Neighbor Issues

Neighbors Part I

There has been this weird, loud buzzing sound coming from the apartment of the guy who lives next door to me. Luckily, the wall we share is in my kitchen, so it hasn't bothered me terribly, but it's driven me a bit crazy just trying to identify it. It almost sounds like an old amp that has been plugged in before any music comes through it. In any case, I noticed that his front door was ajar this afternoon and I could hear the buzzing noise coming through it then, so I knocked in curiousity. This guy is a little scary, he's had some knockdown fights with other people in the building, and he is also a Board member, so I wanted to be careful of how I handled him. First I apologized for bothering him, but explained that I had noticed this loud buzzing noise coming through the wall into my apartment lately, maybe for the past week or so. I said that I thought it was perhaps coming from his apartment, but wasn't sure (even though I was sure), and just wanted to identify what it possibly could be -- not knowing was making me a little nuts. Anyway, he acted like he didn't know what I was talking about. I said, "I hear it right now, can you hear it?" and he just sort of ignored my question not admitting or denying that he heard it and then said something like, "maybe it's the lights or something" and then pretty much shut the door in my face. Of course he heard it, how could he not? I wasn't really angry about the noise, just curious. I noticed that he had some buckets of plaster and/or paint in the corner by his door, so perhaps he's doing some work on his apartment and had some kind of machine plugged in near the wall we share. Fine, I just don't know why he wouldn't mention it, I really don't feel as if I was being confrontational. If anything, I would have been happy to hear that it was going to be a temporary thing. Oh well, he's a strange one anyway. So, I came back to my apartment and back into the kitchen and could still hear the buzzing. I then put my ear to the wall to listen and shortly afterward I heard (someone) pull a plug and the noise stopped. So weird.

Neighbors Part II

I've mentioned before about my obnoxious upstairs neighbors who live in a studio apartment with a toddler with no rugs or floor coverings at all. Well, tonight things just escalated to an insane level because they apparently had guests over who brought another kid. So, starting around 8:00 PM, I received the full playground treatment -- complete with multiple kids running back & forth, stomping, jumping up & down, throwing things, banging things, dragging things, screaming, adults chasing them and yelling too -- I finally couldn't take it anymore and went running up there. I was so mad that my knees were literally buckling. Very loud and harsh words were exchanged, finally with my threatening to complain to the Co-Op board and the Management Company -- her screeching that I have to put up with it because it's a child (so I guess having a child entitles you to more rights than everyone else) and the husband yelling after me that the rules state that there can be noise until 10 PM. Not quite actually, there is such a law that states that one apartment dweller can not encroach on the "quiet enjoyment" of another's home. But anyway. I went downstairs and the noise continued, but I had at least vented so I finally started to calm down. I have now written a letter that I am going to slip under their door at some point. I really don't want to be at odds with these people. I just feel so alone and helpless. Especially with it being two (or three, if you count the kid) against one. Anyway, this is the letter I've written:

January 29, 2005

DS
Apartment 2A


Dear Neighbor,

I wish to apologize for my harsh words and raised voice this evening, I found myself compelled to vent the frustration that I have been feeling for many months. I feel like the situation continues to worsen and I find myself alone in my apartment and feeling quite helpless. I do appreciate that you have taken some steps to ensure that the majority of the noise coming from your apartment happens during daylight hours, but I feel that you perhaps just do not realize what all the running, stomping screaming, rolling & dropping & dragging of hard objects across the bare floors sound like to me. When the child runs simply across the floor, it is as if someone is running across a drum over my head. When this continues back and forth incessantly it quite frankly becomes torturous to be stuck beneath. If you add to that the screaming, adults sometimes chasing, throwing of hard objects to the floor, jumping up & down, etc. you may start to understand why I reached the end of my rope this evening. Tonight the volume escalated to an insane level by adding another child (or children – I really don’t know how many were up there) to the mix. I feel that on my end I have made every effort I can to make sure that my own noise does not encroach on your lives. I watch TV/listen to music using headphones whenever possible and I never have guests over to visit. It is just frustrating and demoralizing to be trapped in two rooms beneath a lot of pounding from which there is absolutely no escape. I’ve said it a number of times, and will say it again, if you were moved to place adequate carpeting on your floors, much of this issue could be resolved. I’m sure there would still be some amount of sound, but it would hopefully be contained to more acceptable level. I have friends who live in apartments with children the age of your child who are successful in containing the noise of play in this manner.

With that all said, I really do not wish to make a war out of this. I really am a reasonable person, no matter what my emotions of this evening may have portrayed. Rather than throwing threats and complaints around and completely alienating each other, I would prefer to try and continue to work this through ourselves. This evening it truly sounded like there was a NFL Football game being played above my head – maybe you can see why I was driven to run up there, shaking knees and all.

Again, I apologize if I put a damper on your evening, and I hope we can continue to try and work our differences out in a friendly manner.

Best Regards,

DS / Apartment 2A


I just don't want to end up in a war with neighbors, it's an ugly, ugly business, I don't need the stress and I really can't afford to move at the moment. Ahhhh, life in The Big City.