June 29, 2026 at 6:15 pm

“What Is He Doing Up There?”: A Woman’s Endless Battle With a Neighbor’s Loud, Mystery Noises

by Jayne Elliott

young woman upset at noisy upstairs neighbor

Shutterstock

Imagine living in a condo where there’s another unit directly above you. What would you do if you kept hearing weird and annoying thudding sounds coming from your upstairs neighbor’s condo? Would you knock on his door and ask him about it, contact the HOA or try to ignore it?

In this story, one woman is in this situation, and she contacted the HOA who told her to talk to the neighbor about it. She doesn’t want to do that, but she’s not sure what else she can do.

She sounds pretty frustrated by these mysterious thudding sounds. Honestly, I would be too!

Keep reading for all the details.

HOA Won’t Help

Upstairs neighbor at a condo was making thuds. Sometimes like last weekend and a year ago, the thuds are like on steroids. They caused my light fixture cover to fall down it was so bad.

Most days, it’s a random thud here and there throughout the day. At night there are softer thuds that happen constantly, a few times a minute.

I messaged my HOA, essentially begging them to at least give my upstairs neighbor a notice.

I just want it to stop.

She does not want to take the HOA’s advice.

It took them a week, but I got a reply saying the property manager that I will “want to” go up and knock on their door first before any violations can be issued.

I explained in my first email that this is exactly what I do NOT want to do.

I told them I am a single female. This is clearly a man. These days, you can’t be too careful. I don’t know them and I don’t know how they would react to any sort of feedback of how they live their personal life. I do not even know what causes these thuds. Is it a disability, are they exercising?

She has considered a couple options.

I am wondering what to do next.

Should I involve my local law enforcement to knock on their door for me? Or should I wait and see if it gets really bad again to go that route.

Like the “thuds on steroids” where they are near-constant, sounds like they are running and jumping.

Should I leave a note at their door?

She doesn’t know what to do.

Either option, I worry about them retaliating.

Whether it’s taking the thuds to a next level, turning some complaint on me, coming down to knock on my door?

Or should I “suck it up” and hope it gets better. Hope they move or stop doing whatever this is.

I am at my wit’s end.

She doesn’t want to move.

I bought this place a year ago.

I hate moving and obviously since I am a homeowner in a horrible buyer’s climate, I can’t just sell and find something within my budget.

I intend on staying here for years and years.

It would be nice if the HOA were more helpful.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about some renters who moved out and left their apartment in the same state of disarray they’d found it in when they moved in.

Let’s see what Reddit suggests.

But she hasn’t.

2026 06 26 at 7.25.12 PM “What Is He Doing Up There?”: A Woman’s Endless Battle With a Neighbor’s Loud, Mystery Noises

This person agrees with her that the management should deal with the neighbor, not her.

2026 06 26 at 7.25.25 PM “What Is He Doing Up There?”: A Woman’s Endless Battle With a Neighbor’s Loud, Mystery Noises

Another person is pretty sure the upstairs neighbor is lifting weights.

2026 06 26 at 7.26.05 PM “What Is He Doing Up There?”: A Woman’s Endless Battle With a Neighbor’s Loud, Mystery Noises

That sounds like a really annoying situation. It’s too bad the HOA won’t help her. I wonder if she has a male friend or relative who could talk to the neighbor on her behalf. Then she could tell the HOA she tried.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a townhome owner who is at his wit’s end with the noise from next door.

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.

Follow Jayne's adventures and connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.