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Bored Panda

Entertainment

Ieva Pečiulytė

47 People Share Their Unfortunate Experiences Of Living In Apartments

Bored Panda

There are lots of benefits to living in an apartment versus a house. Security, convenience, more amenities, lower maintenance, a sense of community, and often it’s more affordable. Recent data reveals that around 38% of American renters reside in apartment blocks. But staying in such close proximity to other people also has its downsides. Less space, landlord or body corporate restrictions, and of course, limited privacy.

There’s an online community dedicated to sharing the joys and sorrows of apartment living. It has over 110,000 members posting tips and tricks about anything from decorating, to dealing with landlords, to maximizing space. What really caught our eye were some of the horror stories apartment dwellers have had to deal with.

From neighbor’s complaints about snoring, to cigarette butts landing on their balcony, and even cars crashing through the wall. Some people are dealing with the most. Keep scrolling for Bored Panda’s best picks from r/Apartmentliving, and don’t forget to upvote your favorites.

#1 Is This Note Ok To Leave For My Neighbors?

Image credits: One-Tea3403

#2 Cigarette Butts From Upstairs Neighbor On My Patio

Image credits: Ok_Ad_9392

#3 Not My Neighbor But Love This

Image credits: m_is_for_marilyn

Scrolling through this list of horrors brought back memories of my own apartment dwelling dramas. And boy, have I had a few. Personally, I prefer living in a free-standing house. Partly because I have a pet, and partly because I love my privacy and space. When I say pet, what I mean is a furkid. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my dog.

So imagine my surprise when I got an unexpected knock on my door one random Friday morning and found an animal welfare inspector standing there, alongside a security guard. Completely confused, and very convinced they were at the wrong apartment, I asked how I could assist.

#4 Here’s A Good One… Last Month My Lovely Downstairs Neighbor Taped This To My Door

Image credits: Abbie420newman1

#5 Neighbors Letting Homeless Man Sleep In Front Of My Door

Image credits: unapologeticworm

#6 Ex Kicked A Hole Through My Door And I Was Quoted $675

Image credits: samtnee

“I’m here to investigate a complaint, mam,” came the reply. To which I confidently told him that he must have my apartment confused with another. The inspector glanced down at his notes, repeated my apartment number and told me that he was definitely at the right place.

At this point, my very healthy and happy “velcro dog” was right at my feet, seemingly just as confused as me. Mind you, I did notice the inspector checking the dog out, with a slightly perplexed look.

#7 First Ever Note… Is It Bad?

Image credits: Independent_Two1834

#8 Upstairs Neighbors Pouring Water All Over Balcony

Image credits: madiidaddyy

#9 My Upstairs Neighbor Dropped Something Super Heavy And These Popped Up Through My Entire Ceiling

Image credits: favoritegreensweater

To cut a long and crazy story short, it turns out “someone” had reported me for leaving my dog alone at home for days on end. The inspector was very satisfied that this wasn’t the case, and that my dog was living his best life, at times believing he too was human.

I obviously had more than enough proof that I’d not gone away. I also allowed the inspector to check the dog, his food and treats cupboard, water bowl, sleeping quarters (my bedroom), etc. I had my dog's up-to-date vet card at hand, as well as great photos and references to prove my competence as a pet owner. The inspector didn't ask for these but did apologize for his visit, adding that he often has to waste time and resources being called out to complexes, for nothing in particular.

#10 Landlord Is Charging Me $8000 To Replace Floors

Image credits: beautifulsoullady

#11 Drunk Neighbor Just Drove Through Our Bedroom And Condemned Our Apartment. Landlord Won’t Answer Our Or The Police’s Calls And Now I Have Nowhere To Live

Image credits: Bongman31

#12 Show Me You’re A Renter In One Pic

Image credits: goblinqueen99

When I posted about my experience on the complex WhatsApp group chat (don’t get me started on those), I received a very rude direct message. The guilty party told me they’d been “watching” me since I moved in and that I am “never at home”.

I found this quite amusing but also infuriating since I am at home 90% of the time – and how would they know whether I was or wasn’t. I responded by telling them to up their stalking game because I’ve been home the whole week, and I’m currently typing this message from my lounge. "Can you see me now, Karen?"

#13 My Neighbor Returned A Stolen Package 1 Year Later

Image credits: girlhattan

#14 Well This Is Embarrassing

Image credits: writinginmyhead

#15 Only Fire Extinguisher In The Hallway Did Not Pass Inspection 3 Months Ago Md, USA

Image credits: thegreasiestgreg

A bit more back and forth, and it emerged that my lovely neighbor had assumed my long absence because she hadn’t seen a car parked in my parking bay for a while. And at one point, she had heard the dog barking. As I reminded her, I have a front door. You’re able to knock on it, or slip a note underneath.

What I should have said was “Never Assume, it makes an A*s of U and Me”. One of my very funny friends later advised me to park my son’s toy car in the bay, to avoid any of this ever happening again.

#16 My Ceiling Fan Fell On Me While I Was Sleeping

Image credits: Just_Sarge

#17 Do You Think I Can Ask For Reimbursement On This?

Image credits: Inevitable_Lettuce20

#18 Someone Left Butter (??) On My Door

Image credits: InvaderSky

In another incident, three actually, my dog was getting bouts of violent illness. The kind where you find yourself wanting to throw up while cleaning up. I thought it strange because I hadn’t fed him anything weird. He and I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. He hadn’t been in contact with sick dogs, and was fully vaccinated. It all made sense when I caught an upstairs neighbor throwing food scraps (old meat) from her balcony into the garden of my ground floor apartment.

#19 New Apartment Building Drama

Image credits: genevievex

#20 Is This An Acceptable Note To Leave My Neighbor That’s Smoking In A Smoke Free Building?

Image credits: HeftyEntry1072

#21 I Come Out This Am With My Dog And See The Cleaning Lady At My Complex Spraying Down The Mailboxes With A Hose On Full Blast ??‍♂️

Image credits: HastenDownTheWind

I’d like to believe the elderly woman was doing this with good intentions. As angry and disgusted as I was, I decided to take a calm approach. I kindly informed her that her “generosity” was making my dog sick, and if she wanted to give him any treats, she should please ask me first. She understood, apologized never did it again, and we were able to live happily ever onwards.

#22 Is Leaving This Note On My Neighbor’s Door Too Harsh Or Not Harsh Enough??

Image credits: _coquelicot

#23 Woke Up To A Lovely Note On My Car This Morning— I’m Parked In My Assigned (Paid For) Parking Spot

Image credits: picklepowerPB

#24 What Is It?

Image credits: Inevitable-Bread-66

Loving thy neighbor is often easier said than done. A recent LendingTree survey found that 1 in 4 Americans can’t stand their neighbor. Almost half say it’s because the guy or girl next door is unfriendly or rude. 31% say they make too much noise, and 29% say they live next door to someone who just can’t mind their own business. Around 3 in 10 millennials have even packed up their belongings and moved because of a problem neighbor.