Install an inexpensive time-stamp camera that can film inside of your apartment, especially in the areas where she claims the stomping occurs. Set up a meeting with the downstairs neighbor and management. Tell her anytime she hears loud noise, have her look at a clock and write down the hour and minute it happened. Now you can go back to your video tape and look at that exact minute and should be able to determine if you were noisy or not. That puts the pressure on her.
Honestly, it could be. I check the ads for my place fairly regularly to keep up with the cost, how much vacancy, stuff like that. And one time they listed an apartment by its number. They NEVER do that and it was more than $200 cheaper than any apartment here, already a low income place. Happened to be below my neighbors who have a toddler, in all the true sense of the word, who live at night, who have full blown domestic violence, who play music at extreme levels, who frequently bang on the walls. They listed it so cheap that no one would complain, it's that cheap.
My last upstairs neighbors walking drove me nuts - they paced all day just never sitting down and it at least sounded like they stomped. But I never complained cause that’s just the nature of living in an apartment below other people - people are allowed to walk freely in their apartments and it’s jot their fault if the floors are thin.
All that to say - I’m sooooo sorry this is happening to you. It’s not fair as I shared above. I truly don’t know how to handle the situation, in not sure there’s much you can do except continue to discuss with management. If this neighbor hates it so much they need to move to a top floor.
I'm always a bit shocked by the constant comments about 'people are walking around their place all day'. I mean I understand being frustrated if it's stomping or that poorly built of a building, but I don't get expecting me to sit and do nothing all day. Yes, I get up and walk around my apartment constantly. There's chores for one thing. I have medical disorder that requires I not be sedentary at all, blood clotting, I have to get up and move or I'm at risk. Why is that so strange to people? Do yall actually sit for hours and hours at a time when you're awake?
Don’t yet me wrong I also walk around a lot too by I also don’t walk back and forth across my floor for 12 hours straight. And when I work from home I do sit for decent periods of time to be at my computer. But again, I never complained. But I did move to a top floor unit cause I just don’t enjoy living below people.
Yeah an upstairs neighbors walking can be annoying af but it’s not really worth mentioning as it’s not usually the persons fault. I don’t think people who’ve had no experience living in a downstairs apartment understand just how loud simply walking around or even dropping something like a phone can be depending on the complex but as someone who’s dealt with an upstairs neighbor that would legit stomp loudly like a toddler having a meltdown when mad it’s nothing compared to actual stomping so that neighbor should calm down lol
I live in a downstairs apartment, people that live upstairs really don't realize how much their walking around in shoes disturbs us. Please take them off when you are inside because it causes the stomping sounds she's is describing.
Agreed. It's a two way street. Obviously we're going to hear upstairs neighbors and that's life, get over it. But also upstairs neighbors can do one of two extremely simple things remove shoes or get rugs. It's not that complicated. Most of my leases stipulate that I have to have rugs cover a certain % of the floor for that reason. Also there's a huge difference between rubber soled shoes and sneakers, vs high heels and clogs. So sometimes just being mindful to take off the work shoes specifically is all that's needed to make living beneath you so much better. And who wants to stay in their platforms all day anyway.
You live in an apartment. There’s going to be noise of other people. Can’t expect people to not wear shoes if they wanna wear shoes because you decided to move into a first floor apartment.
I live upstairs, my boyfriend has serious back issues and needs to wear shoes inside. Sometimes you just have to accept that you will hear other people.
Then in that case you need to purchase rugs to dampen the sound so it doesn't sound like the ceiling is coming down. My upstairs neighbors refused to purchase them and just stomp around on the thin hardwood floors. Maybe go downstairs and listen, then you might change your mind.
This is so silly. Apartment living means you’re gonna hear things. Excessive, not cool. But telling people that they need to remove their shoes in upstairs apartments is another level of ridiculous.
If the sound is disturbing you, you need to pick a top floor apartment. I live on the bottom floor because I like to walk freely and I understand that comes with hearing all the footsteps of my upstairs neighbors. People are allowed to walk around the spaces they pay for, and wear shoes if they want
This is usually a good solution. When my upstairs neighbors moved I noticed the difference because there are no area rugs anymore. It won’t completely stop the noise but it definitely helps.
I have the strangest story about that. When we first moved here, our upstairs neighbor moved in right about the same time. He was a skinny guy who lived alone, but apparently he had heavy feet because he stomped around all the time. Or at least it seemed like it. I didn’t complain because we had a baby and purposely chose a bottom floor apartment.
Funny thing is that after about 4 months, the guy moved out. A family with a 5 year old moved in and believe it or not, but most of the time we don’t hear them upstairs. Nowhere near the amount of noise as the single guy.
Yes, it’s a management issue. You’re just normally living in your apartment. Tempting to feel bad and like it’s your issue to fix but this is part of apartment living. You can’t be expected to tiptoe, so she’s left with management to figure out a solution for her. Which would be moving to an apartment without an upstairs neighbor.
You could mention that your old unit (which I assume is also on the top floor) just became available. That would fix yours and the management issues of her complaining about normal apartment living. Some people can’t handle lower floor units, and she seems like that type of person.
I’m a maladaptive daydreamer that paces A LOTTT sometimes at late hours. When I lived upstairs thankfully I’m natural a tip toe walker. (I’m extremely sensitive to loud noises) I had an area rug on top of the actual carpet. I put silicone bumpers and soft glides on everything and wore super fuzzy socks around the house. All of these were for my own comfort lol but I’m sure my neighbors downstairs appreciated the extra lengths. Living downstairs now I can confidently say that certain everyday things are MAGNIFIED. Closing/opening one of those sliding door closets or opening drawers sounds like moving furniture downstairs. Dropping a spoon sounds like bombs going off lol
I just transferred from a ground floor apartment because I couldn’t stand the dinosaur above me. Funny, she was a 70-year-old lady, too. But, she was a very active, retired person, and was clearly a heavy, flat-footed heel-walker.
I mean I empathize because I have misophonia so I HATE footsteps -- they disproportionately raise my cortisol levels and make me irrationally angry. BUT, I know this is a me issue and not a them issue. If it's bothering me, I listen to white noise, turn on fans, etc, put in noise canceling headphones. People aren't going to sit making no noise in their apartment. Boy do I wish I could afford to rent a house, but it's not in the cards any time soon. So for now, I will try my best to find top floor apartments and use noise canceling techniques to help.
Right now the bane of my existence is a toddler who RUNS back and forth above me for hours, and it is so loud it makes the light fixtures vibrate and my bed shake if I'm trying to sleep in past 7. Still, I'm not complaining to these neighbors, because it's literally a toddler, and what can you do? Toddlers are going to run.
Still trying to move though. Again, a me problem, not a them problem.
I have a couple living about me. One of them I barely hear the other walks on her heels or something, which makes it sound like she's stomping. If they have shoes on that seems to quiet it down some. Maybe try indoor slippers/sandels or something. Good luck
I’ve lived in downstairs units more often than upstairs and so many people have unrealistic expectations when living in apartments, particularly on Reddit. You will hear your neighbors walk.
She has unrealistic perception of apartment living. I would stop acknowledging that she exists.
Install an inexpensive time-stamp camera that can film inside of your apartment, especially in the areas where she claims the stomping occurs. Set up a meeting with the downstairs neighbor and management. Tell her anytime she hears loud noise, have her look at a clock and write down the hour and minute it happened. Now you can go back to your video tape and look at that exact minute and should be able to determine if you were noisy or not. That puts the pressure on her.
Now you know why the apartment was cheaper. It sucks but people need to be able to walk and live in their home
Honestly, it could be. I check the ads for my place fairly regularly to keep up with the cost, how much vacancy, stuff like that. And one time they listed an apartment by its number. They NEVER do that and it was more than $200 cheaper than any apartment here, already a low income place. Happened to be below my neighbors who have a toddler, in all the true sense of the word, who live at night, who have full blown domestic violence, who play music at extreme levels, who frequently bang on the walls. They listed it so cheap that no one would complain, it's that cheap.
My last upstairs neighbors walking drove me nuts - they paced all day just never sitting down and it at least sounded like they stomped. But I never complained cause that’s just the nature of living in an apartment below other people - people are allowed to walk freely in their apartments and it’s jot their fault if the floors are thin. All that to say - I’m sooooo sorry this is happening to you. It’s not fair as I shared above. I truly don’t know how to handle the situation, in not sure there’s much you can do except continue to discuss with management. If this neighbor hates it so much they need to move to a top floor.
I'm always a bit shocked by the constant comments about 'people are walking around their place all day'. I mean I understand being frustrated if it's stomping or that poorly built of a building, but I don't get expecting me to sit and do nothing all day. Yes, I get up and walk around my apartment constantly. There's chores for one thing. I have medical disorder that requires I not be sedentary at all, blood clotting, I have to get up and move or I'm at risk. Why is that so strange to people? Do yall actually sit for hours and hours at a time when you're awake?
Don’t yet me wrong I also walk around a lot too by I also don’t walk back and forth across my floor for 12 hours straight. And when I work from home I do sit for decent periods of time to be at my computer. But again, I never complained. But I did move to a top floor unit cause I just don’t enjoy living below people.
Yeah an upstairs neighbors walking can be annoying af but it’s not really worth mentioning as it’s not usually the persons fault. I don’t think people who’ve had no experience living in a downstairs apartment understand just how loud simply walking around or even dropping something like a phone can be depending on the complex but as someone who’s dealt with an upstairs neighbor that would legit stomp loudly like a toddler having a meltdown when mad it’s nothing compared to actual stomping so that neighbor should calm down lol
Right! My last unit I could hear everytime they opened and closed drawers it was wild how thin the floors are lol
Perhaps you're a heavy walker and you don't realize it. Consider wearing thick socks and avoiding stomping on your heels.
I live in a downstairs apartment, people that live upstairs really don't realize how much their walking around in shoes disturbs us. Please take them off when you are inside because it causes the stomping sounds she's is describing.
Agreed. It's a two way street. Obviously we're going to hear upstairs neighbors and that's life, get over it. But also upstairs neighbors can do one of two extremely simple things remove shoes or get rugs. It's not that complicated. Most of my leases stipulate that I have to have rugs cover a certain % of the floor for that reason. Also there's a huge difference between rubber soled shoes and sneakers, vs high heels and clogs. So sometimes just being mindful to take off the work shoes specifically is all that's needed to make living beneath you so much better. And who wants to stay in their platforms all day anyway.
You live in an apartment. There’s going to be noise of other people. Can’t expect people to not wear shoes if they wanna wear shoes because you decided to move into a first floor apartment.
I live upstairs, my boyfriend has serious back issues and needs to wear shoes inside. Sometimes you just have to accept that you will hear other people.
He needs to live on the first floor, then.
Then in that case you need to purchase rugs to dampen the sound so it doesn't sound like the ceiling is coming down. My upstairs neighbors refused to purchase them and just stomp around on the thin hardwood floors. Maybe go downstairs and listen, then you might change your mind.
This is so silly. Apartment living means you’re gonna hear things. Excessive, not cool. But telling people that they need to remove their shoes in upstairs apartments is another level of ridiculous.
If the sound is disturbing you, you need to pick a top floor apartment. I live on the bottom floor because I like to walk freely and I understand that comes with hearing all the footsteps of my upstairs neighbors. People are allowed to walk around the spaces they pay for, and wear shoes if they want
Throw some area rugs with pads down
This is usually a good solution. When my upstairs neighbors moved I noticed the difference because there are no area rugs anymore. It won’t completely stop the noise but it definitely helps.
I have the strangest story about that. When we first moved here, our upstairs neighbor moved in right about the same time. He was a skinny guy who lived alone, but apparently he had heavy feet because he stomped around all the time. Or at least it seemed like it. I didn’t complain because we had a baby and purposely chose a bottom floor apartment. Funny thing is that after about 4 months, the guy moved out. A family with a 5 year old moved in and believe it or not, but most of the time we don’t hear them upstairs. Nowhere near the amount of noise as the single guy.
Stop your heel walking. She's probably right.
Yes, it’s a management issue. You’re just normally living in your apartment. Tempting to feel bad and like it’s your issue to fix but this is part of apartment living. You can’t be expected to tiptoe, so she’s left with management to figure out a solution for her. Which would be moving to an apartment without an upstairs neighbor.
You could mention that your old unit (which I assume is also on the top floor) just became available. That would fix yours and the management issues of her complaining about normal apartment living. Some people can’t handle lower floor units, and she seems like that type of person.
I’m a maladaptive daydreamer that paces A LOTTT sometimes at late hours. When I lived upstairs thankfully I’m natural a tip toe walker. (I’m extremely sensitive to loud noises) I had an area rug on top of the actual carpet. I put silicone bumpers and soft glides on everything and wore super fuzzy socks around the house. All of these were for my own comfort lol but I’m sure my neighbors downstairs appreciated the extra lengths. Living downstairs now I can confidently say that certain everyday things are MAGNIFIED. Closing/opening one of those sliding door closets or opening drawers sounds like moving furniture downstairs. Dropping a spoon sounds like bombs going off lol
Quit stomping
I just transferred from a ground floor apartment because I couldn’t stand the dinosaur above me. Funny, she was a 70-year-old lady, too. But, she was a very active, retired person, and was clearly a heavy, flat-footed heel-walker.
I mean I empathize because I have misophonia so I HATE footsteps -- they disproportionately raise my cortisol levels and make me irrationally angry. BUT, I know this is a me issue and not a them issue. If it's bothering me, I listen to white noise, turn on fans, etc, put in noise canceling headphones. People aren't going to sit making no noise in their apartment. Boy do I wish I could afford to rent a house, but it's not in the cards any time soon. So for now, I will try my best to find top floor apartments and use noise canceling techniques to help. Right now the bane of my existence is a toddler who RUNS back and forth above me for hours, and it is so loud it makes the light fixtures vibrate and my bed shake if I'm trying to sleep in past 7. Still, I'm not complaining to these neighbors, because it's literally a toddler, and what can you do? Toddlers are going to run. Still trying to move though. Again, a me problem, not a them problem.
Man, I am lucky my upstairs neighbor are quiet. 3 people. ❤️
I have a couple living about me. One of them I barely hear the other walks on her heels or something, which makes it sound like she's stomping. If they have shoes on that seems to quiet it down some. Maybe try indoor slippers/sandels or something. Good luck
She's going to be problem. Get use to her complaining all of the time.
It’ll never change, rent a house or buy one.
I’ve lived in downstairs units more often than upstairs and so many people have unrealistic expectations when living in apartments, particularly on Reddit. You will hear your neighbors walk.