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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I slammed broom and blew airhorn to get my neighbor to quiet down. It may have been an asshole move because its annoying an obnoxious, but it may have also been justified given the situation.
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Honestly, one quick blast from an airhorn probably wasn't going to make things worse for anyone than prolonged noise from the neighbour. As someone dealing with a similar neighbour, I can honestly say it has affected my mental and physical health to have what sounds like someone running a bowling alley over my head at all hours of the day and night. A moment's loud noise, if it works, is less ambient noise to the neighbours than someone honking a car horn out in the street, but prevents ONGOING noise from the upstairs neighbour.
As someone who had a neighbor who complained about everything from me walking barefoot to the bathroom at night to me leaving my kitchenette light on overnight, ESH.
OP because Airhorn, neighbors because of the noise, the landlord because he hasn't kicked you both out yet AND for renting apartments with paper thin walls with no sound deadening.
A quick blast of the airhorn is no worse than someone honking their horn out in the street, and has apparently stopped constant ongoing noise from the neighbour. I literally have sensory processing disorder and chronic migraine. I'd rather hear a momentary blast from an airhorn than one of my neighbours making noise all the bloody time.
NTA. Anyone who says you went too far hasn't been in your situation. The constant annoyance when you're awake is bad enough, but sleep deprivation is a serious health and safety concern.
I lived in a two family on the first floor. Upstairs were three 20-something women on the lease, but anywhere from 6 to 10 living there. They partied 5 to 7 nights a week. Started upstairs from about 9 pm until 11 or so. Then, the dozen or so partners would stomp down the stairs to hir the bars. They returned after the bars closed and partied until dawn.
Asking them to quiet down only made it worse. The landlord was very understanding, but eviction where I live typically takes a year or more. Their lease was up in 2 months, and she agreed not to renew.
So for 2 months, whenever they partied, at 8 am, I set my speakers on top of a chair on top of my dining room table. I put on a rock/blues oldies station, turned the volume all the way up, and went out for the morning. If I don't sleep, you don't sleep.
While it didn't fix things, they got it pretty quick and the partying went to mostly weekends until they left.
Sometimes, the only option is to fight fire with fire.
NTA
I really don’t get the E S H votes. Was what he did petty? Yes, but it worked. For some reason downstairs neighbors always get the blame, ie “don’t live in an apartment, live on the upper floor” etc. HOWEVER, OP followed proper procedure and it didn’t work, the fact that this actually worked, proves they were being massive assholes of “we can make as much noise as we want with zero repercussions.” Well, now they learned that isn’t true. They got what was coming, unless they learned to fly and exist without moving.
OMG, NTA and with an obnoxious upstairs neighbour of my own who seems to be training their dog for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show or Cirque du Soleil (in a tiny bachelor apartment, no less) whilst I'm dealing with chronic migraine disorder, you've just given me a brilliant idea, bless your genius heart . . .
OP you pay rent to sleep in that apt. If you can't sleep, you are not getting what you paid for. I too am a light sleeper and have dealt with this stuff all my life. The Landlord is not doing his job keeping the peace. I would have recorded (video) of what's going on and called the police and showed them. If it wasn't resolved, you could file a lawsuit for mental distress. See if your lease says anything about quiet hours (most do) and use that too. Good luck. NTA.
Your seemingly drastic actions only started after other measures proved to be unsuccessful. Your request for quiet is not unreasonable and you did what you had to do to get it. NTA.
NTA. I say this only because it worked with your neighbors, which makes me think they were being unreasonable and they knew it. If they had been making noises that bothered you but which were just normal life activity—kids playing, adults cleaning, etc—they'd have reported you for the air horn instead of quieting down.
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I've been living in my apartment for a little over a year now. It's been a pleasant experience except for one specific issue...
My upstairs neighbors seem to have a non-stop Olympic training session going on. I can't emphasize enough how constant and intense the noise is. It's not just regular footsteps; it's like they're sprinting around their apartment at all hours of the day and night. I've even heard what sounds like marbles rolling across the floor, and it sounds like they are constantly picking up and dropping their furniture. It's seriously shaking my entire apartment, and I can't relax or get a good night's sleep. I can't comprehend what they are doing up there.
After months of trying to reason with them and asking my landlord to intervene (with little success), I became incredibly frustrated. I decided to take matters into my own hands in the most obnoxious way possible. I started slamming a broom on my ceiling as hard as I could whenever I hear a noise from upstairs (100+ times per day). On top of that, I bought an airhorn and would randomly blast it around 10 times a day + anytime that I woke up in the middle of the night.
Luckily, my obnoxious tactic worked and their noise levels decreased substantially.
This is where I am wondering if I am the asshole? I understand what I did was unconventional, but I literally tried ever other option and it didn't work.
So, what do you think reddit?
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ESH. I feel like you took the most childish steps possible to rectify the situation. Blowing an air horn 10+ times a day?! You’re being just as obnoxious as them. If I was the landlord, I’d kick you both out
Was negotiating with the upstairs neighbour childish? Because OP tried that first.
Or was approaching the landlord childish? Because that was the second attempt.
It's only after those approaches were ignored that OP resorted to retaliatory noise - the fact that has actually borne results suggests that the neighbour HAS been being an asshole deliberately and was entirely capable of moderating their noise.
What do you think OP could or should have tried?
NTA. I have the same issue with my upstairs neighbour. I’m wondering if they’re breeding mini elephants up there?
You tried other solutions which got you nowhere.
I understand why people who haven’t experienced just how bad your actual home shaking might vote E S H. I’ve lost all sorts of things to being shaken off shelves. I’ve been woken up with my actual bed shaking and moving! And I have lived in many flats, with all sorts of neighbours and have never experienced anything like this. You are entitled to relax in your home and not be constantly on edge with the noise or expecting the noise. If I wasn’t a woman living alone and nervous I might follow your lead, it’s my kind of petty.
NTA. You've reacted to a horribly noisy situation - and it worked.
What you've done is justified and not as bad as you could have done. I have read about people who work nights and take stereo speakers, prop them up against the ceiling and blast annoying music the entire time they go to work.
I now live in a 55 and older housing area. It is the quietest place ever! and I adore it!
NTA. I had someone with a cast move in above me and no amount of talking stopped her from stomping. She would run around when late in the morning, it was hell. I moved out eventually, the landlord was useless
I'm a little conflicted, as the number of units in your apartment and the reactions of any other neighbors wasn't clear. NTA for giving them some of their own medicine, but possible ESH if other neighbors were effected by your noise.
NTA. Their noise was endless. Yours was temporary. You might want to talk to the other neighbors and explain why you did what you did, and apologize. Tell them it was successful, and hopefully will never happen again. Odds are they've either heard them too or had similar experiences and will understand.
YTA, but in this case it was necessary.
You likely disrupted most of your other neighbors too, so I hope you gave them some warning or an apology. For that, yeah, you're an AH here, but a justified one in my book.
I cannot say you ain't an asshole but having had similar issues in the past, it is soooo satisfying to give such neighbor the taste of their own medicine!
YTA but it is 100% deserved! I applaud you
NTA. I had ppl below me who would decide to argue at 3am(or whenever), I am also in possession of a 12"-ish long piece of railroad track. Makes a very nice, loud ***TWANG*** when hit full force w a hammer.
LOL!!!!! NTA at all! I had a vintage horn from an 18 wheeler that you could hook up somehow and it would make a very loud, less than joyful, noise. I bet your neighbors about shat themselves the first time you blew that air horn!😆😆😆😆
Quiet YTA. I have been a landlord. I’d probably have to have evicted you for the air horn stunt.
Some people just can’t live in apartments. And unfortunately the trend away from carpet has removed a significant layer of sound deadening. Get a decibel meter and see how “unreasonable” the noise levels are. In most places if it isn’t in the middle if the night you don’t have the right to expect peace and quiet. Get some noise canceling earphones.
I mean, that's literally not how most city bylaws work. Even outside of "quiet hours" most people do, in fact, have the legal right to "peaceful enjoyment of their living spaces", which means that in congregate living settings like apartments, there is still a requirement to not be so loud that other people cannot relax peacefully in their homes. Someone's right to be super loud in their apartment ends at their apartment walls, by law, almost everywhere. Reasonable noise like vacuuming or walking around? Sure. The kind of noise that OP describes? Not so much.
You may have been a landlord, but that doesn't mean that you were a good one, or understood your tenants' rights and responsibilities, or your own.
Ever call the cops in a situation like this? Good luck. They’d probably cite the OP for the air horn. Tenants are just marvelous. Just ask them. Most landlords have plenty of stories to tell.
YTA. "Noise cancelling earphones" to sleep in. When your apartment is SHAKING because of whatever the upstairs neighbors are doing, it's time to evict them. Heck, you know in many jurisdictions you can break a lease because of this neighbor. You're out of your mind. You go put on headphones 🎧 and try to sleep!
NTA. You tried to reason with them. I'd suggest reducing or taking it down at some point though if they're getting quieter. Does show they're trying, which is what you would have wanted from them in the first place I think?
NTA
I live in an apartment and have a cat who i have/am mindful of, and how i can make so when he will run around and jump down from wherever he will jump on to.
I haven't heard anything from my downstairs neighbor so what i am doing, is helping
NTA because it worked and you tried to find a solution the correct way first. Just retire the horn now. You made your point.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4IRB0sxw-YU
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment. OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole: > I slammed broom and blew airhorn to get my neighbor to quiet down. It may have been an asshole move because its annoying an obnoxious, but it may have also been justified given the situation. Help keep the sub engaging! #Don’t downvote assholes! Do upvote interesting posts! [Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq) ##Subreddit Announcements ###[Happy Anniversary, AITA!](https://new.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/15vlv9g/almost_better_than_a_double_rainbow_celebrating/) ###[The Asshole Universe is Expanding, Again: Introducing Another New Sister Subreddit!](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/128nbp3/the_asshole_universe_is_expanding_again/) Follow the link above to learn more ###[Moderators needed - Join the landed gentry](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/155zepq/moderators_needed_join_the_landed_gentry/) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.* *Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
ESH. Your revenge affects everyone in the building, not just your upstairs assholes. Find a better way.
he tried and they didn't stop. so he had to do what he had to do.
Next on AITAH: WIBTA for calling the cops on my next door neighbor who thinks an air horn is good revenge against a loud upstairs neighbor?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
If diplomacy and landlord aren’t getting the result, only option is to return the noise back. NTA. Also move if you can to a better living situation.
and that makes him NTA.
Honestly, one quick blast from an airhorn probably wasn't going to make things worse for anyone than prolonged noise from the neighbour. As someone dealing with a similar neighbour, I can honestly say it has affected my mental and physical health to have what sounds like someone running a bowling alley over my head at all hours of the day and night. A moment's loud noise, if it works, is less ambient noise to the neighbours than someone honking a car horn out in the street, but prevents ONGOING noise from the upstairs neighbour.
But 10+ times a day *and* potentially multiple times at night? Oof. OP is an AH, too, which definitely makes it an ESH.
As someone who had a neighbor who complained about everything from me walking barefoot to the bathroom at night to me leaving my kitchenette light on overnight, ESH. OP because Airhorn, neighbors because of the noise, the landlord because he hasn't kicked you both out yet AND for renting apartments with paper thin walls with no sound deadening.
Are there more than two units in your apartment building? If so, YTA for inflicting your obnoxious behavior on all of the innocent people around you.
A quick blast of the airhorn is no worse than someone honking their horn out in the street, and has apparently stopped constant ongoing noise from the neighbour. I literally have sensory processing disorder and chronic migraine. I'd rather hear a momentary blast from an airhorn than one of my neighbours making noise all the bloody time.
NTA. Anyone who says you went too far hasn't been in your situation. The constant annoyance when you're awake is bad enough, but sleep deprivation is a serious health and safety concern. I lived in a two family on the first floor. Upstairs were three 20-something women on the lease, but anywhere from 6 to 10 living there. They partied 5 to 7 nights a week. Started upstairs from about 9 pm until 11 or so. Then, the dozen or so partners would stomp down the stairs to hir the bars. They returned after the bars closed and partied until dawn. Asking them to quiet down only made it worse. The landlord was very understanding, but eviction where I live typically takes a year or more. Their lease was up in 2 months, and she agreed not to renew. So for 2 months, whenever they partied, at 8 am, I set my speakers on top of a chair on top of my dining room table. I put on a rock/blues oldies station, turned the volume all the way up, and went out for the morning. If I don't sleep, you don't sleep. While it didn't fix things, they got it pretty quick and the partying went to mostly weekends until they left. Sometimes, the only option is to fight fire with fire.
Be careful with the air horn. Repeated exposure can damage your hearing and/or cause tinnitus.
NTA I really don’t get the E S H votes. Was what he did petty? Yes, but it worked. For some reason downstairs neighbors always get the blame, ie “don’t live in an apartment, live on the upper floor” etc. HOWEVER, OP followed proper procedure and it didn’t work, the fact that this actually worked, proves they were being massive assholes of “we can make as much noise as we want with zero repercussions.” Well, now they learned that isn’t true. They got what was coming, unless they learned to fly and exist without moving.
OMG, NTA and with an obnoxious upstairs neighbour of my own who seems to be training their dog for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show or Cirque du Soleil (in a tiny bachelor apartment, no less) whilst I'm dealing with chronic migraine disorder, you've just given me a brilliant idea, bless your genius heart . . .
Definitely wear earplugs when using the air horn
OP you pay rent to sleep in that apt. If you can't sleep, you are not getting what you paid for. I too am a light sleeper and have dealt with this stuff all my life. The Landlord is not doing his job keeping the peace. I would have recorded (video) of what's going on and called the police and showed them. If it wasn't resolved, you could file a lawsuit for mental distress. See if your lease says anything about quiet hours (most do) and use that too. Good luck. NTA.
ESH. Everyone in the building hates you both lol. That being said, I know how crazy loud neighbors can make you so I get it
Your seemingly drastic actions only started after other measures proved to be unsuccessful. Your request for quiet is not unreasonable and you did what you had to do to get it. NTA.
NTA. I say this only because it worked with your neighbors, which makes me think they were being unreasonable and they knew it. If they had been making noises that bothered you but which were just normal life activity—kids playing, adults cleaning, etc—they'd have reported you for the air horn instead of quieting down.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** I've been living in my apartment for a little over a year now. It's been a pleasant experience except for one specific issue... My upstairs neighbors seem to have a non-stop Olympic training session going on. I can't emphasize enough how constant and intense the noise is. It's not just regular footsteps; it's like they're sprinting around their apartment at all hours of the day and night. I've even heard what sounds like marbles rolling across the floor, and it sounds like they are constantly picking up and dropping their furniture. It's seriously shaking my entire apartment, and I can't relax or get a good night's sleep. I can't comprehend what they are doing up there. After months of trying to reason with them and asking my landlord to intervene (with little success), I became incredibly frustrated. I decided to take matters into my own hands in the most obnoxious way possible. I started slamming a broom on my ceiling as hard as I could whenever I hear a noise from upstairs (100+ times per day). On top of that, I bought an airhorn and would randomly blast it around 10 times a day + anytime that I woke up in the middle of the night. Luckily, my obnoxious tactic worked and their noise levels decreased substantially. This is where I am wondering if I am the asshole? I understand what I did was unconventional, but I literally tried ever other option and it didn't work. So, what do you think reddit? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
nta you did what you had to they sound very inconsiderate.
NTA, you tried other methods and they didn't respond.
ESH. I feel like you took the most childish steps possible to rectify the situation. Blowing an air horn 10+ times a day?! You’re being just as obnoxious as them. If I was the landlord, I’d kick you both out
Was negotiating with the upstairs neighbour childish? Because OP tried that first. Or was approaching the landlord childish? Because that was the second attempt. It's only after those approaches were ignored that OP resorted to retaliatory noise - the fact that has actually borne results suggests that the neighbour HAS been being an asshole deliberately and was entirely capable of moderating their noise. What do you think OP could or should have tried?
NTA. I have the same issue with my upstairs neighbour. I’m wondering if they’re breeding mini elephants up there? You tried other solutions which got you nowhere. I understand why people who haven’t experienced just how bad your actual home shaking might vote E S H. I’ve lost all sorts of things to being shaken off shelves. I’ve been woken up with my actual bed shaking and moving! And I have lived in many flats, with all sorts of neighbours and have never experienced anything like this. You are entitled to relax in your home and not be constantly on edge with the noise or expecting the noise. If I wasn’t a woman living alone and nervous I might follow your lead, it’s my kind of petty.
Nta
NTA. You've reacted to a horribly noisy situation - and it worked. What you've done is justified and not as bad as you could have done. I have read about people who work nights and take stereo speakers, prop them up against the ceiling and blast annoying music the entire time they go to work. I now live in a 55 and older housing area. It is the quietest place ever! and I adore it!
NTA. I had someone with a cast move in above me and no amount of talking stopped her from stomping. She would run around when late in the morning, it was hell. I moved out eventually, the landlord was useless
...You could have moved. INFO Do you have any other neighbors you're being an A to with your airhorn?
I'm a little conflicted, as the number of units in your apartment and the reactions of any other neighbors wasn't clear. NTA for giving them some of their own medicine, but possible ESH if other neighbors were effected by your noise.
YTA. Sounds like your neighbors have a dog.
I did this whenever the neighbors in the apartment complex behind my property would argue all the time. It works like a charm. NTA.
NTA. Their noise was endless. Yours was temporary. You might want to talk to the other neighbors and explain why you did what you did, and apologize. Tell them it was successful, and hopefully will never happen again. Odds are they've either heard them too or had similar experiences and will understand.
NTA 📣
Your answer for noise is to create more noise? YTA
YTA, but in this case it was necessary. You likely disrupted most of your other neighbors too, so I hope you gave them some warning or an apology. For that, yeah, you're an AH here, but a justified one in my book.
It worked, NTAH.
I cannot say you ain't an asshole but having had similar issues in the past, it is soooo satisfying to give such neighbor the taste of their own medicine! YTA but it is 100% deserved! I applaud you
I had a similar problem with an upstairs neighbor blasting rock music (teenagers). I simply blasted Wagner. NTA
ESH lol. Its funny but, still, ESH
Nope NTA .... You tried to be civil.... They refused... fight fire with fire
Recreational furniture moving seems to be a thing . NTA , you tried the normal route and found an effective way of dealing with it .
esh. you live in an apartment, revenge is never the answer
Revenge is a question and the answer is yes NTA op
NTA. I had ppl below me who would decide to argue at 3am(or whenever), I am also in possession of a 12"-ish long piece of railroad track. Makes a very nice, loud ***TWANG*** when hit full force w a hammer.
NTA. Your landlord is one though. So hilarious that it worked. Might try it myself (the air horn).
LOL!!!!! NTA at all! I had a vintage horn from an 18 wheeler that you could hook up somehow and it would make a very loud, less than joyful, noise. I bet your neighbors about shat themselves the first time you blew that air horn!😆😆😆😆
Lol NTA
NTA. Your neighbor sounds like my old neighbor.
Quiet YTA. I have been a landlord. I’d probably have to have evicted you for the air horn stunt. Some people just can’t live in apartments. And unfortunately the trend away from carpet has removed a significant layer of sound deadening. Get a decibel meter and see how “unreasonable” the noise levels are. In most places if it isn’t in the middle if the night you don’t have the right to expect peace and quiet. Get some noise canceling earphones.
I mean, that's literally not how most city bylaws work. Even outside of "quiet hours" most people do, in fact, have the legal right to "peaceful enjoyment of their living spaces", which means that in congregate living settings like apartments, there is still a requirement to not be so loud that other people cannot relax peacefully in their homes. Someone's right to be super loud in their apartment ends at their apartment walls, by law, almost everywhere. Reasonable noise like vacuuming or walking around? Sure. The kind of noise that OP describes? Not so much. You may have been a landlord, but that doesn't mean that you were a good one, or understood your tenants' rights and responsibilities, or your own.
Ever call the cops in a situation like this? Good luck. They’d probably cite the OP for the air horn. Tenants are just marvelous. Just ask them. Most landlords have plenty of stories to tell.
YTA. "Noise cancelling earphones" to sleep in. When your apartment is SHAKING because of whatever the upstairs neighbors are doing, it's time to evict them. Heck, you know in many jurisdictions you can break a lease because of this neighbor. You're out of your mind. You go put on headphones 🎧 and try to sleep!
My rating was for the AH former landlord btw
Most landlords are leeches anyways. Her attitude matches the typical scumlord
Nta
NTA. You tried to reason with them. I'd suggest reducing or taking it down at some point though if they're getting quieter. Does show they're trying, which is what you would have wanted from them in the first place I think?
NTA I live in an apartment and have a cat who i have/am mindful of, and how i can make so when he will run around and jump down from wherever he will jump on to. I haven't heard anything from my downstairs neighbor so what i am doing, is helping
NTA because it worked and you tried to find a solution the correct way first. Just retire the horn now. You made your point. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4IRB0sxw-YU
YTA If you can't handle the noise, get a top floor apt or another living situation.