I (28f) live in an apartment, but it’s not a traditional apartment. It’s a house that was converted into an apartment, the top floor is one and the bottom is another – I’m on the top floor with a roommate (27F).
Recently one of the tenets downstairs (22F) has been sporadically texting us asking us to keep it down at night anytime between 8:30-10:30pm. I’d understand this if we were banging around, but we are just existing in our apartment, walking around, and talking at a normal level occasionally. For example, my roommate came home from dinner at 8:30 and we got a text asking if we were stomping around & I have friends in town currently and I picked them up from the airport and shortly after we got a text (assuming this is from bringing luggage in). I can’t stop my life & they are my roommates so I shouldn’t have to tell/ask them if I am having people over.
They’ve sent a few passive aggressive texts reminding us that they are fine with noise during the day, but at night we need to remember people are trying to sleep. I feel like this isn’t really our problem as we are separate apartments & they can’t expect us to stop our lives after 8:30 because they go to bed early.
The only reason they have our numbers is because we are all in one house (not connected internally, there are outside stairs) and have completely separate leases. They also will randomly stay up until 11 having parties or singing karaoke & we never once have said something because it’s just part of living in an apartment imo.
I’m worried they’re going to say something to the landlord (31F) , so part of me wants to get ahead and say something first just filling her in on the situation but telling her it’s not a big deal and not to say anything. More so she’s aware if they do say something to her.
They aren’t my roommates and if it were a normal apartment complex they wouldn’t have our contact information.
AITAH for starting to ignore their texts and continuing about our normal lives at the same reasonable volume we are doing it?
NTA even decently built apartment complexes can’t block all daily existing noises, but simply splitting the floors of a house to rent them out surely didn’t attempt to try.
More people need to invest in good earplugs. They’d be so much happier!
i think Ywbta if you didnt make them aware of the fact that there is noise pollution between the two floors. Its the landlords responsibility to fix issues, this is an issue you have identified.
I dont think u need to do anything specifically about it, but you should be notifying your landlord of issue with the apartment.
Also, find out what the noise/quiet time bylaws are for your area and make a list of when they are complaining during the time you’re allowed to be noisy and what you were doing when they complained, eg sitting in the living room watching television, checked the tv volume when they texted – it was on 14 (max tv volume is 65), or walking between the bedroom and bathroom not wearing shoes. Show these notes to your landlord as evidence that they are being unreasonable in their request for quiet.
Make sure you adhere to the quiet times best you can and be properly apologetic if you’re accidentally noisy during the quiet times.
NTA. Honesty, I’d block them and let the landlord handle it (doesn’t hurt to mention their karaoke parties either)
NTA. Firstly they are holding karaoke parties so that’s pretty noisy. Secondly, and in contrast, it doesn’t seem like your household stays up late at all. They just have to live with it.
Invite them over so they can hear what things sound like upstairs.
NTA, basically you need to tell your landlord exactly what you have explained to us. Let her know that you are just normally living in your apartment and not doing anything out of the ordinary. Best to confront her before your downstairs neighbor does.
Document when they are loud and talk to your landlord
NTA but you could see for yourself how loud it really is. Carpet and no indoor shors would be easy to do.
NTA, you can speak with landlord first and tell about their noise. Use something to record the karaoke party.
NTA, I used to be in your situation. I got my own apartment when I was 22, it was 2 attached houses converted to 4 apartments and I lived in one of the upstairs. My downstairs neighbour was an elderly man who would text and bang on the ceiling all day. Even if I just walked to the kitchen and started to make dinner he would start banging. I always walked around in socks so there wasn’t stomping, I lived alone so there wasn’t much talking, and never played music or anything as I always used headphones for comfort and very rarely had people over and normally way before dinner time. You’d think I was the ideal neighbour to have but any and all sound bothered him.
My advice is to contact your landlord and let them know what’s happening. My old landlord wasn’t a good one, he attempted to side with my neighbour till I set up a camera in my hallway. I videoed myself simply walking down my hall, the only audio it picked up was the neighbour banging on his ceiling. I had full proof then that he would complain over nothing, my landlord eventually told him to stop bothering me, by that time I had also threatened to contact the police over harassment. Eventually things settled down without having to resort to that.
Contact your landlord, you already have proof of excessive texts from your neighbour
What’s she gonna say to the landlord? That you’re walking around?
These old cut and shut houses weren’t designed for multiple apartments. I had a cut and shut as my first flat, and it’s only since I moved in to my purpose built flat that I realise how noisy that was.
There’s nothing you can do about the noise (unless you have wood flooring and rugs / carpet would help). She will have to just suck it up. This is the downside to a ground floor flat.
NTA. AT ALL. What are the house rules? It’s probably in your agreement. Most say no noise after 10 or 11 pm and before 8 am. I might also raise the issue to your landlord now just to be ahead of things. Might do it under the guise of wanting clarification to ensure you’re being a good neighbor. Best of luck to you