Crazy Neighbor-- need advice

[Kugbok_Fennin]

This is fucking classic. I remember a similar story when I was living in an apartment. My roommate and I lived on a the third story and the guy below us was nutz. I came home from work one day to a note left on my door. He accused me of hacking his computers and stealing "top secret" documents from his HD. He thought I was with the FBI or something and my roommate and I were running a sting/stake-out operation on him. I actually found all this out from his brother or something who contacted me for fear that his brother was going to hurt me or something. Turns out he was crazy and had been off his medication.

[Zarniwoop]

I googled "intense vibrations" and found a few items that might help her relax and forget the humming of your computer.

[Eomer]

Sounds to me like she's a little loopy, but at the same time it's within the realm of possibility that she's just really sensitive to certain sound frequencies. For example, most CRT's make a very very very high pitched buzzing sound that I can hear, but few others can. It's more or less noticeable depending on the CRT, some are very noticeable, some I can't hear at all. I'm in on the second floor of our two storey office, and I can clearly hear one of the project manager's monitors downstairs whenever he turns it on. There's an open stairwell so sound transmits fairly easily, but I certainly can't hear a normal conversation taking place in his office. I don't get annoyed or distracted by the sound, but if I stop and listen for it, it's definitely there.

But overall yeah, I'd say the bitch is just plain crazy.

However, a couple questions:

1/ What kind of building is this? How many floors, how many units per floor?

2/ What is the construction of the building? Stick frame, concrete, masonry?

3/ How are the suites heated/cooled? Hot water baseboard? Gas/electric/hot water furnace/fancoil?

4/ Are the hallways served by some sort of make-up air system? Not sure what the building codes are like where you are, but typically any building has to have some source of fresh air constantly filling the building, to keep it positive compared to the air pressure outside.

[Hikaru]

She's nuts man, stand your ground.

I have new upstairs neighbors who are quite loud as well, but the only thing that saves them from my wrath is two of them are really hawt. Old habits die hard.

[Eomer]

I've always found that the best tactic with loud neighbours, or a loud dog next door, is to keep it in your pocket. Don't complain, don't bang on the walls, don't whine to the condo board / landlord. Then the next time you do something, like say have a party with 60 people until 4am, and they start complaining you just pull that trump card out of your pocket and throw it in their face.

[stehle]

Originally Posted by Eomer

Sounds to me like she's a little loopy, but at the same time it's within the realm of possibility that she's just really sensitive to certain sound frequencies. For example, most CRT's make a very very very high pitched buzzing sound that I can hear, but few others can. It's more or less noticeable depending on the CRT, some are very noticeable, some I can't hear at all. I'm in on the second floor of our two storey office, and I can clearly hear one of the project manager's monitors downstairs whenever he turns it on. There's an open stairwell so sound transmits fairly easily, but I certainly can't hear a normal conversation taking place in his office. I don't get annoyed or distracted by the sound, but if I stop and listen for it, it's definitely there.

But overall yeah, I'd say the bitch is just plain crazy.

However, a couple questions:

1/ What kind of building is this? How many floors, how many units per floor?

2/ What is the construction of the building? Stick frame, concrete, masonry?

3/ How are the suites heated/cooled? Hot water baseboard? Gas/electric/hot water furnace/fancoil?

4/ Are the hallways served by some sort of make-up air system? Not sure what the building codes are like where you are, but typically any building has to have some source of fresh air constantly filling the building, to keep it positive compared to the air pressure outside.

1. It is a New England style cape which was split into a two family home. I live on the first floor and she lives on the second.

2. Stick frame with below average insulation.

3. No cooling to speak of. Heat is done through an furnace / radiator system.

I understand your point about CRT--I can always hear the high frequency whine of the older CRT monitors. The reason I'm frustrated about this now is the fact my computer is on a foam pad more than 30 feet away from the room under her bed room. Literally speaking, the vibrations have to travel from the computer, to the floor, go 30 feet (bypassing a door), travel up the wall to the celing / her floor and rattle her bed to keep her awake. And unless she is spying on us, she is damn near 100% accurate about when the computer is on.

I'm a chem engineer so I try to give the benefit of the doubt in such circumstances (who knows what the natural resonance frequency is up in her room) but the fact such a small computer so far away is cuasing the issues is a little unbelievable.

I'm trying to get the LL to stop by tonight and test it out.

[Tripamang]

I"d just straight up tell her she's nuts, that you're not going to partake in some crazy bitches delusions and that the whole thing is ridiclous. The I'd tell her if she continues to harass you, that you'd be getting a restraining order and you'll be asking the landlord to have her evicted (In Ontario harassment like that is grounds for eviction).

I think it's pretty clear that she's spying on you, and I'd tell her straight up that you know that is whats going on. She's nuts, I wouldn't show hostilities but I'd as plainly as possible tell her she needs help. If your landlord won't assist you in her removal, turn to things that will really fuck her up, like printing off mental disorders that fall within the crazy shit she is doing. Keep reassuring her that she needs help in a calm friendly voice, and that you really want her to get it. I'm sure theres some mental health groups in your area, pick up group therapy pamphlets and drop them in her mailbox with little notes on how you think this will help her. If this really upsets her just leave them for when she comes over to complain.

If she does eventually go to court for it, just tell the judge that she is obviously mentally ill and you've been trying to assist her for months. Keep those pages that you printed off and present them to the judge when you do goto court, with enough sheets/pamphlets like that the judge with more than likely side with you.

[Drajakur]

This lady clearly has some problems, extreme narcissism being one of them. I can't see how anyone in their right mind could find you at fault for having the computer running, given that you have tried various sensible means for dampening the noise and vibrations.

At the end of the day, she is the one that is going to have to adjust. Any reasonable landlord would come to the same conclusion. She isn't complaining about wild parties, drunk chicks vomiting in the hall, but having a godamned PC!

One thing you might want to try, oddly enough, is to leave the computer running all the time. The body tends to adjust to constant environmental noise faster than when it comes in discrete episodes.

Good luck!

P.S. She's a fuckhead and I hate her for you.

[Fammaden]

I notice she is very interested in times when your wife is gone but never really mentions anything about times when she is there and you are not. She is obviously only spying when she knows YOU are there! I think she wants to fuck you man. Maybe if you laid some pipe she would be sleeping better.

[Leid]

Originally Posted by Fammaden

I notice she is very interested in times when your wife is gone but never really mentions anything about times when she is there and you are not. She is obviously only spying when she knows YOU are there! I think she wants to fuck you man. Maybe if you laid some pipe she would be sleeping better.

What about the vibrations caused by said layage?

P.S.

She is crazy. My dad went through similar episodes with our next door neighbors. They worked on cars all the time in their garage (with the door up) and he had it set in his mind that they were making noise (all of the usual sounds made during car maintenance) just to spite him.

He eventually set up a camera in the upstairs attic window to "catch them in the act." The cops didn't find the tapes very interesting. I guess no one would unless they were attempting to study car mechanics from a distance.

I'd have your LL inspect your room and then inspect hers. Beyond that, you've done more than enough.

[Taranatar]

Originally Posted by Burf

Tell her that when she wakes up at 4am, you can hear her walking around her apartment, and it's keeping you from getting 8 hours of sleep. Then, when you're tired, run her over in your car. Her e-mail will be proof that it was not your fault because you were tired.

Seriously, though, she's crazy and getting herself worked up.

Someone give this man a trophy, this is pure genius.

[Deathwing]

Let's get crazy bitch in here and this thread can go straight to the hall of fame.

All that aside, just that she keeps track of what days your wife leaves the house would seriously worry me.

You should ask her to do some ridiculous stuff in turn(by the way, that's how it's spelled, a stupid amount of people just in this thread have spelled it wrong). Have her line her bed with noise dampening material, or move her bed into a different room.

Noisy neighbors are just a fact of apartment life. The ones above me vaccuum all the time, fuck like gorillas(the guy moans too, what a mood-killer), and walk around like elephants. Annoying, but not something to lose sleep over.

[Skorge]

Man she seems crazy but that is typical as she is a 40 something year old woman living alone in an apt complex.

I know you said you had your computer on a foam pad but what is your computer sitting on (where is the foam pad). On a desk, floor, etc. What kind of floor do you have?

Try taking a couple of blankets or what not and drop that down then the foam pad, that should insulate the vibrations even more. If that don't work then I don't know what will....

[RiskyChris]

Take a jackhammer to the ceiling below her bed.

[simeon]

Do the logical thing and have your landlord come over and see your computer. Once he realizes that it's nothing out of the ordinary, they will just think your neighbor is a flaming idiot and has to deal with it.