i have noisy neighbors on both sides of me and one on top of me and it's driving me crazy! i have complained and complained and nothing gets done! all the landlord cares about is his rent!

when i complain they get more noisy. I play my tv and music loud just like them, but after a while, i just give up and do a lot of praying and remember that what goes around comes around and they'll get theirs in the end! we just have to hold on!

while visiting my baby sister, who is seven months pregnant, i heard some loud running back and forth. it was above my head. i said to her "what the hell is that?" and she nonchalantly says "oh, that's just my upstairs neighbors!"

This seemed to be a behavior she was used to but if you all could have heard this, it was like an exercise room up there. I am hard of hearing and had the t.v. up high and i could still hear those people.

i walked upstairs and knocked on the door, against my sister's request. she was afraid it would just get worse but i just knew in her condition that this was really a stressful issue for her. Anyway, i knocked and i hear someone walk up, look out the peephole and walk away. a second later the door swings open and it was a little girl, about eight years old. i asked for her mother and she says yes she is here, one minute.

the door again swings open and it's a little boy about five. i again ask if his mother is there and he says yes and stands there just staring at me. the little girl walks back and of course says to me "my mom is in the bath." i say to the kids "could you please stop running back and forth up here, it is really loud downstairs." they both say yes, slam the door and run through the apartment.

I just wanted to scream. the mom never comes down to talk to us. it seemed as though the kids ran harder, faster and more frequently than before i went upstairs. which as i said my sister was afraid! so to all you upstairs noisy neighbors and from all the downstairs pregnant and stressed neighbors. Be quiet, and get control of your kids, or I'm calling the police.

I have the neighbors from hell. One below me and one above me.

First the one below starts banging and making a hell of a lot of noise then comes to my door and starts screaming and throwing accusations at me and tried to come into my apartment when I tried to close the door and the cops did nothing. that was about seven months ago and since then the one above me started knocking and banging for several hours during the day and night and I've written letters, gotten doctors letters, called security numerous times and even called the police and still nothing has been done.

The landlord has also done nothing because the upstairs neighbor and the landlord are "friends" and refuses to do anything, despite all the appropriate steps taken.

I've tried everything and nothing is getting done.

Condominium, same problem, loud (I hesitate to call it) music, mostly the incessant booming of the bass, from stupid, young, uneducated, welfare parents.

Similar to #30, I just go to their circuit breaker box and throw the main switch, turning off the power entirely. They think that they have overloaded the system, and stop playing. For a while. It's not perfect, but it gives me peace.

My sympathies to all.

I wish #30 would at least let us know where to begin, if we are not electrical engineers. I want to tweak my neighbor's electric system too.

I know at first it may sound childish what I am about to tell you, but for those that suffer the same plights they understand my eventual actions.

About three months ago my neighbour in a town house complex bought what appears to be a brand new video game for his console. I am so happy for him, but he should have invested in headphones as well.

Anyway he uses a cheesy 5.1-in-a-box system to play the game's audio and I hear the bass over everything. Bass is non-directional and it permeates over my television, my family talking, everything. Plus he either works from home or does not work (or leave the place) and instead just plays the game all day, all night. He sleeps somewhere around 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then starts up again.

Requests directly to him go unanswered -- literally. He stares at me blankly when I say "Hey, how are you? Listen can you not play your game so loud and into the morning?"

The HOA has rules against this and have initiated three separate fines of $50 each for the incidents and though they get paid, he does not stop. The police have been out three times but their hands are tied to a certain level especially since the unit on his other side is currently empty.

So, as an engineer, I decided to tweak his home's electrical system. Nice to know he didn't invest in a surge suppressor or other protective device. Luckily it's been quiet now. :)

Of course I don't suggest this for anyone, but my God I was losing sleep, groggy at work and I make a good but each hour by contracting. I lose hours I lose money and frankly that gets me to action. So judge me if you will, but it is now peaceful in my town home.

I have a neighbor who lives just above me, who constantly stomps when she walks and lets her kids (yes plural) jump off of furniture. Did I happen to mention that it is a one bedroom apartment? My husband has to work nights and he cannot sleep when he needs to because of this. I have called and written letters to our property manager, who said he was going to personally talk to our neighbors. if he did, then they are not heeding any warning he might have given them. Worst part is, I can hear the couple arguing upstairs. Then the other day I think I finally figured out what the "heavy object" falling on the floor was. I heard it hit the floor in the bedroom, then I heard a baby crying, then footsteps sounding like they were running. I don't know who I feel worse for now, my husband being too tired to do anything other than barely make it though work, or the baby that sounds like it falls off the bed all the time.

I can honestly say i hate my neighbor. I've written letters, had talks with her and nothing has worked. She is so evil. I feel if you talk with them about the noise that they should pipe down. It's the other way around the noise get worse and louder. She even puts her kids up to making noise. I am about to explode. I can't take it! I'm ready to move and in a few more months i will be able too. Until then please pray for me!

Wow, I'm not alone. Any suggestions? I am a cardiac patient ready to pop an artery. My neighbor's kid jumping or inconsiderates are killing me with the constant thumping, slamming doors. The landlords, police are doing nothing. They are on my head 24 hours a day.

we live behind a two family apartment house. the upstairs neighbors constantly throw crap down their stairs and scream at each other at outlandish hours of the morning. i think they go scrounging for things on the side of the road just to throw them down their stairs. the downstairs neighbors haven't been bad, except they recently got a pitbull that they tie up and don't let in the house for long periods of time. this dog does not bark. it screams with a very high pitched, almost like a whistling sound. i work very long shifts and on my few days off i'm usually awake by 7 in the morning, just like on a normal day of work.

I hate my neighbors, my nerves are shot and I haven't slept in five months! I've written a million letters and I have not received a resoponse as of today. Wow!

I also feel everyone's pain. we moved into our upmarket complex and pay a fortune for our one bedroom flat just to be in a place with so called 'stricter rules'. Management here is quite good at fining people who arrive late drunk and shout in the parking lot. However, so far they have been unable to help with our problem. We have a single mom living with a 4 or 5 year old kid. She often has a moron coming to sleep over at her place. Their balcony is right next to our bedroom windows. Out of lack of space they turned into the kids playground as well as their living room. The kid seems to be a bit retarded as he is always compelled to make all kinds of animal noises. We can never have our window or balcony door open and we live in a really hot climate. If the kid is not there, the mom and her stupid boyfriend keep smoking out of their bedroom window which is literally two meters below ours so our bedroom is constantly filled with smoke. I feel so helpless as my complaints produce no results. Moving out is the only option and it sucks because we have changed flats four times in the last two years.

Hi me and my wife live in hastings, england. our neighbor moved and her dad rented the house to noisy neighbors. no one in the area has had a decent sleep since. the police are taking their time, we had words and now have been told not to interfere with them like we're bad. they move in with one mother and three kids, then the following week, another child turns up and the same next week, so now there are five in a noisy house with three bedrooms. the eldest son set fire to our garden and has been caught under age drinking and graffiting. the girl smokes late at night near our house and comes home at 2-3 in the morning and slams the door -- first the outer door then the inner. nothing is being done. they just brush it off and laugh at us. we don't know where to go or what to do. we spoke to them, brought the police in and child services. we are at a loss. will a petition work for other neighbors to sign?

I can't believe I found so many others in the same boat as me. I live in nyc where there are nothing but spanish people that blast music all night long at astronomical decibels and the nypd does nothing. I am this close to suing them, because I am now starting to get an ulcer from stress. I have fragile nerves and cannot take this anymore. I am hoping to leave nyc forever, but for right now I have to be able to do something to keep my sanity.

The sad fact is that there is nothing that can be done about these idiots. Calling the police is a joke because they really don't do anything and getting fancy machines and so on never works. I have a neighbor who constantly plays loud music (right now in fact) and the police just drove by and didn't even stop. The neighbor has been to court, been told by the township to shut up and they still don't do anything. It is pure crap.

I have a neighbor who slams heavy objects on the floor, lets her kids run and stomp on the floor at all hours of the night, ple she yells at the top of her lungs and slams her house door for no reason, I honestly think she has mental issues. Management is no help at all.

this sucks for me because i live in a rental property in a duplex. the people in the other half are wonderful neighbors. *But*, the neighbors on both sides of our house have either a stereo blaring, 12 kids yelling in the front yard, kids wandering through my yard who yell/swear at me when i ask them nicely to walk around (I've resorted to spraying them with the hose), fireworks going off year round at all hours of the night, a party with tons of people yelling and drunk, or their car stereos blaring with the trunk open while they sit on their front porch. there's a neighbor across the street that does the same thing. that's three houses that are all right by me! I'm going crazy! I've called the police, I've asked them to please turn it down, there's no one besides the police that will do anything, and all they do is tell them to be quiet. Grrr! i can't afford to move out because it's such cheap rent and a nice house with tons of space. it seems like all my complaints are falling on deaf ears. I'm about ready to get a paintball gun and start tagging the little creeps or their cars so when i call the cops they'll know exactly who I'm talking about. that sounds like a plan. maybe they'll get the point then.

Me and my family live next door to a bunch of redneck morons, who've just started building their dream-home. We suffer from the fact that they allow their kids to ride their four-wheelers up and down their driveway, quite often until midnight, while I pine a mere 20-feet away! Yesterday, our ears nearly met their demise when we heard them shooting fairly serious weapons out in their acre-long field. We've tried amiable discussion, but to no avail. It's becoming a strain to just wake up in the morning, knowing that everyday will be a mirror-image of the last. Any advice?

I feel the pain of everyone here. I too live next to (above actually) people who are stupid enough to believe they are the only ones living in this apartment complex. I chose the top floor so I didn't have to deal with noise but sure enough, my neighbors are loud enough that my two fans on high, dryer, AC, and aviation ear plugs can't drown them out. I have been dealing with this crap forever. Fortunately, it is their last month here (yes) My complaints got them evicted. Woo-hoo! I will be vacuuming, jumping rope, singing, and "accidentally" dropping heavy things for their remainder of time here. Ahhh! Revenge is so sweet.

This may sound silly to some of you but I spend a lot of time outside on my back porch and it is the neighbor's pool filter/waterfall that is driving me crazy. He runs it 24/7 and the sound of constantly running water is stressful, not relaxing. I would understand if they were outside and enjoying the sound, but they are never outside. My husband asked him to please run the filter under the water and he said that it makes the pool cleaner to run it like a waterfall. So my husband asked him if he would run it at night when we are all asleep. He runs it at night as well, not instead of during the day.

I don't know how long it will be before I put dish soap in his pool.

I've tried: pressuring the HOA management/Board to "enforce" the noise rules. No luck there.

Called the police a half dozen times. They have two warnings on file. Next warning they'll get fined.

Bought "masking" CDs. It's still noise to me.

"Water fountains". Waste of money.

Ear plugs. Hurt my ears.

Close my windows and doors. It's too damn hot.

Bought a fan. Fan noise is still noise to me.

Turn on my stereo or tv. It's still noise to me. All "background" noise is still *noise*.

Letters, "being nice."

Tape recorder. I have 16-plus hours of recorded noise abuse. Can be used in civil court if I go that route.

Feng Shui with mirrors.

Send "good vibes", "send thoughts of quiet."

Talked to an attorney. Don't have the money to go the distance. Am documenting on-going nuisance noise. Yeah, I have time for this.

There are only three things that work. Sell and move away. Or, sue their sorry butts. These two cost money and a huge time drain. The third, so easy and so hard: accept and forgive. I have nothing to lose in trying this angle. I so detest these idiots' behavior that it is very difficult. I am doing what I can to be willing to accept this difficult situation. I am accepting that I am in a very difficult situation and I need to be very good to myself, forgive myself for whatever part I've had in putting myself in this situation for now and do whatever I can to avoid being affected by their behavior. The fact is, even though I feel resentful for having to close my windows or not being able to sit out and enjoy my patio, I feel less angry when I close my windows and the noise is lessened. I resent having to curb my behavior because of their behavior. But I am trying to accept that I cannot change their behavior by the ways I've tried so far and that, with time, something may change in the outer world that will impact their world against their own noise.

I wish you all the best.

i live on the third floor of a lowrise the neighbor below me is an older, mentally disturbed person who bangs on my floor at 3 a.m. or anytime i'm sleeping. she runs from room to room hitting her ceiling with a broom or something. it wakes my wife and me up from a sound sleep. we approached her once and she screamed at us and called us liars. i guess w'ell have to call the police and get her charged under the mental health act.

I feel for everyone posting on this site. I am going through the same "hell" with a noisy, trashy, neighbor in the condo next door. In other words, he shares a wall. He plays the same man-boy games on his surround-sound stereo, plays loud music and loud videos at all times of day or night--usually up till 10 p.m. He has three barking yappers that bark at their own shadows. He has been approached three times telling him that his stereo is too loud and that we share a wall, so please be considerate. Gone ignored for the most part. The tenant's response, "well, this needs to be a give and take relationship". Yeah, he's giving and I do all the taking of loud and obnoxious noises.

The HOA has a representative who is very considerate and sympathetic to my plight, and is doing all she can to get the situation settled. At least I am not the only one making complaints. The landlord and protperty managers are now "slowly" getting involved and I hope for a resolution in the next 60 days --preferably an eviction notice, but I'll take a cease and desist threat, as well. Anyway, I am at the end of my rope here and have been putting up with this trashy behavior for the last 8 months. --angry in a condo

I have idiot neighbors, just out of college, who own the town home behind us. They play video games on their surround sound, and are doing so right now, after 11 pm, sometimes until 3 am in the morning. The sound is like a war zone in my home.

The HOA is of *no* help, and they insist that to do anything, I need other neighbors to complain too. And then, they give them several *months* to comply! I've never seen such idiots as the ones making up our HOA. I can't believe we even pay them dues!

I don't even know the neighbors! It's ridiculous. Now I'm suppose to believe that because there isn't more than one house complaining, it's not an issue? Our peace is disturbed constantly.

I have spoken to them several times, and written them as well. I could literally strangle those little SOBS. I'm going to call the cops. I've kept detailed records of every time they've blared that damn thing, shaking my walls. I'll ignore the HOA, who is of no help, start calling the cops, and threaten to take them to civil court. Ingrate little creeps! Luckily, I work with lawyers.

i live in a row home and my neighbors meet all the requirements for being a-holes! the music is blaring, the dog is wailing, the weights are dropping, and the doors are slamming 24/7. this has been going on for years and i've already asked them to shut up multiple times! but we can't just move away, besides the same might occur in the middle of a suburb.

I recently had new neighbors move next door. Now it's a living hell every day. 2 kids, one screams and the other yells. 2 dogs, barking and the parents are oblivious. People are ignorant! We've started building a fence out of cordwood to help block them out. Maybe, just maybe they'll get the hint. Doubt it!

Since I hate neighbors I moved to a very remote location. Just camps. Some moron moved up here 4 acres away from me but his nine kids, two yapping dogs, a goat and a cow and now he wants chickens. The people are very nice, the kids are *great* but they are all screamers and they have ruined my life. Anybody want 7000 sf half million dollar home with cherry hardwood thorughout, pool, spa, complete tavern and pool room on 8 acres for about $150,000??? Yup. They ruined my life. I think I will foul their water before I leave. People are ignorant animals.

A waterfall wouldn't drown out what we've had to endure for the past two nights in our neighborhood & it's not even the 4th of July. Neighbors next door have out-of-town company who brought with them loads of illegal fireworks. They begin drinking around noon and do it all day. The sound of clinking beer bottles as they put them in the trash, loud trash talk & F-word conversation that I wouldn't want my kids to hear, and the ever-present booming fireworks being shot over our roof well past midnight. It's a big joke to them and they feel the laws don't apply to them. My heart hasn't stopped pounding hard for the two days & nights we've had to deal with this continual stress. Talking with the people wouldn't do any good. They don't care about anyone but themselves. We pay taxes & for what??? We abide by the laws, live quietly, and do not retaliate, but it's pure hell living in fear in our own home, unable to live in peace. I'd move if I could, but with the economy the way it is, we'd never be able to sell our home at what we paid for it.

Hey. With my neighbor (in rural Mendocino cty) a little fountain won't cover the blast of the idiot's stereo. He's 5 houses away!

Maybe he's deaf. He definitely will soon be.

Storm windows? It's 90 degrees outside without an AC. Don't be a hippie.

Take action against your neighbor because no one will help you. *Ever*!

Why should I, the victim of a noisy neighbor, spend my hard-earned money buying noise machines and waterfalls to drown out someone else's noise?

Maybe, I should purchase the things suggested here and send the bill to my neighbor? After all, they're causing the problem. Therefore it's their responsibility to remedy it.

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'm going to go to my local stereo store and request the most sophisticated and expensive equipment known to man and install it. I'll just grab my neighbor's credit card first and use it to make my purchase.

C'mon, people! Think! Yes, two wrongs don't make a right, but maybe --just maybe-- two wrongs make a *point*.

Hey, have you heard about Soniscape? It's a sound masking track that will block out your neighbor's noise and make it sound like a waterfall in your place. Works great!

I guess I can't put a link in this post but you can always google Soniscape.

If you have a yard, you can mask the noise by installing a water fountain. Preferably one that really pours the water down.

Another method is to install a surround sound. Basically speakers are installed in all the rooms, including outdoors, like patio and yard. They are connected to a radio/CD player. You can play music, listen to radio, or listen to some soothing sounds of the sea, or singing birds. I have one in my house, and I love it.

Not only does the surround sound reduce the noise from your neighbors, but the sound follows you wherever you might be within the house.

In a free standing house, you might consider installing storm windows. It is a big expense but beneficial in many ways.