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I started renting a condo until in a fabulous building. Its safe, quiet, and has everything I need for a single 23 year old.

 

About a week after I moved in my downstairs neighbor and I met when we were on the elevator together. He was a creepy single 50 year old guy. He told me how my landlord put in tile floor in my apartment and it makes me walking around really loud in his apartment. He urged me to get area rugs and even told me he had some spare rugs in his apartment. He was very creepy. He even asked me if I wanted to come with him to see them. He then tells me how the girl who lived there before me would clunk around in her heels and would always report him to the building manager.

 

He then tells me that he heard me walking around at 7am (when I was getting ready for work) and then he tells me how I was up and about another night until 1am. Which I was. It made it very creepy that he mentioned exact times.

 

 

He warns me that he occasionally smokes pot on his patio. Each unit has an outside screened in patio attached to the condo.

 

I have been living here now for about 5 months. I love everything about it but his smoking is really bothering me. I like to keep my sliders open to let in air and he will start to smoke and the smell of marijuana seeps into my apartment. I always have to jump up and close up the place.

 

I have a clothes rack I use to hang dry my laundry. While I am at work I sometimes leave it outside in the sun. When I come home sometimes my clothes smell of weed and I have to re-wash all of them. This not only causes me frustration, but time and money.

 

Right now he is smoking. It is seeping into my apartment. It causes me bad headaches. I hate it. I have some health problems and I figure this cannot be good for me.

 

I want to say something to the building manager like the tenant before me used to, but I am afraid of repercussions. I don't own my unit. I rent here. He owns his unit. I don't want him going after me, my car etc... I don't know what to do, but I can't stand him smoking anymore.

 

We don't live in a very cold area, but winter nights can get chilly to kill plants etc... What is going to happen in the winter...he smokes inside? I'm worried. What should I do?

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Fleur de cactus

I don't know what to tell you but I ran into a similar situation and could not find any solution. I hate the smell and I don't sleep when my neighbors are smoking. I did not know who to report to since it seems everyone does it, including the person I am supposed to report it to.

 

Living downstairs, he can hear your steps, it is so loud when people make a nose I am sure he hears you not because he is weird but because the noise wakes him up.

 

But can you negotiate with him? Since you speaks, can you let him know that sometimes it is too much for you?

Good luck

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Sorry about your predicament. Sounds very annoying. He also probably gets annoyed with the noise from above.

 

There are probably some options to think about:

 

 

  1. Maybe you could bargain with him. If you put down rugs, maybe he can find a way to control his smoke.
  2. Dry your clothes in a dryer rather than line drying.
  3. Use a fan to make sure air blows outward, not inward when he is smoking.
  4. Buy an air purification system (extreme...but an option nonetheless :))
  5. If you can't find an amiable solution, resort to making reports to management. I think you're a little overly worried that he'll come after you. Most pot heads aren't usually that motivated to cause drama, in my (limited) experience.
  6. Ask if another condo opens up, and move locations.
  7. Ask your doctor if marijuana is good/bad for your medical condition. You never know, if it's legal where you live, and beneficial...you might end up joining him :/.

 

 

Sorry...I know not all of these options are going to be something you realistically want to do. But it just goes to show that we almost always have options to change our situation. It's just a matter of compromising and thinking outside of our boxes sometimes.

 

 

Best of luck OP :).

 

 


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Talk to other neighbors. You're probably not the only one who smells the smoking. I had a problem with folks downstairs barbecueing with coal every day, and creating thick blue smoke! And yes, I've been woken up by footsteps on hardwood floor upstairs.

The advice I can give you by my own experience is this: sometimes it's better to just move. Make it easy on yourself. You're renting, so you can do that. Guy downstairs owns it, he has not been happy with the footstep noise from various tenants upstairs, but he can't easily move.

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If pot smoking is illegal where you live, call the cops.

 

The cops will not show up at some guys house because he is smoking pot. They have much more important things to do.

 

 

I have a similar problem OP. I'm my apartments, there is a group of 3 people across the walkway. About 40 feet from my bedroom window, that chain smoke all day and late into the night. They just sit there and smoke cigarettes allllllllll day. I like to have a fan in the window blowing in cool air, especially at night. I have a pretty sensitive nose, so every night I periodically wake up because my room fills with smoke smell.

 

 

There is not really anything you can do. This is the price we play to live in close proximity to others and not living in a house.

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The cops will not show up at some guys house because he is smoking pot. They have much more important things to do.

 

They will in my neighborhood. It is called breech of quiet enjoyment.

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This is the price we play to live in close proximity to others and not living in a house.
Living in a house does NOT guarantee that one will have great neighbors or that neighbors won’t smoke pot or do other objectionable things. Friends of mine bought a house in a very upscale neighborhood several years ago. The elderly couple who lived next to them died and long to short their sons inherited the house/property. Since then it’s been loud parties, motorcycles, and the odor of marijuana on a regular basis. I worked for an attorney years ago and he mentioned that he suspected his very unfriendly neighbor was a drug dealer – people in and out all night long, fancy cars, etc. and the neighbor was apparently unemployed (as far as a legitimate job).
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DrReplyInRhymes

Right now he is smoking. It is seeping into my apartment. It causes me bad headaches. I hate it. I have some health problems and I figure this cannot be good for me.

 

Hello amk, how do you do?

I'm a pothead, but I can see your point too.

As someone who partakes, what would you have me do?

How can I change the way I live to appease you?

 

The law states, in my state, that I must smoke inside,

Driving while smoking lands me a nice DUI,

Smoking outside in a public place is also illegal for me,

So I must resort to smoking inside my apartment (condo) you see.

 

Although my neighbors have yet to complain (to me),

I do live in a state where most actually like the smell of weed,

However, should you feel that you can't stand it enough as it is,

Don't pick a place where neighbors are 15 feet away for the next place you live.

 

Honestly, this like is like going to a zoo and flying into a rage,

When you learn that the tigers are pooping in their own cage,

The stench is terrible, and it hurts your nose,

Yet, WHERE ELSE SHOULD THE TIGER GO?

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For one, I should not have to put down area rugs. I am paying good money to decorate and do as I please. I don't have raging parties and I don't stomp around. I follow the rules. My landlord put in tile floor last year. Its not my fault it makes footstep echo. I did put down two area rugs, but I did it for me, not for him. If he doesn't like footstep noises and he wants to smoke all the time, he shouldn't have bought a condo in close proximity to other people, where it is a problem that people constantly report him for.

 

Again, I pay good money to live where I do every month. I should not have to harbor inside with all my doors closed hoping the smell doesn't seep inside. Which it does. I should be able to leave my slider open to air and enjoy some fresh air. I should also be able to dry my clothes outside and not have them ruined by weed smell. I have to re-wash my clothes sometimes and it costs me extra time and money to do that. Or recently I have had to dry my clothes inside which takes forever and is annoying to have a drying rack in the middle of your living room.

 

I am afraid to report it because he knows where I live and what if he keyed my car or did something horrible. I was thinking of telling the building manager of my fear of reciprocation, but I am unsure if they will care. I really really want to report him, but I am a single 23 year old woman and he is a single 50 year old guy. He could hurt me. I don't know what to do. I could move after this year, but my place is so great. Its safe, convenient, and I can afford it. I am afraid I won't find anything close to it.

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DrReplyInRhymes
For one, I should not have to put down area rugs. I am paying good money to decorate and do as I please. I don't have raging parties and I don't stomp around. I follow the rules.

 

So does he.

 

My landlord put in tile floor last year. Its not my fault it makes footstep echo. I did put down two area rugs, but I did it for me, not for him. If he doesn't like footstep noises and he wants to smoke all the time, he shouldn't have bought a condo in close proximity to other people, where it is a problem that people constantly report him for.

 

Same could be said for you.

 

Again, I pay good money to live where I do every month.

 

So does he.

 

See where I'm getting at with this?

 

I am afraid to report it because he knows where I live and what if he keyed my car or did something horrible. I was thinking of telling the building manager of my fear of reciprocation, but I am unsure if they will care. I really really want to report him, but I am a single 23 year old woman and he is a single 50 year old guy. He could hurt me. I don't know what to do. I could move after this year, but my place is so great. Its safe, convenient, and I can afford it. I am afraid I won't find anything close to it.

 

I agree, reporting someone should be a last resort. A conversation should occur first. Reporting someone like that could 'start a neighbor war', which is just stupid.

 

Personally, you want him to quit smoking, and he wants you to put rugs on wooden floors. I think Tiger Lily's suggestion #1 is your best bet. Good luck with that.

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But I can't help walking around my apartment. I can't help if he hears me. I try to be quiet. I wear slippers. He knowingly and willingly smokes. What am I supposed to do...not walk around? Sit idle? I know I am good tenant because I have lived in other complexes before. I'm nice and I mind my own business. Nothing I do is against the rules or makes anything difficult for him. like I said, he shouldn't have bought a condo below someone else if he can't stand some footsteps. He can not smoke anymore and that would solve the issue.

 

Say I started stomping all around on purpose. That would be mean. I do not do that. The latest I get into my bed is midnight, also I walk to my bed, get in it, and go to sleep, not bothering him. The smell of weed gives me migraines and makes me feel dizzy like my blood pressure is low. I shouldn't have to inhale someone smoking. I think he has been doing it inside. Because instead of seeping through the windows, its been around the middle of my apartment. Rules of the condo association is no smoking inside the building. I think he thinks because he owns his unit that they can't kick him out. Its ridiculous.

 

I do not want to talk to him about it because he is a creepy man and I do not want to be in the same proximity as him at all.

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DrReplyInRhymes

 

I read that whole thread. I have nothing to comment as I feel this is all your perception,

In that entire thread, in your words, I see nothing that screams deception,

What I consider observant, you consider to be stalking,

Like noticing your license plate, or that he can hear you walking.

 

He was nice and presented his problem to you,

By your admittance, you even claim this to be true.

If you don't want to go to his apartment, simply say no.

Don't agree if you're uncomfortable just to go with the flow.

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GunslingerRoland

It's tough to say without being in your shoes, but the way you describe things, it seems like DrReply has a point, you seem to be have this preconceived notion that because he's a single man in his 50's he has nefarious intentions. If he had a wife would it be different? Or it if was a woman who said the same things?

 

Even the pot smoking, doesn't sound like that big of a deal... what did you do a few years ago when people used to smoke on planes, work places, hospitals and everywhere else? I know pot is different, but if it's outside from a different unit, there should not be that much smoke wafting into your place.

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You need to talk to your landlord and tell him the whole thing. If he doesn't do anything, it's at least on him. And the guy doesn't need to know who's complaining about the smoking because it could be anyone.

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I remember being a headstrong 23-year-old. I definitely knew what was right and wrong, and I knew that it was my way or the highway. There was no "grey area", no compromising, little compassion for others.

 

Luckily, God is helping me to grow up. Mature. Learn the collaboration, grace, forgiveness, compromise, humility and patience needed to live this life, especially with the other broken humans that make up this world.

 

OP ~ I pray that each day in this life takes you one step closer to learning some of the same life lessons I'm learning. I say this because I think you will be more at peace, and much happier.

 

Praying for your situation! :)

 

God bless.

 

 

WWJD

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You can kill that weed smell effectively I grew up around drugs all my life Lol I can tolerate it and I'd rather smell that than cigarettes anytime.

 

What you can do is buy like some Fabuloso or some smell-goods and pour it into a pot with a little water in the pot and let it boil and the steam should thicken a stench around the place. If your place is great at holding smells, it'll be perfect.

 

Burning incense works too. Not the ones you find at the corner store, but the "real" ones you find at cultural or weed stores. "Dragon's Blood" is a heavily favorite.

 

As far as him complaining about you stepping around at night, **** it. There's nothing you can do. At least you ain't got kids then he'd really be mad.

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But I can't help walking around my apartment. I can't help if he hears me.

 

But you can help it. You could have put down rugs when he suggested it but instead you puffed up your chest and did that ridiculous "I pay good money, I shouldn't have to, and if I do it, I'll do it because I want to, not because he asked nicely."

 

You know, if you had tried to work with him when he first let you know there was a problem with your footsteps being heard, you'd be in a much, much better position to ask him nicely to please stop smoking on his own porch. "Remember when you asked me to put down rugs and I did? I'm having an issue now with your smoking and I hope we can resolve it just as amicably." You can't do that now because you chose to dig in your heels and be a jerk about it. That is not the way to live peacefully with neighbors and I hope this is a lesson you'll learn from this.

 

he shouldn't have bought a condo below someone else if he can't stand some footsteps.

 

Like others have said, you should not have chosen to move into a property like that if you can't stand the smell of other people living their lives, whether it's their smoking or their cooking or their choice of air freshener.

 

He can not smoke anymore and that would solve the issue.

 

And why should he stop smoking because you don't like it? You didn't put down rugs when he asked.

 

I think he has been doing it inside. Because instead of seeping through the windows, its been around the middle of my apartment.

 

Where do you want him to smoke, then? What seems like a fair compromise to you? Do you want him to travel away from his home to do it? Do you want him to completely stop smoking in or around his apartment? That's not going to happen. Just like you, he's paid good money (even more than you have!) to live there and he should be able to have whatever bad habits he wants. If it's illegal, sure, you can call the cops every time you smell it. But that's kind of a **** thing to do with your neighbor, who also has the right to call the cops every time your noise disturbs him.

 

I do not want to talk to him about it because he is a creepy man and I do not want to be in the same proximity as him at all.

 

You only have a few options - one of them is to ask him nicely to stop (and you kind of burned that bridge a while ago by not putting down rugs) or you can report him to the building management or the cops, which you're unwilling to do because you fear retaliation (which I'm not convinced is a reasonable fear, to be honest.)

 

Another option is to deal with it as best you can while he deals with your footsteps and other noise as best as he can. That's apartment living. You deal with other people's dumb and annoying habits and choices.

 

 

 

Also, because I liked it so much, I'm going to paste a bit of Tiger Lily's reply:

 

I remember being a headstrong 23-year-old. I definitely knew what was right and wrong, and I knew that it was my way or the highway. There was no "grey area", no compromising, little compassion for others.

 

Click on that post and read the rest of it again. You've got to learn how to get along with people. Good luck.

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Did anyone ignore that I said I did put down area rugs. I did it for warmth, style, and to cause less issue with the guy downstairs. He doesn't have any right to tell me what to do. When he first approached me he was creepy. He was almost being threatening in a nice way, which is very scary. Like I had only lived there less than a week and he was already telling me keep quiet and deal with his pot smoking. That is not a normal thing to do when you first meet new neighbors, and a 50 year old single man does not invite a single 23 year old girl to his apartment alone. That is not safe nor does it seem rational. My father would never do that, nor would my brother who is younger.

 

He could be a perfectly nice guy. I don't care. I care about the pot smell invading my apartment and causing me migraines. Smoking pot is not s necessary thing. He doesn't need to smoke pot to survive. He could go outside. He could go in his car. One resident in the building I see outside all the time. He smokes cigarettes. He sits in his car with the windows open or he sits right outside the front door. Because like a nice person, he doesn't want to smoke up other people's apartments. Because that is the courteous thing to do. I have been quiet. I don't make much noise. I hear noise above me. That's what you get with apartment/condo living. I get that. I have lived in college dorms for years with elephants above me. I am fine with my upstairs neighbors walking around. I don't even notice it.

 

What I do not expect with condo living is weed smelling up my apartment. Its embarrassing when I have people over and my whole apartment suddenly smells like pot. Then I have to explain it to guests. Its annoying when I start to smell it that I have to run over and close every window trying to keep the smell out. He doesn't have to do that. No one is smelling up his apartment. I don't care about food smell. I cook food and smell up my apartment with food. Food is a necessary means in life. People have to cook. People do not have to smoke.

 

I am not a picky person. I've lived in slum apartments where my neighbors were dealing drugs. They never bothered me or smelled up my apartment with anything. I didn't bother them. I think anyone my parents age would be outraged with the smell. Our first encounter he informed me that the girl who lived there before me would always report him and then he would report her. It was like he was threatening me in a twisted sickly sweet way. Why tell me that? Almost to tell me that I shouldn't report him. I can see now why the other tenant of my place did report him. She probably got sick of the pot smell too. And in the winter, I guarantee he will smoke inside his place and it will seep up into mine. Its one thing to do it outside on your patio, which still seeps into my apartment. Its another to do it inside where I live right above. Of course the smoke is going to rise. I swear the other night he was smoking inside, because when I went over to my window, it didn't smell strong at all. It smelled really strong right where my couch is in the middle of the room. I got a super migraine. He is hindering my health. My walking to the bathroom a few steps at 8pm does nothing to his health.

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Perhaps you should move. He's not going to give up smoking & nothing else will make you happy.

 

I take umbrage at it because it's illegal but even if it were regular cigarettes, they would still smell up your apartment & you would still be unhappy.

 

I lived in an apartment on the 3rd floor for years. We had hardwoods & tile. For that reason we always walked barefoot or with socks only. We also tip-toed to avoid bothering the downstairs neighbors. I put my high heels on at the front door so they didn't have to hear me clack, clack clacking across the floor. You said you do wear slippers so that's fine. And I would have been creeped out too by him mentioning the times that he heard you. It's weird that he kept track of that.

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While I understand your frustration, and no people don't need to smoke to survive, you can't demand another person changes their life for you. This situation is on you to solve, and your best option is probably to look elsewhere.

 

You can only control you and your environment. Excersize that control and find a better place that works for you.

 

 

There's should land, and there is the real world. You want to live in should land, but are in the real world.

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There is a happy medium to this.

(1) Get air fresheners as someone discussed earlier. I prefer aroma therpy anyway so its a double plus! You could also suggest for him to burn citronella candles to dissipate the stench.

 

(2) The Gent Could get a Glass Bubble and walk into that and smoke til his hearts content...

(3) You did the rugs and created mindfulness of your other tenants who reside below. Seems you deserve props for that.

(4) Both of you need to be direct and work towards a solution. Noticed you already perceive him as "Creepy". That seems alarming that you use such a word. Does he chop up little kids or House body parts in his re fridge? Or Does he leer in your window with a flashlight? Seriously, Short of the guy sounding like a proactive neighbor in offering suggestions, you have already pre-determined that he is NOT going to be manipulated by you so that avenue is closed.

 

I actually get seizures if around the marijuanna smoke, go figure something that stops seizures in most ppl, gives me them. The Migranes and ole factory intensify so I do understand that physical re-action and annoyance.

 

Can your Landlord be a mediator for this? Probably. Be willing to see both sides though as it needs to be a win win here. And I personally think you both can achieve that.

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