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When living in an apartment, the best way to deal with difficult neighbors is to work through the building manager, but that isn’t always possible when one of the neighbors owns their apartment.

What would you do if the apartment owners below you were constantly complaining about you, trying to get you to move out?

That is what the family in this story was dealing with, and since the neighbors own their apartment, they are very limited in what they can do. So, they are looking for advice.

Personally, I think they need to keep issuing complaints and documenting what is happening. Eventually, things might change. Read through the full story below and see if you agree.

Downstairs neighbors (who are owners, while we rent) are weaponizing noise complaints, police calls, and harassment over normal living. Need advice.

I’ve hit my breaking point and could really use some outside perspective or advice on how to handle this.

It can be hard to live in shared housing.

My wife and I rent our apartment, while our downstairs neighbors—a family of four consisting of a husband, wife, and two daughters—actually own their unit.

Ever since we moved in, they have made our lives miserable. They constantly accuse us of excessive noise, but the reality is we are just existing and moving around our own home.

It is obvious that they can hear people walking around.

To start with, I deal with a physical disability that requires me to use a cane. For context on their absurd noise claims, my cane is fitted with a large, soft rubber foot to keep things quiet.

Still, my daily routine involves necessary morning stretching, nothing that would cause noise. Whenever I move around, the husband immediately starts banging on his ceiling/our floor, yelling, or filing complaints. Sometimes they even yell at me directly through the patio screens.

Styling tools can get quite loud.

They’ve even accused me of using power tools at weird hours. The reality? I have a wife and teenage daughters who all use hair dryers and assorted styling tools in the mornings.

Honestly, I think it really comes down to the simple fact that they just don’t like us and are looking for anything to complain about. Things have escalated to a ridiculous level.

The neighbors do seem unhinged.

They have called the police on us even when we were asleep, and on the absolute peak of absurdity: the last time they called the cops, we were literally trying to walk out the door to catch a flight. The whole family was standing outside with the police, screaming at us the entire time while the officers were right there.

During that lovely airport send-off, they were hurling false accusations at the top of their lungs, shouting things like:

“He doesn’t even work!” (Meanwhile, I work 50+ hours a week between my office and working from home.)

None of what they are saying is illegal.

“There is noise all day!” (It was the summer and our teenage daughters were home, but they are typical modern teens just vegging out in their beds or at the mall—they aren’t making tons of noise.)

“He smokes weed all day!” (I have a legal medical license for it, and there are no rules against it here legally or otherwise. The Cop actually rolled his eyes at this one.)

It seems like the neighbors don’t want anyone living above them.

Despite the responding officers having to explain the obvious to them multiple times—that their ceiling is our floor, we are allowed to walk around, and normal living sounds happen—these neighbors love to throw around legal-sounding terms.

They claim we are violating “their right to quiet enjoyment” and genuinely seem to believe that any noise lasting for more than 15 minutes is a legal offense. We don’t play loud music or dance around in clogs; they are simply weaponizing the police and property management as a form of harassment.

Dealing with neighbors like this sounds frustrating.

On top of the noise obsession, they’ve turned parking into a battleground. We do not have assigned parking here at all, but on the exact day we moved in, the husband made it a point to corner us and tell us that the front spots “belong” to him because he’s an owner.

Naturally, whenever I park in one of those open front spots, it makes him mad. To make matters worse, they regularly park in guest spots themselves, which is rich considering that a year ago, when we parked in a guest spot one time, our car was towed immediately.

Having them as owners does complicate things.

It’s gotten to the point where they’ve installed a security camera specifically angled to watch our patio, and every footstep in our own apartment feels like walking on eggshells.

Because they are owners and we are renters, they seem to act like they run the building. Meanwhile, the leasing office says their hands are tied because he’s an owner, claiming they can’t even ask him to stop harassing us.

To make it more frustrating, management completely agrees that the whole situation is ridiculous and that these neighbors are crazy, but they still refuse to step in.

Filing a complaint like this seems like a smart move.

Beyond the frustration, I have well-documented PTSD, and this constant, targeted harassment has acutely affected it. We’ve tried dealing with management.

I’ve submitted a formal request for reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act just to do my morning stretching in peace, and we’ve had to involve the police over the constant verbal abuse and surveillance.

Hopefully someone has a good suggestion.

Has anyone dealt with owner-occupants who weaponize the police and management like this against renters, especially when management claims their hands are tied?

What did you do to protect yourselves or force action? Any advice is appreciated.

This is obviously a very difficult situation. It would be good if someone were able to help them through it.

Read through the comments below to see if anyone can help.

These are two options.

Clearly, the neighbors don’t know the law.

The neighbors should add soundproofing.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a neighborhood that’s up in arms after HOA and city clash about whether or not homeowners can place cones.

Here is someone who says the neighbors don’t get extra rights.

This commenter has a great idea.

In these situations, you need to document everything and keep reporting it to the landlord. Persistence is key. Be the squeaky wheel.

Just because they own their apartment doesn’t mean that they can treat them like this.