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Have you ever lived next to a loud neighbor? Maybe it’s their music that is loud, or their kids, or you keep hearing weird noises.

If you live in an apartment, it’s especially easy to hear your neighbor’s every move. While you might have to learn to live with the sounds of footsteps and doors closing, what would you do if your neighbor made loud banging sounds when you were trying to sleep?

In this story, one person is in that exact situation, and they’re really upset about it. They’ve been dealing with the noise for a year, and they are beyond sick of it.

Keep reading for all the details.

The landlord isn’t doing anything about the persistent noise pollution. How is the case finally moving forward after a year?

(Germany) I moved into a ground-floor apartment in a new building a year ago.

After the first few weeks, I started hearing thumping noises on the floor almost every night—often right when I lay down, or a few hours later in the middle of the night.

It quickly became clear that the noise was being transmitted through the floor and walls from the apartment next to mine. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

This sounds annoying.

I rang my neighbor’s doorbell twice to try to sort this out.

He denies doing it.

When I spoke to the property management company, he also denied that I had rung his doorbell.

I called the police four times, but as soon as I did, he stopped making the noise until they arrived and left. Since then, they haven’t responded to my calls either when I explain the reason over the phone.

It keeps getting worse.

In addition, I kept a noise log for the first four months and sent it by certified mail along with a warning and notice of a retroactive rent reduction, as well as several emails prior to that, to which they also did not respond.

I joined the tenants’ rights association, and that was what I was advised to do.

A year has now passed.

My sleep schedule is completely thrown off, I can’t find another job, I have no financial savings, and I’m in no position to get out of this situation.

OP is fed up.

I want to get some of my rent back as soon as possible through a rent reduction, and I want the property management company—which is a large corporation—to finally do something about it.

Whether that means putting a stop to the noise or taking structural measures, I have no idea what options are on the table.

So here’s the question: Can a special microphone with a camera, a decibel meter, and a clock in the frame be admissible in court? I need to be on the safe side, and something needs to happen very quickly.

I don’t know anyone who can act as a witness, and the additional problem is that the person can hear if someone else is still in my apartment. Just like with the calls to the police. I also can’t lie down while another person is still standing in my one-bedroom apartment.

He’s positive which apartment is making the noise.

There are four apartments on the ground floor. Mine is the third one. The other two are on the other side of the hallway, so they aren’t connected by a wall.

When this started last year, those two other apartments were still empty. Just like the apartment above mine.

Even when doors were slammed loudly, which happened sometimes, I could feel the vibration on the floor. So it quickly became clear that the noise was coming from that apartment.

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If it has been a year, surely his lease is up. Just move out.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This person offers some advice.

Another person offers love and prayer.

This is a good question.

Here’s another possibility.

What if the neighbor isn’t lying and really isn’t causing the noise at all? It could be something else, like a laundry room or the plumbing. Regardless, if OP can’t sleep due to the noise, he’s going to either need to move out, get some earplugs, or do something else to drown out the noise.

Personally, I’d move.

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Author

Jayne Elliott

Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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