This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/bestofredditorupdates by /u/Choice_Evidence1983 on 2026-08-13 04:00:07+00:00.

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I am NOT OOP, OOP is u/PassengerNorth6904

Originally posted to r/apartmentliving

Our nice new apartment/Now we’re being harassed

Thanks to u/NumbAsHell1 for suggesting this BoRU

Trigger Warnings: possible racism

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Original Post: July 30, 2026

We just moved in a few weeks ago into this new built apartment complex to the top floor. We get the 1st note on Thursday. I knock on the neighbor across the hall to see if they left it they say no but they have a camera and show me who left it. I go down stairs and knock on their door to have a conversation because obviously I don’t want to be a bad neighbor. They don’t come to the door but have a ring camera and can see who I am.

The next day I get the second note so I take both of them to the office and they tell us the downstairs neighbor has filed a noise complaint bit I still offer to sit down with them and have a conversation if they want, then I get the email the following Monday.

My spouse and I both work during the day and are gone from 7am to 6pm. I’m not sure what noises they hear and we’re in bed by 10:30 every night so we can’t be making noises from 12am-4am. I don’t own a hand saw, we don’t bang on the walls(haven’t even hung pictures yet). Plus we don’t smoke. We’ve maybe sat on our balcony 3 times since we’ve moved in? They even complained that we flush our toilets too loud???

They also told the complex they felt threatened and uncomfortable to sit down and have a conversation since I knocked on their door. ( I’m a black man and they are young white women). Yesterday I suspect they were looking at our balcony to see what we were doing.

I have never talked to these women or come off threatening in anyway. I don’t have any issues with my other neighbors, and I’ve talked with a few of them. I’ve just never had someone complain and lie but refuse to talk to me so we can resolve the issue.

forgot to add, there are no multiple neighbors that have issues with noise like the note stated. The property manager confirmed this.

screenshots of the notes and message from management

Transcripts of the notes and message

Note #1: "Hi.

We all collectively agree that we need you to please be more aware of the amount of noise you make. We hear you at all hours of the night... This is multiple of your neighbors... Please try to be more quiet.

Thank you"

Note #2: "We have all collectively asked you to be quiet...

Please be quiet..."

Message: ...We received a report regarding the sound of moving furniture, dropping something heavy, loud footsteps, doors slamming, the sound of a hand saw, dragging something heavy along the floor, banging on walls, etc. These noises are reported to be occurring during the day and night including the hours of 12–4am.

While we understand and have communicated to your neighbor that some level of noise is expected in a shared living environment, we ask that you please be mindful of excessive noise to your neighbors. To resolve the matter we have requested to have you meet in person but the resident has declined and would like to keep communication through the leasing office.

In addition, this email also serves as a reminder that [redacted] is a smoke-free community. As outlined in your lease agreement, smoking of any kind is not permitted anywhere on the property, including but not limited to:

Inside apartments

On balconies or patios

In hallways or common areas

Near building entrances or windows

We have received a report that smoking has occurred on your balcony. Please remember that smoking in any form on the premises is a direct violation of your lease agreement. Violations may result in a $350 fine and/or the initiation of …

End of the transcript

Relevant Comments

Commenter 1: I both used to work in property management and also was a tenant elsewhere at other points with truly horrible upstairs neighbors who did actually make excessive noise all night, every night. It took me recording and emailing dozens of time stamped videos of it (so recorded video on my phone showing date and time on my smart watch) every week (usually 2-8 emails to the PM with recordings per night) for months got them prevented from re-renting. Then it happened again with the next neighbor who moved in. Went through the same grueling process. Then it happened a third time and I demanded they let me transfer to a top floor apartment. I couldn't do a third year of being severely sleep deprived due to a-holes. I never would have believed that many people would behave that way, and the property team didn't want to believe me either, but the videos were very clear and since we were on a corner, there was literally no one else the noise could have been coming from.

Those young women probably are hearing something, but that doesn't automatically mean it's coming from OP's apartment. It could be below them, next to them, next to OP, etc. And unless those women have been making time stamped recordings of their own to prove the noise is as severe and frequent as they claim during those hours, they're just scapegoating and harassing OP and that's not okay.

OOP: We did just move in, so I’m sure they’re hearing something. But I don’t think it’s to the extent what they’re saying. A simple knock on the door and a conversation would have fixed this. I don’t think we’re unreasonable or threatening at all

Commenter 2: unfortunately your best bet is to start recording. get an interior security camera with audio and reply to any and all future complaints with your video and request (demand) the neighbor do the same.

OOP: Yeah the “threatened” comment really rubbed me the wrong way

Update: August 6, 2026 (one week later)

They’re still leaving notes even after the front office told them to not leave notes since they don’t want to communicate directly with us. They’ll leave the notes on the side of our door to avoid our camera but our neighbors across the hall have a camera and they actually communicate with us. So we can obviously see it’s her. I have seen them several times watching our balcony whenever they step outside. They’re also banging on the ceiling whenever we move around now. I do not know what they’re hearing. We are absolutely not up at 3am. We’re in bed because we have to work during the day.

I think it’s so interesting they feel “threatened” and “uncomfortable” when I knocked on their door once but this is the 3rd time they’ve left notes and are watching us?? I don’t know what to do, they won’t talk directly to us, the apartment complex can’t control them, if I try to leave them notes it’ll be seen as retaliatory because the property manager told both parties to have all communication through the apartment complex since the neighbors did not want to directly communicate. Again we are a black & mixed couple and they’re 2 white women.

I could see if we had children or dogs running around, that’s valid. But these are also the same people that complained that we flush too loudly so I think not everything is right up there. I’m not going to be bullied into submission by 2 crazy Karens.

Latest Post-It note

Transcript of the note:

"We have left many notes to ask you guys to please keep it down. There has been many nights of us waking at 3am and hearing things being dragged, dropped, stomping, ect. Please keep it down! It isn't as big of an issue before quiet hours... but most of this activity is happening after quiet hours...

Please be mindful!

and please try to be a little more quiet at night..."

end of the transcript

Relevant Comments

Commenter 1: Would I be correct to assume that you have confirmed now that you do not partake in sleep carpentry? 🪚🔨🪵 Seriously though. Camera inside pointing at some central living area to prove that there is no dragging and dropping of furniture etc. is the best way forward.

OOP: No actually I’m sawing bodies up at 3 am before I head out to work

Commenter 2: I mean could you be more considerate during quiet hours? Yeah. But leaving multiple notes at your door when they can go through the complex is also dumb.

OOP: I can’t be more considerate if I’m asleep at 3am

Downvoted Commenter: To be honest I don't want to have a conversation with any unknown man knocking on my door. Why is it strange to you and why did you repeat it several times? Is it funny for you?

OOP: I knocked on their door after the initial note. One time. To have a conversation and come to a solution like adults? There was no “several times”. She has come to our door several times. Why is that strange to you?

Downvoted Commenter: "Several times" in different posts you mock their unwillingness to open a door for a stranger man. (And you do it once more in the comment I am replying to). Why do you pretend you don't understand my question? **What is so strange in girls not opening a door for an unknown man? Do you really expect them to open a door for a strange man to "have a conversation"??...

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Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/comments/1vn026y/our_nice_new_apartmentnow_were_being_harassed/

Downvoted Commenter: "Several times" in different posts you mock their unwillingness to open a door for a stranger man. (And you do it once more in the comment I am replying to). Why do you pretend you don't understand my question? What is so strange in girls not opening a door for an unknown man? Do you really expect them to open a door for a strange man to "have a conversation"?????????????????????? Do you expect your daughter to open a door to some unknown man?

OOP: That’s what the ring camera is for. That’s what management offering to mediate is for. If they’re so afraid they shouldn’t come up here at all right? And these are not “girls”. They’re adults. I think you’re missing the point of the post.

OOP responds to a comment accusing him of harassment over the polite notes

OOP: If a guy politely keeps asking for a woman’s number is that not harassment? It’s not about the tone, she was told NOT to communicate with us at all since she didn’t want to. If we can’t communicate with her she shouldn’t communicate with us.

OOP on the notes

OOP: We didn’t “hunt” anyone down, we knocked to have a conversation like adults 😂, that’s what normal people do I assume. this is the 3rd note, after filling a complaint and being told to not leave notes again. We can’t keep the noise down if it’s not us making noise.

DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP

This is why i am not in support of dense population living. Humans have hard enough time in suburbs. We need really well built apartments but its too expensive.😑