We are the "loud neighbors"

[Mrvile]

I live in a studio apartment in Manhattan with my girlfriend. Small place, like 350sqft, but we are comfortable.

Problem is, the couple who lives below us can't handle how "loud" we are. Which is strange, because we are some of the quietest people I know. We don't have people over, we don't play loud music... we both have full time jobs during the day and our time at home is spent cooking and eating dinner, sitting in front of the computer, or talking to each other.

Tonight the girl from the couple below us and complained about how loud we were being (her boyfriend had already come up twice before in the last few weeks). She said it sounded like we were "doing a ton of coke and walking around, and dropping shit," and for the past several months we had been making so much noise and she was at her breaking point. In reality, I had just finished taking a shower and had walked to and from the bathroom a couple times. My girlfriend had been washing the dishes... I mean we don't really do much else.

I was so dumbfounded, all I said was "sorry I didn't realize we were making so much noise." But now that I think about it, it's kind of ridiculous that us peacefully living our lives can be that much of an annoyance. I mean, we literally can't be any quieter short of not being at home.

At this point we don't really know how to work this out. The neighbors downstairs seem like real assholes. Should we go down there and just be all "sorry, you are ridiculous, live with it." Should we be passive aggressive about it? Does it make any sense to involve a third party? What would you guys do?

Thanks.

 

[foghorn67]

Hardwood floors and tile?
That's the nature of the beast in apartment living.
The silver lining for them is cheaper cooling cost in the summer.

 

[feralkid]

Do you have a doorman? If so ask him what gives with the crazies below you.

 

[Chaotic42]

I'd ask to go down there while your GF does some normal stuff in your apartment so that you can hear what they are talking about. Maybe bring a cell phone so they can know that she's really just walking around.

I don't know. I hate noisy neighbors to the point that I bought a house just to get away from them. It sounds like your apartment might be poorly constructed.

 

[EvilYoda]

You live in Manhattan..."fuck you, I'm not a fucking ninja, deal with it"

Ninja part is optional. But encouraged.

 

[nboy22]

I'd ask to go down there while your GF does some normal stuff in your apartment so that you can hear what they are talking about. Maybe bring a cell phone so they can know that she's really just walking around.

I don't know. I hate noisy neighbors to the point that I bought a house just to get away from them. It sounds like your apartment might be poorly constructed.

Good idea. I know some people have really heavy feet when walking and don't notice it. My old room mate's girlfriend used to drive me insane with how heavy footed she was. It was like she was trying to climb a hill with her heels, just jamming them into the floor with every step.

 

[bfdd]

I'd check to see how bad it is, if they're being bitches. I'd call them out for being bitches if it really does suck for them, that sucks for them because wtf are you supposed to do? Not do anything? fuck them if you're not being an asshole, then they can fuck off.

 

[DaTT]

I live in a studio apartment in Manhattan with my girlfriend. Small place, like 350sqft, but we are comfortable.

Problem is, the couple who lives below us can't handle how "loud" we are. Which is strange, because we are some of the quietest people I know. We don't have people over, we don't play loud music... we both have full time jobs during the day and our time at home is spent cooking and eating dinner, sitting in front of the computer, or talking to each other.

Tonight the girl from the couple below us and complained about how loud we were being (her boyfriend had already come up twice before in the last few weeks). She said it sounded like we were "doing a ton of coke and walking around, and dropping shit," and for the past several months we had been making so much noise and she was at her breaking point. In reality, I had just finished taking a shower and had walked to and from the bathroom a couple times. My girlfriend had been washing the dishes... I mean we don't really do much else.

I was so dumbfounded, all I said was "sorry I didn't realize we were making so much noise." But now that I think about it, it's kind of ridiculous that us peacefully living our lives can be that much of an annoyance. I mean, we literally can't be any quieter short of not being at home.

At this point we don't really know how to work this out. The neighbors downstairs seem like real assholes. Should we go down there and just be all "sorry, you are ridiculous, live with it." Should we be passive aggressive about it? Does it make any sense to involve a third party? What would you guys do?

Thanks.

I don't understand the part I bolded...

 

[Lifted]

This is common in older buildings in the city, and probably everywhere, especially pre-war. Not an issue with newer construction.

I was just about to move out last week due to noise, but realized it would likely be just as bad anywhere else. I'm very conscious of it, and walk lightly, don't move heavy things after 10 or 11, and just try to keep it down at night.

If they are complaining about this during the day, then tell them sorry, the building is old. If they are complaining about noise late at night, just try to be more mindful of things you do that could be loud to your downstairs neighbor.

 

[Mrvile]

No doorman, it's a small and cheap apartment. I wouldn't be surprised if our building is poorly constructed...we hear all of our neighbors too but being just out of college, we ignore it.

I'm almost tempted just to go on living life and when they come up again, tell them to deal with it. I mean I dunno, I'm not going to tiptoe everywhere or go to bed at 8:00 for them.

I'm just really taken aback...I mean EvilYoda is right, we live in Manhattan for fucks sake.

 

[coreyb]

are you fat and/or walk heavy?

 

[Mrvile]

are you fat and/or walk heavy?

Our combined weight is less than 260lbs. Not sure about walking heavy... I've never thought about that. I am flat footed, though, so maybe.

 

[Lifted]

My own recent asshole upstairs neighbor issue.

I noticed an annoying humming noise when in my bed a few weeks ago after returning from a business trip. While not especially loud, the bed appears to amplify the noise making it impossible to sleep in there. Spoke the super and his wife about. Supers wife asked the lady upstairs, and she said she had an air purifier that is on 24/7 so that couldn't be it as the noise only starts around 10-11PM. I asked her about it too and she gave me the same story.

I told the building management I was not renewing my lease because of this noise, and they called her and told her to keep the thing off one night. Well what do you know, no noise.

Basically, the lady flat out lied to my face saying she has it on 24/7 for over a year now. Noise started 1 month ago, and is only there at night. I just walked into my bedroom and it's extra loud now. She's moving out in a week so I decided to stay here, but this lady deserves a falcon punch of epic proportions. I've been sleeping on my mattress, which is on the floor of my living room, for a month now.

 

[Leros]

When I lived in apartments, I always live in single story buildings and always in an edge unit. It made finding an apartment a bit more difficult, but it was worth it to:
1) Have nobody above you to be loud
2) Nobody below you to be annoyed
3) Have your living room on the outside wall so you can be loud and nobody will care.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Our combined weight is less than 260lbs. Not sure about walking heavy... I've never thought about that. I am flat footed, though, so maybe.

The way you walk has a LOT to do with things, especially in a poorly built place. It was a good idea to offer to go down there while your gf walks around. Pay attention to how you both walk - I've seen 90lb women unknowingly clomp around enough to seriously piss someone off. Also just because someone is fat doesn't mean they can't be quiet either.

It also has to be bad for you back and knees over 70-80 years of that.

And in my opinion they have just as much right to privacy and intruding noises (to an extent) as you do to live an unobstructed life, although in an apartment you have to accept the normal noises.

 

[amdhunter]

Guy downstairs from me came to bitch about some water leaking downstairs. Yeah, water was leaking and he made a huge deal out of it.

Let him in the house to see what happenned, and it was the wise and beautiful woman above me where the water was coming from.

He said I needed to clean that shit up so it doesn't go to his apartment - I told him he needed to leave before I shove a knife up his ass.

He hasn't knocked on my door for 5+ years.

 

[Ichinisan]

Good idea. I know some people have really heavy feet when walking and don't notice it. My old room mate's girlfriend used to drive me insane with how heavy footed she was. It was like she was trying to climb a hill with her heels, just jamming them into the floor with every step.

My brother and mother do that...CONSTANTLY.

 

[flexy]

1.) Get a good 5.1 sound system with a MASSIVE subwoofer.
2.) Connect to PC
3.) Play BF3 at night. Make sure to drive tanks often and use mortars. A Lot.
4.) ?
5.) Profit!

They might become insane and move out..so it's a win-win situation.

 

[Wreckem]

Our combined weight is less than 260lbs. Not sure about walking heavy... I've never thought about that. I am flat footed, though, so maybe.

Weight doesn't matter.

A girl, all of 100lbs, used to live above me and it sounded like a horse stomping around whenever she walked.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

If my downstairs neighbor knocked on my door and accused me of doing coke I'd just tell her to fuck off.

If they're complaining during the daytime and you're doing what you say you're doing (taking a shower and doing dishes), then I'd also tell them to kindly fuck off. It's not like you're banging pots together when you're washing dishes or humping the bathtub when you shower. I'd understand if it were midnight, but I'm under no obligation to sit completely still during the daytime.

I second the whole "go down there and tell your girlfriend to do normal stuff" thing. You could bring along a neutral third party person to give his/her opinion on the noise, since she's probably going to be all "Can't you hear that? It's as loud as your mom getting plowed on Easter Sunday!"

 

[MagickMan]

Yeah, if they've been rude about it I'd tell them to go fuck themselves, if they were polite I'd look into it and check out how loud we've been. Given what you've said, I'd ignore them. If they get in your face over it, call the super.

 

[Brainonska511]

Are you required to put carpeting in? I've seen that provision in many NYC leases.

 

[Newbian]

Weight doesn't matter.

A girl, all of 100lbs, used to live above me and it sounded like a horse stomping around whenever she walked.

Was she married to this guy:

 

[nageov3t]

have the guy come up and walk around while the girls are downstairs on the phone.

they can report back what they hear just from him walking around normally and confirm if they're being overly sensitive or if you're stomping around without realizing it.

or tell them to suck it up.

 

[Newbian]

have the guy come up and walk around while the girls are downstairs on the phone.

they can report back what they hear just from him walking around normally and confirm if they're being overly sensitive or if you're stomping around without realizing it.

or tell them to suck it up.

I wonder if they would have to pay the landlord to install some kind of sound proofing if it's that bad or if he would even let them do that.