Renter Looks For Advice After Irate Neighbors Makes Multiple Noise Complaints

Apartment living offers a lot of perks for some people. From not having to pay for routine repairs and maintenance to benefits like high-end amenities such as gym and pool access, there are a lot of reasons why people elect to live in an apartment.

However, one of the major downsides tends to be the close quarters, which can lead to noise complaints. One woman recently took to Threads to talk about her issues with her apartment neighbors, posting a series of images and videos as examples of what happened.

“I’ve lived here for 3 years with no noise complaints until these neighbors moved in. Since then they’ve complained about my music during the middle of the day, around 10/11 p.m. when quiet hours have barely started, after I’ve only had music on for 30 minutes, and even when I’ve turned my bass and volume way down,” Threads user @highkeyceeofficial wrote in her post.

Now, she’s asking for outsiders to weigh in on the situation, saying that she feels like she can’t make any noise in her apartment without upsetting her neighbors. The post quickly went viral, and people offered their own horror stories while others shared advice.

Renter Says Neighbors Harass Her Over Music Volume

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The lengthy post from @highkeyceeofficial contained more details about the situation, including video examples of how her neighbors behaved when they approached her about the noise. She also shared video from inside her home at the time of the complaints, which she said showed just how low the volume of her music was, as well as communications she has shared with the apartment complex.

According to her, the neighbors have now begun retaliating against her with their own noisy efforts.

“Meanwhile they make noise themselves, and they’ve retaliated by blasting theirs louder, banging on the walls, and just a few days ago their bass was literally shaking my walls around 8 p.m. to compete with my bass the day before,” she wrote. “I didn’t complain because … it’s 8 p.m. We live in apartments. I expect to hear other people sometimes,mes and I know they were just trying to give me a ‘taste of my own medicine.'”

The Threads user also shared that she does play music in her home around midnight, but that she keeps the volume very low and doesn’t play it in a room with a shared wall. She went on to explain how they continue to react the same way when she plays music during other hours of the day. “It genuinely feels like their expectation is that they should never hear me at all, while they’re allowed to make noise themselves,” she added.

She shared some of her correspondence with the apartment managers, which included a letter from the landlord telling her to refrain from playing her music too loud during the remainder of her lease agreement, which appeared to be up at the end of October.

Some People Sided With the Neighbors

Because the Threads user noted that she was using a subwoofer to play her music, many people came down on the side of the neighbors. “I’m sorry, but having a subwoofer on in an apartment is an a–hole move. Doesn’t matter if the volume is low, the vibrations travel,” one person wrote before adding that the neighbors’ response was also out of line.

“You said in the comments you have a subwoofer on,” another person added. “I mean, I think both parties suck here. You should not have that on in apartment living, especially since it’s traveling through the floors/walls.”

Other People Said This Was Just the Reality of Apartment Living

Plenty of people jumped into the comments to say that hearing your neighbors is just par for the course. “It’s expected that living in an apartment, you will hear noise,” one person wrote. “Sounds like he needs a little sound machine (white noise or rain sounds) to calm his a– down. He seems angry because he has to get up early; he doesn’t seem like a morning person.”

“Neighbors in apartments need to understand they’re going to hear their neighbors,” another added. “Normal neighbors make noise. You’re allowed to exist in your space.”

In the end, it seems like the Threads user was planning to move out at the end of the month regardless, so she may not have to deal with her angry neighbors that much longer. That being said, it does sound like a lot of people think the subwoofer is appropriate for apartment living, so hopefully she opts not to move it into her new place so she can avoid additional noise complaints.