Noisy Neighbors

Have you ever lived in a situation where your neighbors made your life a living hell?

Bless her heart, I was chatting with a friend on Facebook and she is on a ground floor apartment with a madman living above her. She says he will sleep all day and then be up all night playing music loudly and walking around. She calls him "elephant man" because evidently he stomps instead of walking normally.

She has complained to the apartment manager's office but to no avail. Myself and others on Facebook have said to call the police if he is being loud after midnight, but the problem is that the guy is mentally unstable. She can hear his rantings through the thin ceiling. And he lives alone so she knows he is conversing with himself. Being afraid of repercussions, her hands are pretty much tied. She is afraid, though, and that is something you should not feel wherever you live.

I have lived in two apartments where I had an inconsiderate neighbor living upstairs. It is not fun. But in those cases I was able to talk to them and they would stop the offending behavior. Usually it was loud music or an incredibly loud TV. One couple had surround sound on their television and seemed to think they lived in a house by themselves. And once when I lived in a trailer park my neighbors would blast their music, believing those thin aluminum walls could contain the decibels. Again, though, when I went to them and told them that their music was rattling my windows, they would turn it down. Until the next time. Did they think that I had moved away? And I am deaf in one ear, so if your music is loud to me then it is really loud.

But I was never afraid in those situations. I was able to stand up for my rights. With this man being unstable, my friend is not willing to do something that will "set him off". I feel so bad for her.

I try my best to be a considerate neighbor. I do not let my dog bark at nothing. I keep my TV and my music at a level where I know they cannot be heard by the ones living above, below, and beside me. I know because I ask them. And I let them know that if it ever is a bother, please come tell me. Like I said, I am deaf in one ear, so sometimes I have to have the volume a little higher than other folks.

I am grateful that where I live now, while it may not be in the best neighborhood, is very quiet. There are the occasional car stereos that I hear, but nothing from my neighbors. And the office makes it known that shenanigans will not be tolerated.

If you have any solutions for my friend, please let me know. I hate that she can't sleep or enjoy her home like she should be able to do.