My downstairs neighbors are rude people. Often, they don’t think about the other people living in our three story apartment. The upstairs neighbors are great but sometimes they bring up the rude interactions they have with our downstairs neighbors. For example, we have a very narrow driveway and the downstairs neighbors park in the middle of it so no one else can park. Last night, they had a guest over and they parked in the middle of the driveway during a parking ban and the rest of us got 100 dollar parking tickets.
This made me upset but I would never say anything about that. This brings me to today. At 11am I woke up to loud bass music. These neighbors play loud music a lot. I don’t always ask them to turn it down, but with it being so early in the day I knew it would last all day long. Once they start playing music it doesn’t stop. They have lived here for about a year and I’ve just recently got there number. Usually, my boyfriend will text them if we need them to move their car out or whatnot. But, I was sick of always hearing loud music so I got their number from him.
I have a noise sensitivity so I always ask my boyfriend and roommate if it’s actually loud or if it’s just me. Most of the time I use my noise canceling headphones but it doesn’t help because the bass vibrates through my body. I only have asked once at 9:58pm when the music was so loud it was shaking our plates. And today at 12:05pm because it was overwhelming.
The text reads:
Me: Hi there can you please turn the music down some it is very loud up here.
Neighbor: that’s crazy every time you complain it’s to early
Me: To early?
Neighbor: yeah.
Me: What do you mean?
I didn’t think it was a problem to ask your neighbors to turn down loud music at any time of the day. I know around 10-11pm is when noise complaints can go into affect. But, I don’t think that means it’s okay to blast music all other times of the day?
Am I an asshole for asking?
Side note: Is feeling music through the floor normal in an apartment?
Ok so they may be terrible neighbors and that genuinely sucks. However, since your question is specifically about you being the asshole in *this* scenario, yes YTA. 11am is a totally reasonable time to play music. If they are legitimately so loud that you think they are violating the law/local noise ordinances, then call the police. But if it’s just your personal preference that they don’t make sounds, you’re going to either need to get used to it or move.
Just because it’s 11am doesn’t mean you can force feed your neighbours with noise constantly.
My neighbours had a family of 4, each had a car and each who drove in and out of their house several times a day, each time blasting music.
So loud it would interrupt conversations in my house.
They also played it all times of the day and night. After speaking with them several times, and got ignored. I just got a lawyer to send them a note about the legal options I had available to me if they kept it up. They have been quiet since.
Just because it’s during the day it doesn’t mean you have the right to do what you want to everyone around you.
11am-12pm is literally in the middle of the day. Noise ordinance usually kicks in around 11pm in most cities so in this case yes YTA.
NTA. Music at any time during the day that is loud enough to vibrate your plates is not acceptable.
NTA. Just because there are designated “quiet hours” in a lease, that doesn’t mean they can’t be an understanding human being outside of those hours.
There can also be a noise level threshold outside of quiet hours in residential zones. So you did nothing wrong at all.
Depending on where you are, yes you’re allowed to make as much noise as you want during the day, but you’re not allowed to repeatedly cause issues for your neighbours.
I think you’re NTA, because it sounds like they’re always doing this crap. If it’s as regular as it sounds like it is, you should complain to your landlord or potentially your local council/police.
Bass is for people who like to feel their music . I personally have never been a fan and it’s particularly annoying to have a neighbor who loves bass in an apartment complex, because the music itself might not be that loud but the bass carries and vibrates everything. So while I certainly sympathize, 11am does not fall within common quiet hours.
NTA. Quiet enjoyment isn’t limited to bylaw noise violation hours. That’s what the City can enforce. Check your lease for the property rules. Mine specifies “no noise audible to other units” at all hours of the day.
NTA This is your right to “quiet enjoyment” vs their right to be jerks. IMO it’s a job for the landlord to sort out.
Living in close quarters requires compromises by all. Your compromise is using noise cancelling headphones. They should not be creating a disturbance that is physically disturbing. They are a nuisance tenant who can be curtailed only by the LL.
NTA
I’d contact my landlord if this were happening to me.
Personally, I wouldn’t consider asking someone to lower the noise until about 10 pm unless it was so loud it was actually painful or there was some other extenuating circumstance. We all make noise going about our day and we all have to learn to live with other people’s noise.
I’m saying YTA although I think behavior falls short of actual A behavior and is just slightly rude.
You cannot fight bass with text messages; you must fight bass with bass. Physics is a two-way street. Since you live *above* them, you have the tactical high ground. Place your own speakers face-down on the floor, directly above their bedroom. Create a playlist of ‘Non-Rhythmic Anxiety Sounds’—think construction drills, crying babies, or just a 10-hour loop of bagpipes. Play it at a low, vibrating volume every morning at 6:00 AM. If Noon is ‘too early’ for them to turn it down, surely 6 AM is the perfect time for them to wake up. Call it a ‘wellness check.
Most modern speakers are Bluetooth or WiFi connected. If their bass is that loud, they are likely streaming it. Change your WiFi network name to: **’StopTheBassOrICallTheCops’**. It is passive-aggressive, yes, but it pops up on their phone every time they try to connect. Every time they look for a signal, they see your demand. It is psychological warfare. Make their own technology judge them.
Stop being ‘nice’ about the driveway. The moment their car (or their guest’s car) blocks you in or risks you getting a ticket: **Call. The. Tow. Truck.** Do not text your boyfriend. Do not text them. Call a predatory towing company. They *love* these calls.
I think it’s wild the noise bothers you, but a $100 parking ticket was okay. Neither are acceptable, and you need to bring both of these up to your landlord.