About three weeks ago, a new neighbor moved in downstairs and it’s been quite the hassle. We keep getting noise complaints, and he’s now resorted to banging on the ceiling.
After the first complaint, we tried to be friendly by baking cookies and giving him our phone number. He then texted us at 1am in a very aggressive way.
Since then, he has started banging on the ceiling, even during the day when it’s obviously not quiet hours. When I went to knock on his door, he was on the phone with the office, but he was shaking and yelling at me. He doesn’t seem to have the best temperament, and I think that’s making things worse.
We have three cats, and I think the two young kittens are the main troublemakers. I can’t really stop them from running around, but is there anything I can do to help reduce the noise? The apartment is mostly carpeted, but I’m considering getting more rugs for the non-carpeted areas and around the cat tree so their jumps aren’t so loud.
I’m at a loss about what to do. My girlfriend and I work nights, so five nights a week, we get home after quiet hours have started, and we can’t tire the kittens out beforehand. I doubt it’s that loud, but I’m willing to admit it can be annoying. Can I set up our closet or laundry room to create a space where the cats can hang out at night?
I really need some advice. I don’t want to have to find new homes for any of the cats. If anyone has been through something similar, please help.
Your neighbor really needs to chill. If you don’t want to hear noise from people above you, you should live on the top floor. You’re not doing anything wrong, and it’s just normal life sounds. He’s the one causing the real disruption.
@Charlie
I agree that he needs to get it together. He’s been acting pretty unhinged about all this. The main issue is during our apartment’s quiet hours, but he freaked out today even in the middle of the day.
I don’t know why the last person living below me didn’t say anything. He might be exaggerating, but I can see how it might be somewhat disturbing.
Jo said: @pawfectbowls
Are you allowed to have three pets? That seems rare for an apartment.
I’ve seen others here with three dogs.
The apartment only officially knows about one cat.
Our oldest had a litter of two when we took her in, but one sadly passed away. We just couldn’t separate mother and son. We didn’t have the funds for another pet fee, and over time, we just never got around to it.
My girlfriend knew someone who had kittens unexpectedly, and we took one in to prevent it from going to a shelter.
I know we shouldn’t have done that, and we were about to ask for permission to have more cats, but now with this situation, I doubt they’d allow it. It was never an issue with the last neighbor, so we just kept putting off telling the office.
@pawfectbowls
I feel for you with such a bothersome neighbor. Just be careful about bringing in pets without your landlord’s knowledge since it could lead to eviction. If that happens, you might have to rehome the three cats or end up in a tough situation. Plus, an annoying neighbor could easily report you to management. But honestly, I never thought of cats being that loud.
Jo said: @pawfectbowls
Are you allowed to have three pets? That seems rare for an apartment.
I lived in an apartment where there were no limits on the number or size of pets. You just had to pay $80 per month plus a deposit for each one, but of course, not everyone was honest about how many they had. My neighbor had two big dogs, I had a dog and three cats, and another neighbor had three small dogs.
Jo said: @pawfectbowls
Are you allowed to have three pets? That seems rare for an apartment.
Where I live, it’s illegal to have no pet clauses or to charge pet rent or deposits, or to evict someone for having animals outside of what bylaw limits. It also includes limits on the number of pets.
Have you thought about recording your apartment while you’re at work? I’d recommend getting a camera to record for a week to understand how much noise is really happening and what areas need sound dampening. If you have three cats running around for eight hours at night, that could definitely be annoying. But I’m confused about how he can hear it that loudly. Cats usually land pretty softly, unless they are yowling or fighting.
It could also be that the noise isn’t coming from you at all. Depending on your building’s design, noise could be coming through the air vents, which might be misdirecting his anger. I had a similar experience where I was convinced my upstairs neighbor was scream singing at 3am. I complained to management for months, only to find out it was the lady below me singing drunkenly in her bathroom. The sound traveled through the air vent, making it seem like it was coming from above instead of below. Your building might not have enough soundproofing between the floors, which is out of your control.
If you were really that noisy, I think he’d also be complaining about every step you take across the floor.