Our upstairs neighbors

[Dreamstalker]

Common sense would dictate that if you know there's someone living below you and you have small children, you would try to be quiet, no?

...right, common sense is an endangered species.

About a year ago, a couple moved in above us with two small kids (I don't think either of them are in school). That unit is cursed; it was Section 8 housing for a while, during which we had the joys of dealing with two underage drinking busts, some weird religious rituals, and an unstable guy who liked to char steaks whilst naked with his door open (in a building with small children).

Some days it sounds like they're training circus elephants up there. It's obvious that the apartment has no rugs...I had no idea two children could make that much noise. At best, if I put my hand on a wall near the ceiling I can feel the vibrations. At worst, our furniture actually vibrates. Some days it's like living below a bad taiko troupe, and to add to that they will also move/throw what sounds like furniture, and they usually have their windows open so we get treated to all kinds of screams and yelling.

It's gotten to the point where the woman below us can hear them (she also has two young kids).

We've asked the management company about it, and were told that unless they're playing loud music (they are at random intervals, I just need to figure out a way to record it) they can't do anything to limit their "quiet enjoyment of the unit".

Quiet enjoyment my ass. If the first floor can hear the third floor, there's a problem.

[insertNameHere]

I'm just going to stay out of this I don't play nice with others, and can only suggest things that shouldn't be mentioned.

Summary, make them want to move


Also, even if you record the noise the management will still probably want to hear it for themselves at that point, as long as they paying the rent, building mangers really don't want to kick out paying customers, and as any management is, they are required to be clueless that it is affecting multiple other units who would rather leave, so keep saving pennies to lose dollars.

[Red Panda]

Depending on how poorly made the apartment complex is a person walking or kids playing can sound much worse from below then in the same apartment.

[blas87]

I agree. If your apartment used to be Section 8, it's most likely very poorly built. The buildings where I live were once section 8 as well, and I can hear both my downstairs and next door neighbor's toilets flushing and sometimes even them talking on the phone and such.

[Dreamstalker]

I think the building was built in the fifties (but seems like it was renovated a few times since then). The management company tends toward upscale properties in town. There's only the one Section 8 unit, probably mandated by law; the property is what's considered a "professional" complex (quiet, no undergrads unless they jump through a lot of hoops, mostly career people and families).

The only "normal" noise we can hear from upstairs is the shower.

The lack of carpets/rugs definitely comes into play. Someone on CS mentioned a trick with piano wire...I'm tempted, but I'd like to try to limit the effect on downstairs (we like them and they like us; it's upstairs that are the weird ones). The few times I did get fed up and bang on the ceiling they banged back and then got louder.

Once when mom was sick I went up there and politely asked if they could keep it down in the bedrooms...that worked for about three days (now they either hide when we knock on the door, or mom gets snarled at if the wife sees her). Management also spoke to them a few weeks ago, and it just made it worse.

So far, three other units can hear them; next to them, next to us, and below us. Being as we had to negotiate a "payment plan" for the rent we don't want to make waves...