sorry for such a long rant, but I just had to get it off my chest.