Downstairs neighbors keep complaining about the noise

chocolatecake ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 8:50 pm

I live in a brooklyn apt building with 3 kids, two are preschoolers and the baby is 15 months. There is a family with a few adult children living under me and they keep complaining. I dont really know what to do. Kids are kids. They dont walk they run. Yes my three yr will skip in the house and yes my kids do occassionally drag chairs across the floor. No my kids dont have heels in the dress up box and we dont have a tv or loud music. My kids are asleep from 8 pm to 6 am so the noise is never at a crazy hour. I plan on moving soon and am not interested in paying to carpet. I feel bad but there is not much I can really do. Plenty of people here are families living in apartments. How do you manage. I cant wait to move and let my three yr old daughter be a proper dressup mommy with heels clanking on the floor.

↑ chocolatecake ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 9:15 pm

Squishy wrote:

Why not get a cheap carpet for your kids to play on off it will change the quality of your neighbor's life? It's not an investment.

The main issue is the running back and forth all day. A carpet to play on wont really solve that

tweety1

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 9:42 pm

Squishy wrote:

Why not get a cheap carpet for your kids to play on off it will change the quality of your neighbor's life? It's not an investment.

Cheap carpet? How abt installation costs too. It's a min of $1000. I wouldn't wanna waste even $300 if I know that moving is in the horizon.

amother

Indigo ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:00 pm

chocolatecake wrote:

Where are all the apartment dwellers...I need some sympathy here

I am literally going through exactly the same thing. Except my downstairs neighbours have become very nasty about it and I have developed a crazy anxiety to anything that isn't a softly padded tiptoe. So I'm yelling at my kids all all all day to stop running jumping and basically breathing.
So now we have them probably hearing me yell all say plus a home environment that has gone horribly south for me and all my children
So I'm working on myself to not be intimidated and to not let it all out on my kids. And to accept that kids will be kids and they have a right to live too.
Have no tips, but can really commiserate.

↑ 33055 ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:04 pm

tweety1 wrote:

Cheap carpet? How abt installation costs too. It's a min of $1000. I wouldn't wanna waste even $300 if I know that moving is in the horizon.

Google cheap carpets. You can get them starting under $15.

I would do what I could put of consideration for the tenants underneath you. Perhaps you could set up a play area or certain quiet times.

amother

Bronze ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:09 pm

Welcome to brooklyn. Land of the rude. As an oot it took me yrs but I hav thick skin now and would ignore the neighbors. Your keeping normal hours and children play reasonably. Time for them to suck it up. Dont traumatize your kids over this

amother

Goldenrod

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:09 pm

My kids ages are like yours but I’m The downstairs neighbor. Can your kids wear socks~no shoes? Is there a specific time of day that bothers them the most? 6 am is very early in my family.[although I know it’s considered ‘morning’ in other families]. Truthfully I’m The complaining neighbor but I do try to ignore as much as I can. (My upstairs has 6kids ages 11-2) what noise irks them? Crying? Are they trying to nap? When is their apt so quiet that upstairs noise is so distributive?

Simple1

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:10 pm

Maybe you can discuss with your neighbors to see if there are certain times they specifically need quiet such as early morning. That way your don't feel pressure the whole day and maybe they'll be nicer about it.

Dandelion1

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:24 pm

I'm so sorry I went through it too when we were in an apartment. It was awful! I say be kind but be firm. "We do our best to keep avoidable noise to a minimum, and will continue to do our best to be considerate, but this is our home and our life, and these are the sounds you hear when you choose to live in an apartment building."

I cannot STAND these apartment building bullies. That is exactly what they are... Bullies.

amother

Natural

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:31 pm

I'm the downstairs neighbor and my ceiling shakes every time the upstairs neighbors walk or run. The noise is jarring every time. I cannot sleep when they are awake, which ties me to their schedule. I WISH it were little kids who were sleeping early. It's older kids who on good nights go to bed at 11, and often are up till 1am. They keep me up at night AND wake me up in the morning.

It was not like this when I moved in. Two separate families, both with multiple young children, lived there before, and I hardly knew when they were home. This is different, but I don't think they are doing anything crazy. I think something just changed with the apartment or the noise insulation or something.

Desperate to move, but we got this place before the rents skyrocketed, and can't afford anything else right now. Not ready to make a decision re moving away away, yet. But that's what I'm holding out for.

↑ 33055 ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:36 pm

aleph wrote:

6 a.m. is very early for a playground overhead. Noise complaints are the number 1 quality of life issue in NYC. What do you expect the neighbors to do? Shouldn't they tell their upstairs neighbor who is in a position to do something?

Isn't there some responsibility and consideration for the downstairs tenant especially 6 a.m.?

↑ chocolatecake ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:38 pm

Simple1 wrote:

I asked her what time is specifically annoying for you. She said its all day and all night the zoo upstairs. I said im sorry but im not going to deny that we make noise but 8pm-6am the kids are sleeping so I dont know what you are hearing then. She got nasty and said oh we hear jumping then too if you want I can record it for you to hear. I had asked her for a time to be nice. I know my kids are kids are up ar 6am and if that particularly bothered them I would be more careful but im off the hook cuz thats not the issue. I dont plan on changing anything because there is nothing to do. I do feel particularly bad though because they are a not frum family and its not putting frum families in a good light.

↑ 33055 ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:39 pm

amother wrote:

There are things that can be done like carpeting or an acoustical ceiling.

OutATowner

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 10:46 pm

Very fuzzy, comfy, thick socks for your kids? And tell her what you are trying to do to improve the situation. Not in a defensive way, but in an "I'm really sorry, I'm taking you into consideration and doing my best" kind of way.

southernbubby ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 11:02 pm

amother wrote:

I love your post!!! You probably have the right approach. There is nothing anyone can do about the noise and unless someone is playing loud music at all hours, you can't stop people from getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and babies cry whenever. You are not obligated to carpet the apartment. Socks are a nice idea but not sure it totally eliminates all noise. Shoes are noisy but kids usually go barefoot.

↑ chocolatecake ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 11:07 pm

southernbubby wrote:

My kids take off their shoes the minute they walk in the door this is sock or crock noise we are talking about here.

amother

Brown

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 11:17 pm

I lived upstairs in an apt on Brooklyn in a house. I have one kid. Downstairs neighbor would complain. I did hear downstairs very loud tv and stuff. I would go about my regular life. Downstairs neighbor didn’t like it so moved out. I went to downstairs apt and listen to what the noise sounds like even when we walk upstairs.and it was very loud. And my whole apt had carpet. (Besides kitchen) the floors just weren’t in properly and was very noisy. New people started to look at apt and I warned them all about the noise. Couple moved in. Started complaining about noise. I’m like come upstairs and see what we are doing. We are just walking normally. He apologized for complaining. My bed would shake when downstairs neighbors would walk around. Realized that’s life in Apt’s. If you don’t like it don’t live in an apt.

ra_mom ↓

Mon, Nov 27 2017, 11:28 pm

chocolatecake wrote:

My kids take off their shoes the minute they walk in the door this is sock or crock noise we are talking about here.

You should just know that bare feet make the loudest noise downstairs, even with tip toeing. Much louder than regular walking in shoes.
See if you can get them to keep their crocs on.