Not all neighbors are meant to be friends and basically become like family to each other. But we can always hope for everyone to at least be able to get along and coexist with each other without causing unnecessary trouble.
Redditor @Practical_Ad_2427, who posted in the "Apartment Living" subReddit, may have done everything that they could to make a pleasant first impression upon moving in with their girlfriend, but they seemed to have already made an enemy out of one of their neighbors.
The Redditor reflected on the incident:
"Me and my girlfriend moved into our new home yesterday afternoon. This is our first apartment together (without another roommate) and we were so excited to start this chapter of our lives. Came home from dinner to find this lovely note on our door."
"To give some context: we began moving small things in around 2:00 PM. We would do a trip at a time from car to apartment without leaving any boxes, containers, or anything in hallways and common areas."
"From 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, we ran into two people on the elevator, and both were super nice, welcomed us to the building, and wished us good luck with the move."
"The only other thing we moved was our mattress around 6:30 PM, and again, we didn’t see anyone on the elevator or halls."
"However, we did notice a woman, probably in her late 60s, on her balcony five units down, staring right into our unit. We closed the blinds, and she quickly went inside."
"When we left, we noticed her staring at us from the window. If I had to guess who wrote that letter, my money would be on her, but I have no idea what she is basing these claims on. We don’t even walk past her unit when we take the elevator."
"I’m not so much worried about consequences, as building management said we didn’t break any rules and agrees that this is borderline harassment and was very apologetic for it happening, as was our landlord. I’m just upset that it really put a damper on what was otherwise a very special day for me and my girlfriend."
Here is what the letter had to say:
"Hey. It's day one for you, and you've already interrupted ALL of your neighbors' lives."
"Your disrespectful slamming doors, yelling, stomping, etc., will not be tolerated!"
"This is a strata, with strata rules! Noise will not be tolerated!"
"Should you continue, there will be noise violation warrants from our strata, [and] then fines will start, which can lead to eviction!"
"We've paid very good money to purchase these homes to get away from ignorant, disrespectful renters! Read over your booklet of rules!"
"ENOUGH!"
For clarification, a strata is a kind of multi-unit building with shared spaces found in Australia where there is a mix of owners and renters.
You can also see the letter here:
u/Practical_Ad_2427/Reddit
Fellow Redditors reassured the Original Poster (OP) that some noise while moving was expected and normal.
"Noise is always to be expected at move-in. Glad you already contacted your landlord/ office to document, now throw that sh*t away. If it continues, for reasonable levels of noise, they can likely get evicted for harassment."
"Also, get a doorbell camera. People are less ballsy to put notes if they know they’re on camera. They’ll have to go through official channels that way, and then management will know who the harasser is. I’d also likely take a picture of someone if they’re intently staring directly into my unit, I don’t know their intent. Plus, people need to be made uncomfortable for being creepy." - AdministrativeGas927
"God forbid you make SOUND while MOVING. Sorry you appear to have a nightmare neighbor already..." - SoSpokeSarah
"When I moved into my last house, the old people came by the second day to tell me that I left a light on at night… inside my house. There are some weird ones out there. Try to have fun and enjoy your home with your girlfriend, OP." - Acceptable_Bet_3161
"I had a neighbor file three noise complaints the week I moved in. He said it was interrupting his home business. He then proceeded to file weekly complaints, and would just begin randomly hitting my ceiling with a broom or something for minutes on end."
"The guy started coming to my door, and for more upset when the apartments told him I wasn’t making the noise he complained about. I only resolved the issue when I directly let the property manager know that if he showed up to my door, or continued to hit my ceiling with a broom, I’d be calling the police, and trying to press charges for harassment."
"OP, document this, keep the note, and make sure your apartment manager or whoever is aware. Your neighbor is an a**, and will probably get worse with time. They sound like a classic bully." - ProfitLoud
"This sh*t literally happened to me and my roommates when we moved in. We had barely lived there before getting yelled at and receiving a noise complaint. God forbid we have to carry a sofa up a flight of stairs? Also, the doors automatically slam shut when you let go of them, so it's not like we could have known that before moving in anyway." - kaiidoes
Some also offered advice about what to do next.
"Next time you spot her staring at you, smile and wave enthusiastically. 'Hi, neighbor!' with a big smile."
"Never acknowledge (to her) that you got a note. Introduce yourself and gush about how welcoming everyone has been. Then completely stonewall her for the rest of your tenancy." - CulturalLow4
"Ring cam might not be a bad idea in general, if the person decides they want to try and vandalize the door or steal a package out of retribution." - SquirrelGirlVA
"It’s petty and I wouldn’t exactly recommend it, but I personally would be fighting the urge to tape the note to my door with another note on top asking what language the original note is in, or politely asking if anyone knows who the note writer is since you’re concerned that the messy writing is a sign of a stroke."
"Or putting a brochure for a local anger management course next to it."
"Or, ooo, framing it next to my door wtih one of those little art gallery placards underneath it: 'Moving In Day 2025, Note from Disgruntled Neighbor, Priceless.'" - ThaliaEpocanti
"I had a guy come over to our rented townhouse to tell me I couldn't enter or exit through my garage door at night because it was under part of his living space and he would notice it."
"He became a bigger issue later on so I'd open and close the garage door with my clicker while I laid in bed late at night sometimes. He shouldn't have told me rudely that it bothered him so much as a way to greet his new neighbor." - aurortonks
"'We've paid good money to get away from ignorant, disrespectful renters!'"
"What an unsubtle and horrid thing to say. As if the renters aren't paying a ton of money too. I hope OP doesn't face more harassment from whoever this classist f**k is while he's just trying to enjoy this milestone with his girlfriend." - Zelousideal-Pea170
Some people will always find something to complain about, even if it's an extra peep on moving day.
Hopefully, the OP would not let this stop them from enjoying this big moment with their girlfriend and enjoy continuing to build a life together. Unless the disgruntled neighbor owned the entire building, they don't have much else they could really say about it.
@jimmyfallon/Instagram