Noisy neighbors above

bumping this for the heck of it...i'm sure there are enough people out there who have had similar experiences

The first thing you should do, regardless of rental or co-op, is politely ask the neighbor to keep the noise down. Do it in such a manner as "I'm sure you don't realize it, but that [pounding/music/orgy] is louder than you think."

I once had this problem with my next-door neighbor. The distorted thunka-thunka music noise coming from her apartment was so loud in my apartment that my friend I was talking to on the phone had trouble hearing me! Working in broadcasting, I knew exactly what the problem was -- she'd pushed her stereo speakers RIGHT against the wall, and the bass was transmitting through the entire wall, using it as an extension of the speaker. I knocked on her door, and when she answered and invited me in, I could clearly hear that her stereo was at a normal, acceptable volume. All I did was say "I want to show you something in my apartment." I took her next door, and her eyes flew open. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I had no idea how loud it is!" I laughed it off, and explained what she needed to do: just move the speakers a good six inches or so away from the wall. That's it. She did ... and now the place is quiet as a library.

Anyway, if the problem persists, make your next request in writing, in a polite note slipped under the door (or attached to the door, if there's no clearance under the door).

If the problem still persists, rental tenants should contact the landlord.

Co-op tenants should contact the managing agent. Co-op tenants should NOT contact individual board members -- it would be as inappropriate for a board member to take any action on his own as it would be for an individual on the board of, say, Coca-Cola to intervene in an employee dispute at a bottling plant. We're just going to refer your complaint to the managing agent anyway. If the management company can't do anything about it, they'll tell us ... and as the co-op board, we will decide as a body on what further steps to take.

thanks for the thorough response matt

also just curious...would you foresee this as any more of an obstacle if i were a renter in a condo building, and the person making the noise above me was an owner?

Not at all.

Go through the same channels.

Good luck.

A big culprit with upstairs neighbors is speakers directly on the floor.

this is simply their footsteps, and the fact that they have a dog where i can hear it playing with toys. i'm fairly certain they have no idea how loud they are being, but i'm also fairly certain that have zero carpeting so i would think they'd be able to hear their own footsteps, but i guess they just plainly dont

Good point, truthskr10.

If you don't have "bookshelf" speakers (and with today's shelving units, I've managed to turn even these monsters into "bookshelf speakers": http://www.oaktreeent.com/web_photos/hi-fi/Pioneer_CS-99a_web.jpg), you need to put your speakers up on stands, preferably made from sound-dampening material: http://www.sound-footing.com/images/sub-side.JPG

Oops sorry broken link on the speakers:

http://img.muare.vn/tinhrebel/Picture062.jpg

"should you first ask doormen to call? then try to speak to them yourself? then management?"

This makes me laugh. Why would anyone go to the doorman first? What is this, pre-school?

She probably wants to get her money's worth.

She tipped him $1000 at Christmas.

> http://img.muare.vn/tinhrebel/Picture062.jpg

I have to say, thats the ugliest furniture I've seen in a long time.

"should you first ask doormen to call? then try to speak to them yourself? then management?"

This makes me laugh. Why would anyone go to the doorman first? What is this, pre-school?

no its simply less confrontational if the person is an asshole about things, which is often the case

It is not a doorman's function to mediate problems between tenants. In fact, it's highly inappropriate to even mention it to the doorman. If you don't want to be confrontational, go directly to the landlord or managing agent.

he is not mediating anything...just about every person i've spoken to has told me to ask the doormen to give a call up there and simply mention that some neighbors have complained about noise...i have personally witnessed my doormen do this on several occasions

Be an adult. Ask the person that is noisy, yourself, politely, to shut the hell up. If you want this neighbor to resent you for being infantile, call the doorman.

I had a very very very noise neighboor. I don't think it's a great idea to knock on a strangers door. I mentioned it to one of the doormen in a casual way - do you know him , what's he like ect. He offered to say something along the lines of you may not know this , but. In the end the guy could not controll himself or his friends. When he finally moved I was told it was because he did not like all the neighboors banging on the door complaining. On the flip side my upstairs neighboor mentioned something about my dog to the doorman. I wrote her an apology note and invited her to cone down and visit. She did and we had a nice chat.
Doorman is fine, if done the right way

I'd start out with direct communication, or a note under the door if necessary. If a note, re-read it many times to be sure it cannot reasonably be interpreted as angry or sarcastic ... but firm. In any event, I would start out by blaming the building's construction: "Unfortunately, this building was built in a way that allows noise to transfer between units", explain that the space between floor and ceiling is like a drum (if that's the kind of construction you have), and then go into a "you probably don't realize that what would otherwise be normal activities can be quite loud." Avoid creating an oppositional situation. They might be aware of the building's construction, but not aware that you're bothered by the level of noise involved.

And let's see if your upstairs neighbor turns out to be a petite woman instead of the [insert large football player type (outfielder?); I'm from New York] that you were expecting.

"And let's see if your upstairs neighbor turns out to be a ... [insert large football player type (outfielder?); I'm from New York] that you were expecting."

Alan, we don't need to hear about your fantasies.

Is the term "doorman" being used as a catch all phrase for the building's frontdesk/concierge? If so, then I can understand calling the doorman/frontdesk/concierge. If not, and the doorman is actually just a doorman that opens doors, then no, I don't see why people would call him to complain.

To Jamba ----- alanhart's advice is the best. You never know what you're dealing with so you have to be very, very careful so you don't start a misunderstanding that turns into a spat etc., etc., until one or the other of you has to move out because of the animosity .... noise is the big problem in NYC places, that's for sure .......
A note is fine, but YES, re-read it many, many times to edit out the blame and anger and shut-the-fuck-up-tone.

alan and poorish...thank you for your kind advice...i think i will definitely go that route.

1OneWon--you are correct, i'm not referring to simply the person who opens the door. i guess i should have been more specific. my building has a rather extensive staff, and the person i was referring to is the 'concierge'--this person handles most of the day to day operations outside that of the building manager who is there 9-5 and the super

Agreed, tone is everything.
You do not want your exchange to end badly, an upstairs neighbor can make your life miserable if they want to. Your broomstick banging the ceiling cannot compete with stomping feet.

"Your broomstick banging the ceiling cannot compete with stomping feet."

Or an "accidentally" overflowing bathtub.

jamba: Letter to the Managing agent. By e-mail.

I agree with the doorman route. If it's neighbors on your floor that you are at least a little acquainted with, I'd just walk over and knock on the door, but there's no point in dragging ass upstairs and making the issue personal if you can have the doorman resolve it in a nice way.

Personally, I don't know the specific tenants above or below me, and I'd prefer that neither of us know who the noisemaker/complainer is. What's the point?

If you receive a complaint via a building manager -- DO NOT contaxt neighbor directly. That confrontation is a negative for you...

No, I meant if after a civil attempt, without the managing agent. If that does not work, e-mail to the managing agent. These complaints can backfire, if you don't have proof that you acted upon your complaint. The M.A. will ask why you didn't complain to them sooner if it's bothering you so much.

The most confrontational city in the country, and none of you can just ask a neighbor to keep it down? This is just laughable.

You're afraid of the neighbor resenting you... so instead of just asking them nicely, you'll 'squeal' on them to a 'higher authority'?

oh johnfrank, how innocent you are!!