A little background... I live in a building of condos on the top floor. My neighbor directly below me is driving me CRAZY!!! Here are the things she's come to complain about...
2. A few weeks ago, she came up "just to inquire" if I kept food out on my balcony because her balcony was developing an ant problem. Umm, no... I'm civilized and have a kitchen. I told her I don't have an ant problem, have never kept food outside. She then told me she "just wanted to let me know". It turns out someone had given her a plant that was ant infested.
2. During the tropical storm over the weekend, she came up "just to let me know" that a lot of water was coming down from my balcony and if I could stop whatever I was doing. Umm, it was a tropical storm, I wasn't outside doing anything and told her so. If water was coming down, it's probably due to gravity and the fact there were 40 mph winds. She made a discouraged look and told me she just wanted me to know.
3. Tonight she came up and wanted "just to let me know" that she could hear my stereo. First of all, I wasn't playing that loud AT ALL. Second of all, it was 8:30 at night. I understand if it's really late, but I swear that it wasn't that loud to begin with and it's still early (I guess I'm reverting to dorm "Quiet Hours"). And NONE of my neighbors on my floor have even mentioned anything about it. She didn't tell me to turn it off, or it was too late, or anything like that... just wanted to let me know. She then told me that noise travels downstairs so she can here EVERYTHING (she emphasized everything). Umm, I'm a boring girl, I don't know what she can be hearing. I don't have a boyfriend so I'm not having loud, crazy sex, I'm not tap dancing on the hard wood floors... the most she could here is me talking to my cats, conversations I'm having on the phone, or the tv.
Obviously her "just wanting me to know" is her passive agressive way to tell to stop. But she needs to find someone else to pick on. I think because I'm young and live by myself I'm the obvious target. Tonight I wanted to tell her if it was such a problem she should have ponied up more money to live on the top floor... but that's a little mean and I didn't think of it until after she left. So, if anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with this women I would greatly appreciate. I know this isn't the last of our encounters. I don't want to tell her to call the condo association with all her problems because then I'll probably have to deal with them too... they're a bunch of crazy old people whose only purpose in life is to attend condo meetings and enforce stupid rules like no one can hang a wreath on their door.
Apartment and Condos suck. I can't wait until I can buy my own house and don't have to share walls with strangers.
if it were me, i'd just continue on... but i'm a very non-confrontational person. it doesn't sound like anything the condo association can bust you for anyway. i'd get simple pleasure out of her being annoyed at those little things.
how long has she been your neighbor? has she always "just wanted to let you know" things or is it a recent thing?
oh geez, so this is just the beginning for you then...
i wish i could offer a good suggestion for you. i have an annoying neighbor that i was going to post a rant about. i live in a house and the annoyances are completely different, but still... no matter where you live there will always be annoying neighbors.
i'd just stop answering the door whenever i knew she was on the other side. but if you're feeling really passive-aggressive/mean--do this:
go out on your balcony, call a friend and tell them very loudly what an annoying neighbor you have and then pause at opportune moments and laugh uproariously as if at some comment they are making about her. that's what she gets for being able to hear everything.
oh i've got another one:
go downstairs and tell her you "just wanted her to know" that you can hear her watching porn/having loud sex in the wee hours of the morning. and when she denies it, give her a knowing smile and say "sure, you weren't."
hee hee, we could make a game of this--how many ways to annoy the annoying neighbor?
Did she live in a bubble before she moved downstairs from you? It seems like she has trouble dealing with life's little annoyances. I agree with not answering the door when she comes by. Just because you live in a condo doesn't mean you have to answer the door for uninvited guests. Or if she comes by one more time with some complaint that has nothing to do with you, tell her you feel like she is harassing you or invading your privacy.
i'd just stop answering the door whenever i knew she was on the other side. but if you're feeling really passive-aggressive/mean--do this: go out on your balcony, call a friend and tell them very loudly what an annoying neighbor you have and then pause at opportune moments and laugh uproariously as if at some comment they are making about her. that's what she gets for being able to hear everything. oh i've got another one: go downstairs and tell her you "just wanted her to know" that you can hear her watching porn/having loud sex in the wee hours of the morning. and when she denies it, give her a knowing smile and say "sure, you weren't." hee hee, we could make a game of this--how many ways to annoy the annoying neighbor?
HAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's so great! sfclinevandy, your neighbor sucks and I love esquiress' suggestions.
I'm the type of person who would just tell her off (I have no issues with confrontation), but sometimes with passive-aggressive people, you have to be passive-aggressive back. This is what I did to the old, smelly roommate. Since he couldn't take the hint that he was a stanky mess from me following him around with a can of Febreze (I really did this...if he would get up from the couch, I would spray the couch as soon as he got up), I would just get on the phone with my friends and talk about that stank that was coming from his room. Finally, he said something to my bf about it and the bf told him that he needed to get out b/c he was messing up the house.
Good luck with the crazy neighbor! Keep us posted.