Dealing with noisy neighbour in an apartment block

[Ceviche]

One effective revenge would be to track when does this noisy neighbor go to sleep? Irrespective of how noisy she is..she must be sleeping at a certain hour.

Get hold of loud speakers ( or borrow from a friend for a month) and get them fixed on the very wall/ceiling next to the bedroom of the noisy neighbor.

And basis your research on his/her sleeping hours - play super loud music or noise of any kind eg drums or dog barking - right next to his/her ears.. This method has won many battles with noisy neighbors, worldwide.

 

[Silvie]

One effective revenge would be to track when does this noisy neighbor go to sleep? Irrespective of how noisy she is..she must be sleeping at a certain hour.

Get hold of loud speakers ( or borrow from a friend for a month) and get them fixed on the very wall/ceiling next to the bedroom of the noisy neighbor.

And basis your research on his/her sleeping hours - play super loud music or noise of any kind eg drums or dog barking - right next to his/her ears.. This method has won many battles with noisy neighbors, worldwide.

Totally agree with Ceviche. Give her of her own medicine and leave the place for a few hours.

 

[jantango]

Have you purchased some earplugs while you wait for it to be sorted out? Also try a white noise app on your phone -- this is not to discount your experience, just trying to help with some solutions in the meantime.

I've tried earplugs and putting two down pillows around my head just to fall asleep. If I had a phone, the white noise app would be very useful. Last year I wore headphones to bed while listening to relaxation music.

One effective revenge would be to track when does this noisy neighbor go to sleep? Irrespective of how noisy she is..she must be sleeping at a certain hour.

Get hold of loud speakers ( or borrow from a friend for a month) and get them fixed on the very wall/ceiling next to the bedroom of the noisy neighbor.

And basis your research on his/her sleeping hours - play super loud music or noise of any kind eg drums or dog barking - right next to his/her ears.. This method has won many battles with noisy neighbors, worldwide.

She is partially deaf, so even if I stomped all night on the floor, she wouldn't hear it. I know her habits and that she goes to work at her kiosco at 8am to 4pm. When she arrived home today at 4, she immediately turned on the TV in the bedroom. It's my guess that she and her girlfriend had a quarrel. She was depressed and watched television until she fell asleep.

Television sound rises, so any noise or music in my bedroom would bother my ill neighbor upstairs.

I've kept my part of the agreement, but she hasn't kept hers.

Lights are out below, and the TV is OFF. She went to her girlfriend's apartment. I get to sleep tonight.

 

[jantango]

It was great to have a good night's sleep for a change, without any interruption from the TV below. I awoke to the sound of silence at 8:30.

In less than two days since filing my complaint, a lawyer contacted me by phone to set up an interview to discuss the noise problem caused by my neighbor. I will speak with him tomorrow morning at the Ministerio Publico Fiscal at Bme. Mitre 1735 Piso 3. My previous complaint is archived, so we are starting from the beginning with a new case. I will bring along all the dates and times of incidents noted in my agenda.

 

[jantango]

On April 1, 2016, I had a very brief interview (40 min.) with a lawyer at the Ministerio Publico Fiscal de la Ciudad (Attorney General's office) on Bme. Mitre. He needed details to complete his draft of a petition to initiate my new complaint against my neighbor. He phoned me on April 7 to come to the office and sign a request for reopening my file to proceed with mediation.

I've been dealing with the loud television noise from below by sleeping with a portable fan running all night or sleeping on a yoga mat in the living room. I'm puzzled as to why she programs the television for hours when she isn't home. She has no reason for her violent action against me, since I am a quiet neighbor. I continue keeping detailed notes about the noise I endure while she isn't home.

Today is her birthday. I expected a loud party below until 3am, which has been the case every year. She believes she has the right to disturb the neighbors on a Saturday night. She held the party elsewhere. I slept on the living room floor while the loud television program continued all night long below my bedroom.

I expect a psychologist will be present at mediation hearings. The one who attended mediation last year did a better job of resolving the issues than the lawyers.

 

[jantango]

It's been three weeks, and I'm still waiting for a notice of mediation date at the attorney general's office for my case. In the meantime, I'm trying to deal with the constant noise from a TV below. When I do anything to let her know I'd like quiet, she explodes. I tapped on the floor with a shoe to let her know I wanted quiet. She buzzed me from the front door of the building and shouted crude language. All I want is quiet to sleep.

I finally had to do something, so I disconnected the cable on the building terrace. In a few hours, she had it reconnected. I bought a large wire cutter to do the job, but wasn't ready to use it. Her retaliation was to leave the TV blasting until 5am (a neighbor three floors above heard it) while she slept on her sofa in the living room. I spent the night on my yoga mat in a down comforter.

I left a voice message on her girlfriend's phone that I'd like to get some sleep. I came home last night around midnight to discover I had no electricity in my apartment. I knew immediately that she flipped the switch. I asked my neighbor, who has the key to the basement, to turn it back on for me. She was there to argue and justify her actions to him. After he turned it on, she turned it off again. She knocked on my door. I made the mistake of opening it, but managed to close it before she could push her way in. Then she was pounding on my door at 12:30am, surely waking up those who get up at 6am. I called 911 and the police came in an hour. I explained the situation, and the police officer gave me this information -- that mediation has to take place before I can file a civil case against her. It's been 14 years of the same, so it's time. The police rang her doorbell at 1:30am about four or five times. Of course she didn't answer, assuming it was me. I wasn't surprised at 9:30am to hear my doorbell, but I didn't answer it.

I hope no one else is dealing with a crazy person like I am, but if you are, I suggest you keep records. I make note of everything on my agenda. I also take photos and recordings that I may need to prove my case in court. My goal is to get her ordered to see a psychiatrist. The woman (51) has a problem. When she wants to sleep, I can't make any noise. But when I want to sleep, I have to endure the noise below until she decides. The worst incidents have been the last two months.

 

[Ceviche]

Sorry to hear that. It seems a perpetual problem. Have you considered moving to another apartment. I know its not easy in BA but considering the problem is getting worse than better with time..maybe you should consider moving out.../ selling yrs..buying another..or renting this out and renting another one etc etc.

 

[RichardP]

14 years of this? I've lived in a building where residents were at war for 30 or 40 years. It never get better.

 

[syngirl]

14 years, honestly you may love your apartment but this situation is really ruining your life and your health! Time to move. Start looking for a new place, there is no pressure as you already own. Perhaps you will be lucky and find somewhere you love. Obviously there is the fear of the unknown (neighbours) but 14 years living with a lunatic neighbour is way too long.

 

[jantango]

I had to laugh to myself when she was on the building terrace repositioning the cable for the TV in the bedroom. There is cable running down the building in the inner patio which I can access and cut in a flash.
I cut the cable twice in early 2015, and she called the provider to fix it.

Moving isn't a possibility. Besides, I could move into the same kind of situation or worse in another place. I considered selling two years ago and moving into a rental, but I came to my senses.