Well, I moved into my first apartment in a building after having lived in private houses all of my 41 years of life. It's a co-op building. Very clean, mostly quiet and full of working people. I've been there going on two weeks now and I noticed that I seem to have an 800lb person living above me. They stomp around the floor above my bedroom usually between 6am to 7:30am. I don't hear this stomping anywhere else except my bedroom. They like to get up on Saturdays and Sundays and play a small clock radio at 6am. I can hear this radio as if it's in the same room with me. This co-op has a 80% floor covering rule and it doesn't seem as if this person put any carpet on the bedroom floor. Being that I'm new, I don't want to have to get ugly with anybody, at least not so soon because I can really get mean when I need to. When I walk around my place, I'm usually in bare feet and I have plush area rugs all over the place. I don't tip toe around my place, but I also don't make a lot of noise, as I consider the people who live beneath me. This morning, however, as I was just walking normally around, I hear three quick taps on either my floor from below or my ceiling above, I wasn't sure. Now, here I was, just walking normally and not stomping. After tapping back and talking very LOUDLY about not appreciating the taps, it dawned on me maybe the 800lb person above me isn't really stomping at all, it just sounds that way. I'll use ear plugs in the early morning and that should resolve the only problem I have with the noise. This is the first apartment in a building I've lived in and will certainly be the last. I plan on buying a home within the next two years.

I have a great suggestion; and nope, I don't work for the company I am going to tell you about. I just feel for people with noisy neighbors and want to help. I have very noisy neighbors downstairs and I purchased heavy duty sound machines - called Sonet QT Voice Privacy. They are expensive, but to me they were worth every penny. They are excellent in blocking out voices, screaming, dogs barking, babies crying, TV's and music. I would have had to move if not for these machines. Now I go to bed and simply say "aaahhh" and fall asleep. The machines sound like air conditioning and nobody even noticed it when they walked in my apartment; they simply thought the A/C was on. It also comes with a knob to adjust the volume. The only thing they do not block is stomping noises; because you're dealing with vibrations with footfall; however it does help to drown it out a bit but not completely.

http://www.speechprivacysystems.com/pages/Sonet_Home

I think the quality of construction really, really matters. I live in a newer building in the Northwest and even when the upstairs neighbors are vacuuming the sound is very muted. I know I could get more space for less money elsewhere, but living in a quiet studio is worth more to me than living in a noisy 1-Bedroom. Of course the apartments all have wall to wall carpeting, and while I sometimes wish for hardwood floors for aesthetic reasons, I know it makes a difference. The only problem I've had is with the people next door, and then it's not cause the sound comes through the walls, but because their patio is at a 90 degree angle to mine and the sliding doors aren't insulated like the walls. Drapes mostly solved that problem.

Here are some facts and research about noise and health. I hope it helps some of you in your quest for relief.
http://www.freewebs.com/noisefacts/

I know this thread is from awhile ago, but I am surprised that so many people think that the person above them is stomping around to antagonize them.

People should be upset at their landlords for not insulating and soundproofing the building, not at the tenants who are just trying to live their lives.

I just moved into a new place yesterday and my downstairs neighbor knocked on our door, I thought to say hello and introduce herself, but actually to ask us to turn down our music (at 6 p.m.). We apologized and were upset that we had bothered her and turned the music super low right away. Later that evening (around 10 p.m.) we were bringing the final little things over from the old place and as we're walking up the non-carpeted stairs this woman screams from her apartment for us to "stop walking up and down the f-ing stairs".

Maybe try to see things from the other person's perspective before you become infuriated with them because the acoustics in their place are different than yours.

I must be passive-aggressive in a mild but very devious sort of way. I don't want to bother my neighbors and want them to tell me if I am bothering them so I can stop whatever it is. However, I figure if I treat them nice and they respond by being rude,well then that's what they want, rudeness. I'd rather not bother the police with something I can probably quietly take care of myself. My thoughts are to train them like you'd train a dog. Don't say anything, just do it back to them but do it in such a way that they will subconsciously understand. Then if they complain, be genuinely apologetic and act innocent about it. But when they need a little dose, give it back to them. Most likely they won't say anything, especially if you do it just subtly enough to get the message across. It's kind of like conditioning them by reinforcing to them that their bad behaviors are going to cause them the same loss of sleep or annoyance that it's causing you. If they are keeping you up all night with drinking and being loud, then you know they'll be sleeping when you're up and about. Soooo, why not do like my brother suggested to me.

After reading some of the posts here, I feel fortunate that my neighbors aren't generally obnoxious on a daily basis. Mostly it's the neighbors below me, but it used to be the neighbor above me. She's evidently a barmaid/bar-fly who comes in at around 3:00 A.M. and then runs all over her apartment some nights for hours. It's not even that loud, but it's constant and she sometimes likes to open and close her dresser drawers off and on plus random slamming doors or dropped items which, even though I sleep with a fan running, sometimes disrupts my sleep. She woke me at 3:15 the other morning and kept me up until 6:00 A.M. at which time I finally went back to sleep for a short time before I had to get ready for work. This aggravates me. The noise isn't extremely loud, but she's heavy footed on the floor and I think it's feeling the vibration almost as much as the faint sound of it. She's not been too bad lately, but the neighbors below me are sometimes horrible and have parties almost every Sunday night. They like to repeatedly slam and I mean SLAM the apartment door so that it vibrates the walls and floor and they SLAM the heck out of the cabinet doors just the same. Then there's the screeching of the woman who lives there that is almost like fingernails on a chalkboard. She's gotten quieter, for the most part, except when people are over. I think they all take a dump when their friends come over too, because I always get a heavy butt beef smell in my apartment on those nights. Lovely, eh? They were doing this stuff so much,with such force and so loudly a few weeks ago that I decided they were going to get a dose of inconsideration right back the following morning. As my brother suggested, I placed my two phones (1 in the bedroom and 1 near the kitchen) in my one bedroom apartment on the floor. Turned up the ringers to high and then covered them with boxes which were then covered with pillows and blankets. I didn't want to bother the woman above me. Not this time, at least. Then I took my computer speakers, which are in my bedroom and placed them on the floor and covered them the same way. I was going to make them listen to death metal all day while I was at work as they would be trying to sleep off their drunk from the party. Then I remembered my Uncle's homemade cd of religious bluegrass music and decided that for their listening pleasure they were going to be treated to something much more nerve-grating.

The next morning I set the CD to play over and over and over again. It probably played over 8 or 9 times while I was gone. I turned it up to what I guessed would be just loud enough to disrupt their sleep, but that was only a guess. I don't really know how loud the volume was for them cause it was muffled by the box and pillows? Then I went to work with a big evil smile on my face. Throughout the day I dialed my home number and let the phones ring and ring and ring. I did this at random intervals sometimes two or three times in a row to make sure that it would disrupt their sleeping patterns. Aren't I evil? You would definitely scream "YES" if you were unfortunate enough to hear the "priceless" aforementioned cd from my Uncle. My other Aunt laughed like crazy when I told her what I made them listen to and she said that I was "very evil" for subjecting them to that music over and over again like I did

It's funny, when I came home, I came in very quietly and listened. I felt really guilty doing that to them as I know it was really mean, but just as a child learns that one of their actions causes unpleasant results, so would my neighbors. I could hear "Free Bird" playing at a pretty loud volume and couldn't exactly tell if it was from above me or below (my target audience). Anyway, I left it play for a short time and then turned it off. Funny thing is, shortly after I turned off the lovely bluegrass cd, the other music stopped. Somehow, I don't think they cared for their treat. What a shame! Not!

Anyhow, they had their usual Sunday party the following week, but they refrained from the over-excessive slamming of everything. Lately, I've hardly heard them at all. Ah, what goes around comes around especially when you help it come around. Big Grin! I hope this will help some of you to at least give a little dose back without having to be confrontational. Remember to always be very sincere if they approach you, or just deny it if you can. Some of you could also leave your alarm clocks going off or set them to go off when you know the ingrates are trying to sleep and then act innocent about it and apologetic. I, personally like the phone idea. You could prop a box close to the ceiling for upstairs neighbors fun-time while you're at work.

My other idea is to make a cd of random noises. Screeching tires, sirens, glass breaking, fingernails on a chalkboard, explosions, screaming, baby crying, howling dogs or whatever you can think of and make a cd that spaces the sounds at 20 or 30 minutes or just random intervals and then set that to play throughout the day. make the sounds just long enough to wake them up, but not long enough that they will know what it is. So that just when they might be getting comfy again and falling back asleep they get woke up again. After all, isn't that what they're doing to you? This would be good for all night partying neighbors. After all, who wants to continue drinking when they feel like crap the whole next day cause they couldn't get any peaceful rest? Yea, that's what I'm talking about!

You could also have them listening to constant crying baby or howling wolves at a just low enough volume that they can barely hear it but can't tell where in the world it's coming from. I'm not sure how you would guess the volume, but it's just a thought. Maybe set something like that in the closet for added concern on their part?

Okay -

It's not that it is so severe as other stories I've heard, here and elsewhere, but, like others - I have a youngish woman above me who is a "hard walker" wearing heavy shoes or high-heels, but even noisy without them. She will return home and right away, begin a routine of clomping back and forth for hours like she is speeding around, maybe "caffeinated" The only time it is quiet is if she is gone or sleeping, since she doesn't seem to sit for long, scraping chairs across the linoleum, as it screeches. (Yeah, the management should have installed carpeting in the dining, but I think they have begun using more linoleum - which was a mistake). It is a main "walk thru", also.

I waited a bit until she was settled and then decided I wanted to "nip things in the bud" - going to speak with her in Sept. '08. I asked if she might put those little pads under her dining chairs as to prevent screeching.. she seemed open and friendly and I felt good about the conversation.

In December, when I had been aware that she had not made any alterations and was driving me nuts with her hyperactivity (she vacuums every two days, not that people shouldn't clean.. just making a point that she seems "obsessive"), I got up my courage to speak to her again. This time, she couldn't open the door, speaking through it. I politely said I needed to speak to her about the noise. She said "What noise"? I explained about the screeching of chairs, loud banging and hard walking. She defended herself by saying.."I'm not having people over..or playing music". I replied that "THAT was appreciated".. but, there is this constant flurry of racket.. she said .."Well... I'll try AGAINNN".. (I thought to myself.. "again"?) Anyway, I thanked her and later, saw it was a bit quieter, but she was gone a lot at that time. January I ran into her and she said "I've been trying to be quieter.." I said "Yes.. thank you.. I've noticed.." and were both friendly.

Of course, it started up again, never resolved the chair thing and I felt she just doesn't give a ____ . Also, since she has had a boyfriend, when he arrives, they just have to use the couch (apparently) to ____ on, making my wall shake and my window rattle. One night, I was compelled to press on my window in such a way that they would know.. or something. I was just frustrated since it happens a lot - and living in "Quake Country" in Los Angeles, I don't want to hear a quake being replicated.

I have previously had quiet neighbors up there, except for one and he was asked to leave. Also, she was living in another unit here above someone else, prior and THAT downstairs neighbor had the same complaints - speaking to her, also. You'd think she would "get it", but I think at the root, some people are just inconsiderate.

It appears I am stuck, since I have attempted to speak with her and I know it would be unhelpful to speak to the managers and could make it worse. it's not like there is loud music.. and she does have a "schedule". I just don't appreciate the "tension" I feel she generates that I have to put up with while quietly trying to enjoy my own space.

I am so relieved to have found this thread, I could almost cry. 2 1/2 years ago my husband and I moved from Brooklyn to Berlin, Germany. We moved into a beautiful apartment that I absolutely loved. That is until our horrible stomping neighbors got started. The stomping was relentless and out of control and all hours of the day and night. Their dogs barked for up to 4 hours at a time. TV blasting all day and night. Occasional stereo, etc. They started a renovation project that was still going on almost a year later when we finally moved. Of all the disturbances, the stomping was by far the worst. So my husband and I made sure that we moved into a top floor apartment. We told both the previous tenant here and the new landlord why we were seeking a top floor apartment. Well, the day came that it was time to come clean up our new place once it was empty so we could move in (another horror story but it's too long to go into). As I was cleaning I heard it. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!! What was that?!?! Then there it was again. There was no mistaking it. It was the echoing boom of a Stomper. But we're on the top floor!?!??! How is this happening??? You guys, I kid you not. We have lived in this apartment now for 1 year and 12 days. The stomping has been just as horrible and loud here as it was when we lived underneath someone. We learned not to try to deal with it face to face in the last apartment as it only made things worse. Both landlords here are/were worthless and no help. A few months ago, I started really stomping back HARD and flew into total rages, screaming and all, whenever she started her stomping. Today, the Stomper is moving out. I am holding back my joy because until the next person moves in, I am too scared to hope for better. For anyone who has never lived with this problem, they would not possibly understand. It feels like being put inside a cardboard box and someone just beating on it, it's like being trapped and I can't even enjoy the few moments when she's not doing it because I know it's going to start again... - and I agree, their patterns are all the same. What ARE they doing in these limited spaces? It is mind boggling. It has nearly destroyed my life as my nerves are shattered and my sleep disrupted. It has also caused so much stress that my husband and I are on edge and end up fighting. I would never have believed that this could happen to us living on the top floor. But it sure did. There are 5 units in this building and a total of 9 people living here and it was this ONE PERSON and no one else doing it (you can see into the other apartments in the windows of the building reflecting across the driveway). One person. Out of 9. God please let the next tenant be NORMAL!

By the way. Carpeting does not work. It's not magic carpet. And these people who slam their feet through the floor with every step they take can not be stopped by any carpet.

It is very interesting reading all of the comments. I live on the top floor of my apartment building. I recently received a note from my neighbor who lives in the apartment below mine. She was angry about all of the noise that I make, especially in the morning. I was not aware the I was disturbing her. I always walk around in my bare feet. Since then, I have tried to be quieter. I can't use carpeting because I have allergies. That was one of the reasons that I moved into this apartment, there are hardwood floors. I honestly don't know what to do to correct this problem. I also have a disability and always walk with heavy footsteps. I'm open to any and all suggestions about this problem.

Wear thick slippers.

Finding this site is like finding a support group. Even as I write, my stomper and her running, jumping grandchildren are wrapping up the second day of making my holidays a living hell. We live in codominiums that were converted from apartments, meaning they are poorly constructed and impact noise travels as if there was nothing between me and them. Her everyday noise is difficult enough to tolerate, but I do tolerate it. But when she brings her grandchildren over to spend several days it is beyond description. Apparently telling them that they can't run, jump or scream at the top of their lungs is not an option, so I am left to pound on the ceiling with a broom handle, like some kind of character from a sitcom.

I have talked to her several times about this and she always gives me some kind of lame excuse about why they are loud (their cousins are visiting from Florida and they're so excited to see them, etc.), but nothing ever changes. She closes the door, goes back upstairs and the same level of horrendous pounding continues.

She lives on the top floor and it is her world. I live on the first floor and I am held hostage. The condo association does not get involved in owner-to-owner problems, so I have no recourse. If I do any of the wonderfully imaginative things that have been suggested on this site as retaliation, I am afraid I will start a war and we all know who will win--the guy on top!

I had a contractor try a soundproofing experiment to see if that would help--it didn't. It seems there is no getting rid of impact noise -- stomping--it is like some evil cloud we are stuck under.

In my situation, again, her everyday noises are disturbing, but I can grit my teeth and tolerate those. If she would only be considerate -- and a responsible adult -- and tell those kids they are not allowed to run and jump and screech, this insanity I go through would be unnecessary.

I love where I live and there really are no other options for condos in my price range--even if the market wasn't in the garbage can. It seems crazy that I have to move from a place I love because she is so inconsiderate.

When I bought the place it was so quiet up there that the Realtor and I thought no one lived there. I bought it because it didn't have stairs and I wanted to be on the first floor. What a stupid move.

Next time, I either will tough it out with stairs, or will camp out at various times throughout the evening and weekend so I can know what it really is like when the upstairs owner is home.

Who knew there were so many inconsiderate morons in the world--and that they all live on the second floor??

I read all of the comments and see that this problem exists far and wide! I would NOT go knocking on doors in my neighborhood. I might write a note but I'm not sure even that would do any good (although it's less confrontational). I have also lived in new construction that had zero insulation between floors and between townhouses so you could hear not only the person next door, but those several doors down if music was turned up too loud.

For now, I have two little dogs and found an apartment on the ground floor (with the building basement below - no one to bother) because I know my two 15 pound dogs sound like a herd of elephants from below. On the other hand, people come and go at all hours of the day and night, slamming doors, talking (sometimes shouting) like it's the middle of the day, etc. - where I jolt out of my sleep from the noise. And, maybe they are wondering why my dogs bark at them!?

I live in a New York City neighborhood where people who live above or near restaurants and night clubs cannot get the police to have the restaurants turn down their music (one place is open 24 hours and has kareoke!). Another place just got its liquor license renewed even though there were numerous complaints about the place.

The bottom line is that if you don't complain, nothing will happen to improve matters. I have started to attend community board meetings and am not afraid to call 311 (the NYC help line) if there is a noise complaint AND to follow up to be sure the complaint doesn't "disappear" from the records. We FINALLY have security cameras so it is not left up to individuals to report problems to management.

I think that the older I get, the less I want to put up with the nonsense of apartment living because there's always something to deal with when there are a lot of people crammed together.

Move.

Bad neighbors don't give a sh*t. And when they move, worse ones can move in.

Better yet, do yourself a favor and buy a home. FHA only requires a 3 1/2% downpayment, and ok credit rating. I withdrew from my 401k and 2 months later I moved out of a thin-walled, thin-floored expensive apt. My monthly mortgage is about 25% more than my rent -- well worth it for my sanity.

Sooo many great bargains out there. Forclosures can take months to buy, and tend to be in bad shape. But so many other homes to choose from. Be sure no yappy dogs live next door, or loud teenagers with music.

Do yourself a favor and talk to a real estate agent. You don't pay them anything ... the seller does. They'll start taking you to look at homes you can afford. Lendingtree.com or similar is a good place to start looking for a lender. In the end, they don't offer rates any cheaper than anyone else, but the mortgage reps tend to have lots of help for newbies.

Do it! Or at least check it out. Nothing to lose. You don't sign anything until you close on the home. Although your mortgage lender will charge you a fee of about $300 and FHA inspection of the home costs about $450. You get your 401k withdrawal about 2 weeks before closing if thats where you get your downpayment. So until then, you've got to find some cash for these upfront costs. They won't let you use a credit card though.

I live in the midwest where home prices are average.

There is a lot of stompers aren't there?

I have live in this apartment for 7 1/2 yrs., there is only 2 apartments next to each other above a garage. I'm on my 4th neighbor. Have had no prob with any of the others. Till now! She moved in 2 yrs ago. and its the stereo blaring at all hours of the night, she fat ass stomping around, her 2 yr old up screaming running through the apartment, banging things, her screaming and fighting with whom ever. This goes on and on anywhere from 10pm till 6am.

I have a 13 1/2 yr old Asperger son who must get up for school in the morning. But we are kept up at all hours of the night.

But here in the borough I live in they have an ordinance that states: after 3 citations for disturbance the landlord must evict the tenet. If you own your home you just get fined. Well, I have had the police here so many, many times, 3 times in one weekend. But get this: she only got one notice. I just received my 2nd--I'm going to fight. She lied and said that my son was banging on the conecting wall since 5 am. HA HA HA......I didn't get up till 6am and he was still sleeping, he got up at 7am. I know he was still sleeping because he has been sleeping in my room with me because of all the noise so he could get some sleep. Believe me the floor is not comfortable.

I have spoke with the landlord so many times and all he says is you two need to work it out, maybe you'll become friends. I tell him I have tried 2 yrs ago on several occasions but all she does is yell and scream, I refuse to speak to someone when they are doing that. Now back to the police issue: I gave up on calling them because I swear she must be giving them one heck of a BJ because that is the only thing I can think of how she is getting away with this after all this time. And I was also accused by the police of being a nuisance for calling so much and I could be sighted. I must have called them over 100 times in 2 years and she only called them twice. So you tell me what is going on.
Oh that first notice what because the cop pushed his way in to speak with my son and got pissed off because my son did not look him in the eye when he spoke to him and his said that his Autism was a crock. I can easily prove his diagnosis form many doctors, and I can prove what time our alarms go off in the morning. They have been set for 7 1/2 yrs and never changed.

I have been trying to come up with the money to move, but its not easy when you are on SSI, you do not have many spare funds to put away. But I do know that I need to get out of here. But I am also worried that this will affect me in renting anther place.

I live in PA, if you were wondering.

Oh one more thing.......I go to bed at night and I worry that my TV is up too loud, and try to keep my son quiet. I make him settle down at 7pm. Especially when she first moved in because her son was just 2mths old now I regret every doing that.

The solution to the stomper? Discover your inner Guido. Veiled threats are an art form.

Well it's amazing. These Stompers fit into a very unique profile. Thumper lives upstairs from me. Maybe she weighs 350 lbs. Ten, yes ten years, I have had to listen to her do whatever she does until 4 a.m. I am a nurse. I lost two jobs because I could not get up to go to work. I have a tablelamp in my kitchen because everytime I put in ceiling lights - poof!
One of the clodhoppers hits my ceiling and it's over. Same for the bathroom. She stomps back and forth back and forth. Tonight, after all these years, I totally lost it. I went out on my deck at 3 a.m. and because screaming as loud as I could. I wanted the president of the HOA to hear it and I wanted all the neighbors to know what I go through. I made up my mind tonight, everytime she stays up all night and keeps me up with her equipment, I'm going out on the deck and disturb everyone else and they will get sick of hearing me. So what does she do tonight? She calls the police on herself. Yes, you read right. They came to see me and I told them the whole story and they said they told her she had to quiet it down. As far as I'm concerned she's a pig. After reading all these horror stories it's clear, she fits perfectly into the selfish, childish, inconsiderate profile that comes with the behavior. You have to fight fire with fire. Yes, it's the bowling ball sound, the exercise machine sound, plus I she has such a huge body that I have to listen to her pass wind and snore all night. The HOA, as all of you have said, doesn't care. But trust me, my next step is to the courts because I am now completely finished with this slut.

Irritated, I just found your post. You did the right thing. You cannot be nice to these people. As I said above, you have to fight fire with fire. I can assure you, after tonight, everytime she starts to keep me up at night, I'm going to scream as loud as I can and keep up the whole neighborhood. I have holes in my ceiling - pounding is worthless. Just make as much noise as you can and let other people know what they are doing to your life. I'm going to post these letters on my car windows in the parking lot tomorrow. My motto henceforth is "If I don't sleep, nobody sleeps" and I mean it. I have often wondered what kind of a family she came from that she is so totally involved in herself. When I told her it's like elephants and a bowling ball she took offense. My walls vibrate too and the contractor told me he could try to fix it for $6000 but he doesn't think that's the answer. In my wildest dream I never thought I'd be trapped in my home, no place to run, and have a totally absorbed dim witted idiot living above me. To all of you suffering - FIGHT - just fight fire with fire. Press on.

I'm glad I found this forum. I moved into a one-bedroom apartment about 2 months ago because I liked the layout, and the price was right. Huge mistake. The neighbors on the other side of our common wall play video games on a sound system that would rival George Lucas. Explosions, swelling music, and more explosions coming through my walls shaking my apartment. Of course, I've spoken to them about this, but their excuse to me was "The walls are just very thin". I've complained to the apt. manager, and she has spoken to them but it's done no good. Unfortunately, I still have another ten months on my lease (and then I'm outta here!), so I can't move. But I've got to find a solution to the inconsiderateness of the neighbors, especially when they play their video games at midnight. I'm going to find out what the noise ordinances are in my city and write a letter.

Ive been living in a 4th floor condo in a 5 floor building for about a year and a half now. There is an older couple (50-65) living above me, the man is a fulltime teacher at the local college of which i attend, and the woman is a fulltime floor-stomper. I spend most of my time at home studying and have had much time to become familiar with the patterns of stomping. When i first confronted the couple about the lady's stomping via phone call, she had no idea that she was making noise at all and promptly arranged for her to come into my condo and me to go up into hers while on the phone so i could stomp around and show her what i deal with from anywhere from 6AM-2AM. So i went up there and stomped like there was no tommorow, asking 'do you hear that?' along the way. She claimed she couldnt hear a thing. I later spoke to the husband who informed me that his wife was not all there in the head, not so say shes disabled or anything, she is just extremely quirky. I asked why live on the top floor if u know this happens, and he said,'we always live on the top floors'.
That was about a year ago, and since then there has never been a day free from my floor shaking and my mistaking her stomping for thunder outside. I have given up my diplomatic approach and have resorted to the broom to the ceiling routine. Since starting the brooming, i have begun to receive hand written letters under the door. up to 5 pages of chicken scratch, mostly incoherant rambling about excuses of why she'll be making noise this particular week. I'm beginning to lose my patience with this situation and i am leaning towards taking the next step. i know my downstairs neighbors and they say if they didnt know me personally, theyd never have known anyone lives above them, so i dont see why i have to suffer with the nutcase upstairs. the property management knows about it and tell me to call security when this happens, but i refuse to waste his time.
WHAT CAN I DOOOOO??????

@scottsh, you're full time stomper comment was hilarious! I have upstairs neighbors who will be up at all hours of the night stomping around like its the thing to do. They also have a child who runs around till about three in the morning. The noise is happening right now! I have called courtesy patrol to tell the people upstairs to keep it down. I mean, how can they NOT KNOW how loud they are? I can deal with the floors creaking, but the stomping is driving me bonkers. I realize that some people just have heavy footsteps, and I am not bothered by it during the day time, but at all hours of the night??? This is just getting ridiculous. I thought about telling the neighbors to keep it down myself, but then I think "what if they retaliate with violence or vandalism to my vehicle." They don't seem like very nice people either. How many times do I have to complain to have something done?! Since these people live on the top floor, they have no clue how irritating it is to live with the constant running and stomping around. I also have a sixteen month old child and because of my upstairs neigbors, he doesn't stay alseep from being startled by all the noise. He wakes up at least three times a night and I'm sick of it!! What am I supposed to do now? Should I keep filing complaints until they are evicted? Leave a note? Call the cops? Confront them myself? Also, I'm am up a lot at night anyway, but at least I have the decency to make sure I don't stomp. I walk lightly anyway though. I also teach my children that it is not polite to horse around when there are people living under us. Common sense right?

WE should have an apartment building just for stompers!

I've lived in my apt for several years now, it's an old, 3 story house built in the 1900s - divided into 4 apts. Now I expect a little more noise than the average apt because it's a house however....
The loudest, rudest, creepiest guy moved in upstairs on the 3rd floor. Not only is he home all the time stomping around but he plays his guitars - electric and acoustic, stomps down and up the stairs to go smoke every 20 minutes and the last straw, loud wailing sex.

I kid you not, the last time the loud sex happened - 3am no less, I was so irritated I got up, dressed and went for a long walk because I was so angry. But when I got back, his door was wide open and they were going at it again. He OPENED HIS DOOR, to be sure everyone heard it. I was hesitant to talk to the landlord because he is a friend of hers but after that I didn't give a rip.
He also listens at my and my neighbors doors, follows me down when I take my garbage out just to ask what I'm doing. Creepy Mc Creeperson. I recent found out that my landlord is ready for him to go because all the tenants are having the same problems - seems he thinks since he's friends with the landlord he runs the joint. Pfft. He can't move soon enough for me.
I feel for all of you posters here!!

well, it seems i'm in the same boat as everyone here. Two years ago, i had this problem, I moved out at the first opportunity and had 2 years of bliss until the tenant above me moved out and a family with a young kid moved in. That kid runs, hops, skips, jumps and screams like nobody's business. The thing of it is that I thought I had found apartment nirvana because I live above a doctor's office and he had said that he preferred a tenant without kids because of the noise factor. So color me surprised when all of a sudden I kept hearing the pitter patter of little feet and the vibrations overhead out of the blue. I had no idea the other tenant had moved or when and I certainly had never seen anyone new in the building but then again I hardly ever see anyone. I've already spoken to them at least three times when I felt my sanity quickly fading during his marathon running sessions....They are quite understanding, blah blah blah when i approach them but I really don't see the point in talking to them again as they've done absolutely nothing to reign in this kid. I guess eventually my only recourse to to move again. It's a shame though because I really liked it here while the quiet lasted. I'm considerate of my neighbors but today I couldn't take it anymore so I just blasted my stereo for about 2 hrs since I couldn't accomplish anything anyways I'd rather not have to sit and endure the stomping and the vibrations. I was hoping someone would complain because I'd have just refer them to the upstairs neighbors (cause & effect, right?). Thanks for the vent!