Insane Downstairs Neighbor (wood floors, apartments, lease)

[Elwinb1]

After two years being homeless my support animal and I moved into a second floor apt with VA's help back in November. Two weeks after I moved in the guy downstairs comes up pounding on my door yelling and screaming that I am stomping on the floor and my music is too loud. At this point I had an air mattress on the floor and used my phone to play my Pandora station through a set of computer speakers. My speakers were also on the floor. I discovered the bass on the subwoofer was all the way up and turned it down. The total volume was low enough originally that I sat next to the speakers while I listen to it comfortably. About a week later two of the ladies from the management office came over one upstairs with me one downstairs with him. The lady upstairs with me it was wearing boots I was in sock feet like I always am. We walked around my apartment. I think turned my stereo on to the volume I normally listen to it. At this point the lady upstairs with me called on her phone to the lady downstairs the lady downstairs could not hear my stereo until she answered her phone. She agreed that I am not making too much noise when I walk. I don't even put my heel on the floor most of the time as I shuffle. This building has wood floors under carpet my floor desk week quite a bit. But for the last 3 months I have had to put up with this man pounding on the walls or the ceiling or slamming his front door so hard that the building shakes when he thinks I'm being too loud. Tonight he is pounded on his wall 5 x slammed his door twice once when my cat was playing with his little toy on the floor. Management has told me that the noise I am making is considered a reasonable amount of noise for a second-floor tenant. I'm at wits end. I'm a disabled vet with PTSD and this constant pounding on the walls is making me insane. I know the band downstairs is already insane because the other day he started pounding on his walls and I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. Does anybody know what I what options I have I can't afford to move I'm in a one year lease I'm only 4 months through it. are civil attorney tells me I cannot sue him for harassment but honestly I feel like that's what it is. Just normally walking across my floor causes him to start pounding on the walls. The man has anger issues he has had arguments with his girlfriend so loud I could hear his voice and hear the distinct words he was saying. I put up with his TV noise every night all night. But I'm not supposed to make any noise at all or move around my own apartment. Any help that you can come up with would be appreciated.

[Alewife]

Originally Posted by Elwinb1

After two years being homeless my support animal and I moved into a second floor apt with VA's help back in November. Two weeks after I moved in the guy downstairs comes up pounding on my door yelling and screaming that I am stomping on the floor and my music is too loud. At this point I had an air mattress on the floor and used my phone to play my Pandora station through a set of computer speakers. My speakers were also on the floor. I discovered the bass on the subwoofer was all the way up and turned it down. The total volume was low enough originally that I sat next to the speakers while I listen to it comfortably. About a week later two of the ladies from the management office came over one upstairs with me one downstairs with him. The lady upstairs with me it was wearing boots I was in sock feet like I always am. We walked around my apartment. I think turned my stereo on to the volume I normally listen to it. At this point the lady upstairs with me called on her phone to the lady downstairs the lady downstairs could not hear my stereo until she answered her phone. She agreed that I am not making too much noise when I walk. I don't even put my heel on the floor most of the time as I shuffle. This building has wood floors under carpet my floor desk week quite a bit. But for the last 3 months I have had to put up with this man pounding on the walls or the ceiling or slamming his front door so hard that the building shakes when he thinks I'm being too loud. Tonight he is pounded on his wall 5 x slammed his door twice once when my cat was playing with his little toy on the floor. Management has told me that the noise I am making is considered a reasonable amount of noise for a second-floor tenant. I'm at wits end. I'm a disabled vet with PTSD and this constant pounding on the walls is making me insane. I know the band downstairs is already insane because the other day he started pounding on his walls and I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. Does anybody know what I what options I have I can't afford to move I'm in a one year lease I'm only 4 months through it. are civil attorney tells me I cannot sue him for harassment but honestly I feel like that's what it is. Just normally walking across my floor causes him to start pounding on the walls. The man has anger issues he has had arguments with his girlfriend so loud I could hear his voice and hear the distinct words he was saying. I put up with his TV noise every night all night. But I'm not supposed to make any noise at all or move around my own apartment. Any help that you can come up with would be appreciated.

One of the things you can do is completely disconnect the subwoofer from your audio system and box it up for storage or sell it. The next thing is take the remaining speakers and place them onto a table, off the floor, and play those only with as much volume as their note range can necessarily be heard.

Ultra low frequency (ULF) bass sounds emitted from subwoofers travel easily across building materials, and what's produced these days is a pretty unnatural waveform. Amplified they can dislodge car body panels.

Sometimes communication helps. If you happen to be conversing someday, you might say you got rid of the subwoofer outright and want to know what else you can do to help make things better for the necessarily shared space--within reason (as an upstairs tenant who needs to be able to move and live in your own space).

[Elwinb1]

That was 2 months ago. For the last 7 weeks the speakers have been off the floor and music volume has been kept to a minimum w the subwoofer on it's lowest setting. This guy pounds when I simply walk across a room or my cat is playing. Yet I am supposed to tolerate his TV and his fights w people that are so loud I can hear individual words. Management has told him my walking is no where near what would be considered a reasonable noise level. I shuffle when I walk and do not wear footwear in the apt. This last week he was pounding on walls before I had even gotten out of bed for the day on 2 different occasions.

After he showed up at my door yelling and screaming I have no intention of going near him. One night after he had a loud aurgument with someone I heard what had to be a body slamming into his bedroom wall.

[Summit43]

I'm sorry that after all you have through you have to deal with someone such as that. Is there any chance of moving into another apartment within the complex/building? Also, the management should be dealing with that neighbor as his behavior is not acceptable in any way.

[lepoisson]

I had an upstairs neighbor who played loud bass. He insisted it wasn't that loud. I invited him into my apartment with his music on so he can hear what I had been hearing. He took one step in my living room and said "wow, I see what you mean" and it was never a problem again.

I've also had neighbors who basically told me to F off.

Some people shouldn't live in apartments. You can't play blasting loud music nor can you complain about every little noise.

[Angie682]

Buy,some wireless headphones. The neighbor won't hear your music and you won't hear your neighbor pounding in the wall.

[TeamLynn]

Sorry you have to go through this. Not fun for you or your neighbor.
Welcome to apartment life living....or maybe just living.
You can have crazy neighbors in houses as well.

1.You might ask apt manager if you can change apts. That might make you, neighbor, and management happy.
2. I like the wireless headphones idea. Solves your problem.
3. Sometimes noise can be a crazy thing....what might be normal for you, could get amplified and distorted when it
gets downstairs....and be just at the right place where he gets the boom boom boom, but not enough to know what it is.

[Scrat335]

Damn. Glad I live in my daughters garage. I only have to deal with a bored 5 yr old once in awhile.

[Pilsn3r]

I used to live in a 2nd floor apartment with a noisy downstairs neighbor. She would play music (with lots of bass) from 10pm at night to early morning 4am or so. At first I thought it was because I made lots of noise. I unhooked the subwoofer, and started using headphones to listen to TV. But it continued. I let her know at first, then started calling the police. She tried to complain that I made noise like toilet flushes. The cops told me and laughed.

Some apartments built suck at noise isolation. A couple of apartments prior to that one had no noise problems from neighbors. But loud pool parties which I didn't mind.