Feeling abused by noisy upstairs neighbors. Looking for some strategies to let them know we are not doormats. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 19, 2009 - 57 answers

What kind of bird is making this annoying noise (mp3 file; alternate link here) behind my Manhattan apartment building? And what can I do about it? [more inside]
posted by Tin Man on Aug 7, 2009 - 24 answers

My friend and his fiance have a mentally ill woman living below them who is making their lives absolute hell. They live in Massachusetts. Would there be consequences if they break their apartment's lease to leave because of her? [more inside]
posted by csimpkins on Jan 14, 2009 - 19 answers

What's a good way (read: low-hassle) to prove the whereabouts of my dog? [more inside]
posted by king walnut on Apr 27, 2008 - 30 answers

Neighbor blasting talk radio and not responding to my first attempts at contact. What's my next step? Please help me carefully plan the best approach for long-term results. [more inside]
posted by sparrows on Apr 10, 2007 - 41 answers

I love my new 5.1 computer speakers, but my downstairs neighbors don't, which has let to occasionally angry banging coming from downstairs. It's not like I'm blasting sci-fi movies at 2 in the morning, but is there anything I can do with the subwoofer to minimize the impact to them but not emasculate the boom-boominess of my Quake 4 too much. Difficulty: no "turn down your subwoofer". It's already down.
posted by softlord on Apr 10, 2006 - 14 answers

What reasonable, legal reason could my new neighbor have for having 30+ visitors (one at a time) over the course of five hours every day? [more inside]
posted by MeetMegan on Apr 5, 2006 - 112 answers

I live in an apartment building next to a couple who have a dog. This dog is left alone most of the time, and to express his frustration, repeatedly scratches and runs into the apartment door, which creates a loud, annoying noise which I can hear in most of my small apartment. This regularly happens from about 8 in the morning until 9 pm or later. I work every weekday morning at home, so this is particularily irritating. It sounds like they leave NPR running all day, but either the pooch is reacting negatively to Terry Gross, or maybe he's not into talk radio. I left a note for the neighbors several months ago, which they did not respond to. I recently sent them a longer letter explaining that they were violating the house rules of the building and that I would like to meet with them to discuss the matter. Now I have received a note from them saying that they are ready to talk about it. My question: Is there anything I can sugggest to them to reduce the dog's noise, even if they continue to leave the poor thing alone most of the time? I would like to be able to make a constructive suggestion besides "stay home with the dog" or "get rid of the dog". At any rate, if the noise continues, I will be contacting the building's board of directors and pursuing the matter until the dog's noise stops. It just doesn't seem like there is much they can do besides "take care of it or get rid of it" Any info. appreciated!
posted by pantufla on Nov 8, 2005 - 45 answers

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good way to get in good with my new neighbors? [more inside]
posted by softlord on Jun 10, 2005 - 17 answers

I'd like to show my appreciation to the gardien of my apartment building. He helped me carry a washing machine up 8 floors some months ago, and he's a real nice guy. However, he's a practicing Muslim, so a bottle of wine won't do. In France, people often give an end-of-year gift for Christmas to the postman, etc. Ramadan is ending soon and the Eid is coming up. He's a fairly young, single guy, and recently he's had back trouble. Any ideas, seasonal or no?

Tips and thank you gifts always feel a bit weird to me. They can feel feudal or mafia-like ("I owe you"). Maybe I shouldn't give anything and just keep being a friendly, appreciative neighbor.
posted by Turtle on Nov 10, 2004 - 11 answers

OK, so the guy who lives beneath me thinks he's a DJ, and he's driving me and my GF nuts. Any advice on how to set up an electromagnetic field that is a>powerful enough to fry his equipment, and b>directional? [more inside] Oh yeah, this is all hypothetical [more inside]
posted by Grod on Dec 13, 2003 - 59 answers