What do you consider normal apartment noises?

[BeenHereB4]

Lived in a few very thin walled apts. Typically going to the neighbor does nothing other than make living there even more uncomfortable.

Ex-DH and I in our first place heard everything, bathroom stuff, sneezing, baby crying, howling dog, walking, bedroom "activities". The people on the other side led a very different life in terms of bed times and waking times, etc. So I'm sure the fact that we were up early doing our normal living at 7am was hard on them. We had several arguments with those neighbors about noise and it was very uncomfortable every time we saw them.

I now really appreciate my home even though I'm still close to my neighbors, we are not sharing walls.

Sorry about this though because it is really frustrating. Are you renting? Can you maybe try to find a rental house or a corner unit somewhere?

 

[mackeysmom]

Heck, even when you live in a house you have to put up with neighbors.

That's for sure - my next-door neighbors are so loud, we may as well share walls. Not only that - but there are about a dozen people living there - all on different schedules - so the noise is 24/7.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

Is it rude to vacuum late at night in an apartment? Probably. Is there much that can be done about it? Probably not. DH and I did apartment living for 2 years before we bought our home. There are no "lights out" rules in apartments so you unfortunately just have to deal with it.

 

[Scurvy]

Is it rude to vacuum late at night in an apartment? Probably. Is there much that can be done about it? Probably not. DH and I did apartment living for 2 years before we bought our home. There are no "lights out" rules in apartments so you unfortunately just have to deal with it.

I lived in apartments for six years before buying my home. At my last apartment, there were "Quiet Hours" specified in the lease. There were no loud noises - including vacuuming or loud televisions or stereos - allowed after 10:00 at night and before 9:00 in the morning. The other apartments I lived in before that had similar rules. Anyone who had a noise complaint in those apartments was supposed to call the after-hours number to report the problem, and people could be evicted for violating the rules too often. I don't think evictions happened often, but I know for sure it happened a couple of times at my last apartment. They took noise complaints very seriously.

It's inevitable that you're going to hear some noise from your neighbors when you're in an apartment, but having a television loud enough that you can understand specific words, or music so loud you can understand the lyrics, or conversations loud enough that you can actually follow them from another apartment seems unreasonable to me. (Assuming the apartment doesn't have tissue thin walls, at least.) There may be nothing a neighbor can do to keep you from hearing them flush or walk quietly around, depending on the way the apartment is built. But there's no reason to intentionally do something as loud as vacuuming at a time when most people tend to be trying to sleep.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

I lived in apartments for six years before buying my home. At my last apartment, there were "Quiet Hours" specified in the lease. There were no loud noises - including vacuuming or loud televisions or stereos - allowed after 10:00 at night and before 9:00 in the morning. The other apartments I lived in before that had similar rules. Anyone who had a noise complaint in those apartments was supposed to call the after-hours number to report the problem, and people could be evicted for violating the rules too often.

That definitely wasn't the case at my old place. I think it's a great policy to look for if anyone has to live in apartments. Good to know they exist.

 

[7165red]

Oh, how I can relate to your post. I bought a new town house and was very happy until my new neighbors moved in. On my right side they played their music so loud it was driving me crazy. The base ran up to my bedroom, on my left their younger son played the TV so loud I could understand every word. The walls were thin. I wrote a note to one neighbor explaining that the walls were so thin and it wasn't their fault that their music sound travel up the wall to my bedroom. My other neighbor was younger and had a attitude. I was so unhappy there that I had to sell my TH and rented a house until I was ready to buy.

 

[SandrA9810]

Some of the newer built for condos converted into apartments are usually better at insulation in the walls.

My last apartment, I had stomping neighbors on top and DDR fanatic underneath. Eventually you get used to the sounds and noises, and let it be.

 

[bosuch]

I'm wondering what you all consider to be "normal" apartment noises?

Bloodcurdling screams, a child's footsteps that run down the hallway and stop at the head of my bed, a voice whispering "Get out!"... I could live with all of those if only the blood would stop dripping down the walls, know what I mean?

Or is that just my apartment???

Bill

 

[dzorn]

Man do I not miss apartment living. We used to live under "Baron Von Squeaky." Every Saturday morning his bedsprings would squeak. I am sure that I do not need to elaborate...

Only on Saturday that's kinda sad.

Denise in MI

 

[Sparx]

I live in an older building. I have thin walls and I can hear doors slam, I can hear the showers near by running. I can hear the dishwasher/washing machine run.

I had one very inconsiderate neighbor recently that has since left, but she would play her music SO loudly that I had pictures fall off my wall. I could feel the bass vibrating in my feet and actually invited the management over to hear the concert. Her favorite time to play music was around 2-5 AM, but she would also play it at random intervals throughout the day.

We have a system of noise complaints at my complex. If a unit gets 3 complaints, they get a notice that the next one will be an eviction notice. I can also call the courtesy officer if it is happening at night.

After living over her for almost a year, I don't think many noises would ever bother me again.

 

[Pomlover2586]

Thank you all for your responses! I definitely am sensitive to noises- but I do know that it's part of the apartment living. Most of this i could deal with- it's the vacuuming at 11 pm and the loud tv in their bedroom at night that annoy me most.

I have thought about speaking to the neighbors- they seem nice enough. I have also thought about speaking to the manager of the complex as well- however she has been here 25 years, and my neighbor has been here about 15- so I'm the "newbie" and I don't want to stir up trouble. I'd like to live here for a few years until we are ready to purchase our own home.