Does it often sound like your upstairs neighbor either runs an underground wrestling federation, trains elephants, or is a giant who plays a whole lot of Dance, Dance, Revolution with heavily weighted clown shoes?
My last upstairs neighbor was constantly so incredibly loud that it drove me nuts. I tried many tactics to filter out the noise. I turned up my music to try and drown it out, but I think it may have actually bothered a different neighbor. I wore earplugs while I was sleeping, but the vibration of the pounding above still woke me throughout the night. Honestly, I don't think these people ever slept. In fact, maybe they were robots. Very loud, disruptive robots!
So what can you do about a noisy neighbot? (Combo of neighbor and robot)
This can be a tricky situation. You could always beat on the ceiling with a broom, but where is that going to get you...really? Revenge is not going to get anyone...anywhere.
Personally, if it's the first complaint, I would go to them directly, but make sure to be very friendly about it. You could leave them a nice note to just let them know that the noise is a concern. Make sure to point out the fact that you wanted to let them know directly. If you have never met them, introduce yourself and then in a nice way let them know that sometimes because the floor is thin, you can hear pounding around and it disturbs your Soaps. It's very important to not come across as confrontational or rude. Coming across this way does nothing, but aggravate a situation. The last thing you really want is to make enemies with a neighbor that you'll have to spend the next year or so living next to.
Calling the police before ever letting them know personally that they are bothering you is sure to make them highly resentful and possibly seek revenge. Yikes!
The truth of the matter is that most Apartmentites are actually considerate when it comes down to things. They don't realize that they are causing a raucous until you let them know. I'd say the majority of people will be much more cautious of the noise after being made aware of the problem.
In some cases however, it may be better to contact your apartment manager and let them handle the issue. This is a great tactic if you feel threatened by the neighbot in any way. If you wish to remain anonymous, you could request that the management post a notice on each door in your building about bringing down the noise and bringing down the funk. Barbyfirefly of Dove valley Ranch in San Antonio says, "I think you should go to the office first. That's what they're there for. Keeping you happy should be their main goal. Being a girl, I would not go to them personally. I value my safety and I would rather not get into any kind of possible situation. If the noise doesn't stop then I would call the police. Any property you are at should have a courtesy officer that can take care of things like that."
Either approach will hopefully result in you being able to get some better rest and relaxation without tons of noise from above. Just put yourself in their position and think how you would react if someone politely let you know that you were bothering them in some way. Would you get defensive and angry or would you correct the problem? Most likely you'd correct the problem.
Sharing this world and your apartment community peacefully is the key to happiness!!
