While countless films and television series feature couples or families who are best friends with their neighbors, this dynamic is hardly always the case.
Indeed, many people go through life without ever exchanging two words with their neighbors.
While many might be shocked by these people, others would consider them lucky.
As many find themselves on less-than-cordial terms with their neighbors, with some saddled with neighbors who go out of their way to make life difficult for them.
Redditor Weak_Internet_3295 and his wife were among those who had a less-than-stellar relationship with their neighbors.
Often finding themselves at the receiving end of their neighbors' complaints.
Things took a shocking turn, however, when their neighbor felt compelled to call the police on the original poster (OP).
Wondering if his neighbor's actions were justified, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**hole, where he asked fellow Redditors:
"AITA for "making too much noise" in my apartment after my downstairs neighbors called the cops on me for vacuuming?"
The OP explained how their mid-afternoon cleaning resulted in the police at their doorstep:
"I (M) live on the second floor of a four-story building with my wife."
"For the past couple of months, our downstairs neighbors have been making our lives miserable over normal apartment noise."
"It started with the absolute dumbest thing: our morning alarm vibrations."
"My wife is a teacher and needs to be at school by 7:30 AM, and I start work at 8:00 AM."
"We set our alarms for 5:30 AM. "
"The neighbors complained that the vibration from our phones on the nightstand woke them up because they sleep until 7:00 AM."
"To be accommodating, we turned off the vibration feature."
"They still complained and started harassing us in the parking lot on our way to our cars."
"The Floor/Footstep Issue:"
"Our building has hardwood floors."
"We have neighbors above us, too—we hear them walking all the time, but we ignore it because that’s just apartment living."
"We don't stomp, we just exist."
"The Escalation:"
"The AC Unit: I was installing a bedroom AC unit one evening and made sure to finish before 10:00 PM to abide by local noise ordinances."
"The next morning, they cornered us and threatened to call the cops."
"That was our breaking point."
"We reported them to the landlord for harassment, which finally stopped the parking lot confrontations."
"The Cop at my Door:"
"Today (Thursday), I took a PTO day to relax and clean."
"I was vacuuming and tidying up between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM."
"Shortly after, a police officer knocked on my door."
"Apparently, the neighbors called 911 and claimed I was 'stomping on the floor to spite them' because we reported them to the landlord."
"They genuinely believe we are tracking their schedules just to annoy them."
"I barely have time to track my own life, let alone theirs."
"I feel trapped."
"We’ve accommodated them, but I need to be able to walk, clean, and live in my own home during broad daylight."
"Am I the a**hole for losing my patience, or are they completely out of line?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA - You're The A**hole
- NAH - No A**holes Here
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**Hole for losing his patience with his neighbor.
Everyone agreed that the OP's neighbor was escalating their tense situation and that the OP should continue to report their behavior to their landlord until it finally stops:
"Go back to your landlord."
"They need to know cops were called for vacuuming at noon, so you have no way to know how this will escalate on their property."
"NTA."- concretism
"NTA."
"Report them to your landlord again and make sure the landlord knows they're escalating the harassment."- Appropriate-Mall9781
"NTA."
"Some people shouldn't live in apartments; that would be them, not you."
"You might want to get a digital recorder to use to track your loudness for evidence."
"Bad Katz suggests you both take up tap dancing."- KatzAKat
"NTA."
"Even if you were stomping on the floor, who calls 911 for that?"
"Especially if it’s in the middle of the day!"
"Your neighbors seem like snowflakes who need constant peace and quiet, and if that’s the case then apartment living is not for them."- Educational-Bug-5215
"NTA, this is all part of normal living, hope the cops assured you that you are not doing anything wrong."
"They likely advised the neighbor that this is not a police matter."- DisciplineBrief1474
"NTA reports them to the landlord for ongoing harassment."
"They need to get a detached house."- Dogmother123
"NTA."
"There is an expectation of quiet enjoyment even in an apartment."
"This applies to the downstairs neighbors during typical quiet times."
"It seems that you respect this, and noise at other times is just a part of close contact."
"On the other hand, you also are entitled to be at peace at home."
"Their harassment is actually an Landlord (LL) problem."
"I would go get a copy of whatever report/log entry was made for this police call and send it with a letter to the LL."
"Outline in that letter the extent of the harassment you have experienced and request the LL to intervene."
"I doubt the building owner wants the police called out for these types of stupid complaints made by the neighbor."- Jaded-Moose983
"NTA."
"You cannot live trying to be a cat jumping from curtain to curtain."
"You need to be able to do your normal life."
"You did a reasonable level of noise at reasonable hours".
"They're way out of line for calling the cops on you for noise at noon."- Master_Sabretooth
"NTA, not even a little."
"I had downstairs neighbors like this once."
"I flushed?"
"Knocked on the ceiling."
"Shower?"
"Ceiling."
"Garbage disposal?"
"Ceiling."
"Person on the other side of me and one floor above ran the garbage disposal?"
"Ceiling."
"Person upstairs slammed their door because the wind caught it in our weird apartment tunnel?"
"Management called all the apartments until I answered and blamed me."
"It rained?"
"Got a call that I’m spilling water through my balcony’s floor and getting their patio wet."
"Management came once because I was vacuuming, and my then bf was one of those heavy walkers who stomps all the time because someone called in a possible domestic situation."
"I just unloaded on the manager and finished with 'some people need to live alone in the woods in a one-story cabin with earplugs'.”
"Also mentioned the yappy tiny dog they leave on their patio when they’re not home and sometimes at night."
"Turns out they hadn’t paid a pet deposit."
"Whoopsies."
"After that, I got petty and banged on my floor when their headboard rhythmically banged against the wall my bed was against, out of synch, of course, or when anyone slammed a door, walked through the outdoor walkway, or someone's car alarm went off."
"Not every time, just occasionally so they never knew when to expect it."- cuppitycupcake
"NTA."
"I would document every incident where your neighbors retaliate or harass you and inform the landlord/apartment manager each time (or a summary if the incidents are too frequent)."
"If you’re doing something that might create noise of any kind, you could record yourself as proof that it’s the normal amount of noise made by existing to show your landlord."
"Otherwise I would ignore them entirely and tell them to talk to the landlord if they approach you."- ranchspidey
"They are out of line and miserable."
"NTA."- ikesbutt
"NTA."
"Apartment living includes 'the sounds of life' around you."
"There is no expectation, rule, or law that promises them silence."
"Honestly, people who freak out about normal sounds of life, like footsteps, cleaning, closing a drawer, eating meals, etc, are typically mentally ill."
"At best, they have anxiety or PTSD, and they are having a real physical startle reaction to ordinary life."
"At worst, they have been developing schizophrenia, and they are unable to recognize ordinary sounds of life as non-threatening."
"Drug-induced psychosis would also get lumped in here."
"You can buy a sound meter on Amazon for $10."
"Stand 6 feet away from the sources of sound and take a reading."
"Everything but the vacuum is going to be within conversational decibels."
"I'm sure."
"If it was me, and you really want to make peace, I'd get a bag of earplugs, and tape them to a note:"
"'I got a sound meter, I've measured it. We're well within normal. But, in the spirit of being neighborly, here are some earplugs to help you sleep. Here are the times I could schedule my weekly vacuuming. Pick one and let me know'."- JadeGrapes
Noise is certainly a problem in an apartment building.
Even so, vacuuming is hardly something worth notifying the police about.
Then, too, considering police don't take kindly to their time being wasted, the OP's neighbor's plan might have backfired on them, getting them in more trouble than they could ever imagine.
