Annoying other people in the building

[Valka D'Ur]

There's also a crow in the neighbourhood that has been attacking everyone indiscriminately for the past three weeks. He's a loser.

Sounds like the crow is the least problematic of the lot of them.

I never lived in an apartment. The worst I have to deal with is people mowing their lawns at ungodly hours. Though I'm usually up at those hours with kids now so I don't care.

Back when I lived in the family house and had my home businesses going, I'd usually work until about 4 or 5 am or so and then try to sleep until about noon (had to get papers ready for 8 am pickups that my grandmother would handle for the students with early classes, and it was more comfortable to do needlework in the evening since it was cooler). So I was really not amused when the new next door neighbor decided to blast her stereo at 8:30 am, and mow the lawn at doorknockers' hours on the weekend (I didn't get weekends off). I told her about my usual schedule and asked her not to play the stereo so early, and if she could mow the lawn later in the day. She grumbled about it but said she'd comply.

Her return volley was to leave me nasty notes in the mailbox, ranting about my upstairs curtains being open. Seems that she was sooo concerned that I was peeking into her bedroom at night.

Of course it never occurred to her that A. It was a warm spring, heat rises, and I needed air circulation; B. Her bedroom was on the ground floor and my office was on the second floor and I couldn't possibly have seen anything unless she was standing right in front of the window; C. She had sheer curtains - honestly, if you're paranoid about privacy, get opaque curtains!; D. Why would I care what went on in her bedroom anyway?

Anyhow, she eventually moved, good riddance. The last neighbors I had in that place had a litter of the most adorable little black kittens, and they'd come running over when I got home from shopping or appointments. I'd sit on the porch and they would take turns climbing into my lap for cuddles... I'd have offered to adopt the whole lot of them if I could.

I love indian food but am not sure i'd want to smell it daily, but my neighbor is from pakistan and his stove fan vent is on the side next to mine. I haven't smelled anything yet.

My across-the-hall neighbors are either from India or Pakistan, and while there has been the occasional annoying cooking smell, it's their screaming brats that bother me more.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Man, I've been fortunate enough to avoid most of these types of stories ever since I moved out of college dorms, and even there wasn't as bad as some of these.

About 10 years ago I'd occasionally be annoyed by someone thinking maxing the base on their music in the lot across the street made them cool. Now the worst I have is occasionally I can actually hear people through the walls next door, if I'm not wearing headphones. They don't keep bizarre hours and aside from the occasional several bangs (are they moving something heavy? It sounds like it but I can't picture them being able) every few weeks it's great where I live.

 

[Lexicus]

You look at me and you see, what, some guy who gets annoyed when other people are making loud noises at odd hours? No, Skyler. I am the loud noises. I am the one who plays 90s hip-hop bangers at 3am full volume!

 

[Ferocitus]

On a Saturday morning every November these idiots rolled by my bedroom window,
accompanied by marching bands playing (non-AC/DC) bagpipes.

 

[Kyriakos]

You look at me and you see, what, some guy who gets annoyed when other people are making loud noises at odd hours? No, Skyler. I am the loud noises. I am the one who plays 90s hip-hop bangers at 3am full volume!

I am the danger & the one who knocks.

 

[The_J]

At 4 of my 5 places I didn't have any problems with the other people, but that's pretty much due to the environment.
During my B.sc. I lived in the basement apartment of an elderly couple. I sometimes got homemade cake, was nice .
During my Phd I lived first in a student corridor, and everyone was cool, no issues. Except that one of the guys held it with Snoop Dogg regarding weed, and that you smelled. Afterwards I moved to one of the university's housing complexes for PhD students, and the only annoying part there was one of my temporary flat mates (a good friend), who also stocked up lots of pot.
And right now living in a building with 5 other parties, of which one is a musician, one researcher of the ESA, a doctor/nurse couple, an Italian couple (I guess students or researchers), and one guy who I don't know. I sometimes hear my neighbor making music, but rarely.
So... in these environments you obviously don't have many problems.

During my M.sc. though... I was late with finding an apartment. I ended up in a really crappy plattenbau (my dictionary says it's an English word...) in the surrounding of the city where I studied. The good part was that it was the only one in a certain range, so not too much scum accumulated there. But in the entrance area there was a list of people who were forbidden to enter a building, right next to number of the police. A note to remind the tenants not to pee in the garden. Cables were hanging out of the totally broken bell system. I saw on multiple occasions people completely wasted before noon. The police was once there to arrest two guys who vandalized the hallway. I parked my car with the back to the trees, and not to the street, because I had an anarchy sticker on the back, and too many Nazis were in the surrounding so that I feared it could get damaged (okay, that was more a problem of the town, not of the apartment complex).
And that was not the worst area where I could have lived there. Good that I'm gone now ^^.

 

[bhavv]

Surprisingly convenient thread:

So for whatever reason, my mother was outside the house and decided to go to the absolute extreme to get my attention and involve other idiots in helping her to needlessly harass and cause me distress.

Firstly its impossible lock yourself out of this house unless you lose the keys, and at the end she had the keys in her hand and when I asked if she had been locked out, the answer was a clear no. Also I never open the door for anybody while living here as I hate doing so and my parents know this, and never have any need to anyway as it isnt technically my house, and you cant lock yourself out unless you lose the keys after doing so.

So initially shes stood outside my window screaming my name which I ignore. Shortly thereafter, one of our neighbours had a gardener working for them, so she gets his attention and somehow convinces him to climb on a ladder and start hammering away loudly on or around my window with some tool which goes on for 5-10 minutes (could definitely tell it wasnt his hands and some object was being used). I observed this from the window of the next room, and then saw the gardener's company van out front of the neighbours house and that he was working on their garden (netted curtains so I doubt they saw me).

After this, she then gets one of her friends over from across the street, and I observe this friend drag our bin back from the front to the back garden outside my window, and she starts opening and slamming the bin lid shouting my name and hello to continue getting my attention. At this point I am of course wondering if my mum had somehow locked herself out, but Im honestly too distressed at this to even bother going downstairs to let her in.

This goes on for over 30 minutes until my brother comes over and parks on the driveway, unlocks the door and lets my mum in. I was waiting downstairs now to find out what was happening. Immediately my mother starts beckoning at me with 'you're crazy' hand signs, so the first thing I ask is 'Was she locked out?'. My brother answers right away that she wasnt locked out, and I look over and she has her keys to the house there in her hands???

So I obviously get irate and ask right away 'Well what exactly was she just doing all that for if she wasnt locked out?'

Right away my brother interjects with nothing more than 'Leave it, forget about it, stop asking about it' everytime I continue ask 'but why?'.

So she wasn't locked out, had the keys to the house in her hands the entire time, and somehow convinced the neighbours gardener to climb a ladder to hammer at my window, and her friend to also annoy me by slamming the bin lid and shouting for my attention for a total of 30-45 minutes, but they wont even tell me why she did any of this when everyone involved seemingly knew she had the keys and wasn't even locked out in the first place?

- Was reported to both mental health and the police, and next month to my psychiatrist too.

 

[Arwon]

I don't believe I've ever heard annoying noises from within my building. Walls must be pretty sturdy.

 

[Narz]

I like my neighbors. My roommate is cool. The Super next door is a friendly old alcoholic. Landlord is cool. Neighbor upstairs is a hot 20-something bartender and there's another milfy older lady upstairs I rarely see. All in all can't complain.

 

[Akka]

Closest human being is about half a kilometer away

I'm jealous.

I have a seething hatred of all the [censored] who can't grasp the concept of "you can do whatever you want in your home, as long as it STAYS in your home". I clench my teeth most of the time, but more and more I go see people and as them to lower the volume, and I also become more and more eager to enter the phase where I'm going to say "okay, if you consider you can act however you want because you like it without bothering about how it annoys other, then it's time for me to do the same, and the thing I like most is punching people".
I don't look like a brazilian thug though, so I guess I'll have to go beyond saying it and actually doing it some day.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

I feel your pain. Having lived all my life in blocks of flats, quality of life is much higher living alone. So after inheriting this old country house i restored it and moved in. Add freedom and the possibility of doing whatever you want. I am planning to build my own sailing boat. Most probably i wont finish it ever, lacking time, money, patience and talent, but only the chance of being able to try it is enough to make me feel good.

On the downsides, i need to take the car for everything, even asking my neighbour for a bit of salt.

 

[Kyriakos]

Hm, i am not 100% sure, but maybe the old man living below is now dead. Or he just left - which he never did. But there is no tv (maybe it broke), and not any sound i can hear. Moreover, i think someone spoke of him this morning (again not sure) in somber tone.

 

[Synobun]

Hm, i am not 100% sure, but maybe the old man living below is now dead. Or he just left - which he never did. But there is no tv (maybe it broke), and not any sound i can hear. Moreover, i think someone spoke of him this morning (again not sure) in somber tone.

How very annoying!

 

[Kyriakos]

How very annoying!

Well, yes, i mean i already had made this thread due to him, and now lost the source for more posting.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

If you start to feel some funny smell call the police.

 

[Kyriakos]

If you start to feel some funny smell call the police.

Now i did hear some tv, though i am not sure if it is his. Somewhat sounds more distant.
I suppose by tomorrow it will be more evident if he is here with us or not
Probably will wake me up with his antics (at times he did deliberately make noise so as to wake me up, btw). If that happens, he better not be a ghost

 

[bhavv]

People were previously often asking me why I didn't move into a flat.

'Well I play the piano and want to record stuff'.

Le housing support workers - 'Oh hell no, no flat for you'.

And like council flat - £95 pw, 2 bed semi - £63 pw thanks to having a 40% deposit for my share / 20% of the full value.

And university taught me that I never want to be living in a flat ever again.

 

[Kyriakos]

Turns out the old man is still alive. He just - for some reason - stopped pushing furniture around ALL the time.
Still, tv woke me up at 8 AM, so it is still a problem.

 

[Akka]

Well, just have a look at my sig.

 

[Kyriakos]

Well, just have a look at my sig.

Meh, he must be like 100 years old. There is a local saying, "a bad dog (just) doesn't die". I think there is some truth in that, cause people can indeed live on due to mostly just spite, and he is very ill-mannered.
Whatever; if he just stops pushing furniture around it will be more livable.