Loud walking upstairs neighbor, what to do? (renter, noisy, landlord)

[kygman]

I had a worse problem than "Lead Foot". I lived downstairs in a garage apartment. The girl upstairs and her boyfriend stayed "busy" and she was VERY vocal! I'd take footsteps over that any time! lol

[bentlebee]

I had once some boys above me who were bouncing basket balls every evening...it stopped when we started to throw some tennis balls against the ceiling early in the morning...they got the message....I guess they never thought other people have ears....

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Pound hell out of the ceiling with a baseball bat.
Go away for a weekend and leave your MP3 playing constant loop loud footsteps noises.
Make something stinky and let the odour waft upwards.

[mainegirl]

I've had trouble with a neighbor as well. I talked with her 5 times about the noises before I finally went to the management. The management only cares a little, but they did tell her to knock it off. She in turn got mad at me for turning her in and made life more difficult by stomping up and down the stairs when she knew I was in bed, slammed things around etc. So, I told the manager again, and the manager gave a half hearted talk to her. It's a very difficult situation to be in, because you don't know if they are the vindictive type or not.

I agree with whoever said that good managers care and would take care of the situation. If this continues, and you get no support from the management of your apartment complex whatsoever, I would consider moving. As much as you dread the thought of it, it may be the only solution. Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

[Philbs79]

People living below the top floor really need to understand their above neighbor's situation, especially when they speak with that neighbor and the neighbor assures them that they are walking as softly as possible, not wearing shoes and not trying to be inconsiderate. It's not ALWAYS a lead-foot issue. Wood floors, even under carpeting, will cause noise regardless as to how light or heavy the walking is. This is something the people living below the top floor need to get used to, regardless as to whether the old neighbor was a 90 pound woman and the new neighbor is a grown man. Not ALL neighbors are intentionally disrespectful, especially when the problem is just creaky floors and footsteps, and not loud music/TV. In this situation, it's the structure and an issue that needs to be addressed by management. Constantly complaining to management to the point where the above neighbor is served an eviction notice just because you refuse to accept structural issues is unacceptable. Not all neighbors are evil, this situation can be just as stressful and uncomfortable for top floor neighbors as well. Nobody should ever be forced to walk on tip-toes just because walking softly is still causing noise.

[TabulaRasa]

Totally true. I lived in a top-floor apartment once, in a vintage landmark building. The building dated from the 1860s and had a hardwood floor that had been sanded down and refinished over years and years of residents, and the floorboards were sanded down to a paper thin thickness, so normal footfalls were more creaky and loud than they would be were the floor of average thickness, or in a gutted and redone building with new floorboards.

The woman who lived below me did not understand this. She repeatedly came up and demanded (not asked nicely, not respectfully requested, but angrily demanded) that I "please stop walking between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m." Not, "please make an effort to walk more quietly" (which probably wouldn't have been possible anyway). Just "I'd like to ask that you not walk around after 9 p.m., because I can hear every footstep you take and I'm a graduate student and it's really distracting to my studying." Sure, lady. Will do.

The awesome thing was that we lived on a main thoroughfare in a large city, with one of the main bus lines stopping every twenty minutes right under our windows, airbrakes hissing, diesel roaring. We also lived a block from a major hospital with a helipad on the roof, and a block from a fire station. Yet my footfalls the seven or eight feet from my bedroom to the bathroom, which fell over her study area, were problematic. What's up, crazy?

[DaveSMN]

I feel for people living on the lower apt that have poor ceilings. I live in one now. The people who lived upstairs from us before were loud but we lived with it. Then they moved out and for one and a half blissful months there was nobody upstairs. Now this girl and her boyfriend (and her boyfriends brother who is 7 or so and likes to play basketball in the apt) have moved in and I can't understand how people can walk so much in such a small living space. We have been woken up at 1-4am at least every other night so far and it's been months.

It boils down to if you can take it or not. If noises like that bother you, it keeps bothering you and you can't relax which makes life even more stressful. Which is a terrible feeling to have anxiety in your own living space. Me and my fiance are two of those people.

If you can take it that is awesome. I wish me and her could.

Our lease is up soon so we are scrambling to find a better living situation which, besides the noisy upstairs neighbors, is gonna be really hard since rent and location are both great for where we are now.

[Tryin2C]

Originally Posted by billyguns2

We long suffering apartment dwellers must simply save our money and buy a house. I am so enraged at my upstairs neighbor that I imagine all kinds of horrific scenarios where she is being tortured! I imagine she is a dumb ox, too stupid to learn how to walk gracefully and correctly! I always make sure that I tread lightly and gracefully upon the earth.

I feel the very same way you do. I recently moved into a lower level apartment in the same complex that I have lived in for almost 20 years. My prior apartment was an upstairs unit. For that entire 20 year stretch, I was deliberately considerate to my downstairs neighbors. Yet, I was able to be considerate without limiting my own quality of life. I didn't have to tiptoe to the point where I looked afraid to make any noise in my own apartment. But, I did walk lightly, especially after 10 p.m. I realized and was aware that some people go to bed early to get up early for work. There is such a thing and walking and not stomping.

My new neighbors are a whole other story. They have absolutely no consideration for me or my quality of life in my apartment. They walk over me like they are outside. Management has spoken to them, I have indirectly spoken to them. Now I sense they are doing things on purpose. As if to say, "no one's going to tell me how to walk in my own apartment". It is so annoying sometimes, until yes, I'm afraid I have to admit that I have had thoughts of evil against them and to them. Why? Because I feel that if I had the God-given common sense to use consideration and common courtesy for my downstairs neighbors, why in the "HELLman's mayonaise" do these people get to not use any for me. I'm not, asking them to give up their right to freely live in their apartment. But, to have carpet on your floor, and I still hear you not walking around, but STOMPING and/or sounding like THOMPING around your apartment all hours of the night, jolting me up out of a sound sleep, is just plain rude, inconsiderate, and uncaring. Downstairs tenants have the equal right to expect to freely enjoy a quality of peace and semblance of quite just as much as upstair tenants have the right to freely walk around their apartment. Apartment dwelling is a give AND take situation. Downstairs tenants have to accept the fact that they will have to deal with some noise (i.e. walking around, dropping things, etc.), BUT upstairs tenant have to accept the fact that they cannot stomp and jump around as freely as they could if they were in the downstairs apartment. There ought to be a law to enforce same. I've said my piece, Amen!

[srosario]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Totally true. I lived in a top-floor apartment once, in a vintage landmark building. The building dated from the 1860s and had a hardwood floor that had been sanded down and refinished over years and years of residents, and the floorboards were sanded down to a paper thin thickness, so normal footfalls were more creaky and loud than they would be were the floor of average thickness, or in a gutted and redone building with new floorboards.

The woman who lived below me did not understand this. She repeatedly came up and demanded (not asked nicely, not respectfully requested, but angrily demanded) that I "please stop walking between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m." Not, "please make an effort to walk more quietly" (which probably wouldn't have been possible anyway). Just "I'd like to ask that you not walk around after 9 p.m., because I can hear every footstep you take and I'm a graduate student and it's really distracting to my studying." Sure, lady. Will do.

The awesome thing was that we lived on a main thoroughfare in a large city, with one of the main bus lines stopping every twenty minutes right under our windows, airbrakes hissing, diesel roaring. We also lived a block from a major hospital with a helipad on the roof, and a block from a fire station. Yet my footfalls the seven or eight feet from my bedroom to the bathroom, which fell over her study area, were problematic. What's up, crazy?

I totally disagree with this person. I moved to a 2nd floor and its hell. Im not a noise sensitive person. In fact, i moved to this building because its on a very busy road and i love that action, but at night, when i want to go to sleep, i close the windows and i expect not to hear anything else, but
is a old building with hardwood floors and i can hear all the activity that goes on upstairs, and that is really annoying. You really have to be in my shoes to understand.

[insearchorightplace]

I lived through a similar horror myself but worse. I am noise sensitive and know my kids are loud so would not choose an apartment for ANY reason now.

Long ago, my husband and I had three kids under four. Upstairs neighbor was a horrible excuse for a man. A pimp. He would sleep all day (or try to) since we had 2 babies and we were next door to a home childcare. But as soon as it got dark, he would start blaring loud metal music, send his girlfriend out on calls (dancing and prostituition) all night, car starting and moving every night from 11pm to 5 am. He even had a party once where he let someone molest his 7 year old daughter in the closet where she cried. We called the police many times because it was so obnoxious, but he had rented at this place for many years and it was fine for them as long as they got their money it seems. Management did nothing at all about it despite the "Christian values advertised in brochure". We finally were able to get out of the lease at THEIR expense after we reported it to the police enough times. We got quiet at night ONLY after we cocked a shotgun against the ceiling so he could hear it! We were that desperate for sleep in a few days before we moved. No kidding.