Noisy upstairs neighbors can be unbearable. Picture this; you had a stressful day at work, and you got home only to meet up with some annoying guys who apparently decided to take your pressure level up a bit. You tried to keep calm, even took a shower and prepared dinner for yourself but the awkward stomping sounds won’t stop. It can be really peace draining.
If you are having issues with noise from your upstairs neighbor, perhaps the best way to get around it is to record the noise and provide evidence to your landlord. That means you will have to set up a recording device in your apartment and run it for a while so that it can capture the noise. So in this article, we will help you learn how to record upstairs neighbor stomping.
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How to Record Upstairs Neighbor Stomping: Step by Step
Start by closing all the doors and windows of your apartment. Turn off the air conditioner, and turn off the music and any equipment that makes noise.
Next, get a chair that is stable enough to be placed in a location upstairs where stomping occurs. When the noisy upstairs neighbors start stomping again, grab your phone, stand on the chair and turn on the recording function of your phone and set it to silent mode.
Remember to keep the front of the phone with the recording function close to the ceiling and record. Note that using the front side- the side with the screen- works better.
There are no specific requirements for the length of the recording. That means you can keep recording for the 30s or 2 minutes, either way, it’s fine. For the sake of best results, we suggest you keep only the loudest part of the stomp.
By doing so, you will have several audio recordings from your loud noisy upstairs neighbor. When submitting to whoever it may concern, remember to choose the recording with the loudest stomping sound and the nesting frequency.
Things to Know before Recording Upstairs Neighbor Stomping
The fact is you don’t need any extra trendy devices; those will just rob you out of your pocket. A cell phone is the only thing you are going to need and it can do a great job. That said, however, you can’t hold the phone in your hands and record directly as you normally watch youtube or play TikTok. You need some skills, so let’s get a little more knowledge.
The denser the object, the faster the sound propagation speed in it, meaning, holding your phone like you normally do- which is very much like sound propagating from the air to your phone- there will be a very big compromise. The effect may not be good enough, the recording will not be clear and therefore the evidence will not be ideal.
You need to get the sound traveling through the solids directly to your device. So, how do you do it? You ask.
It’s simple: push your phone directly to the ceiling or the wall. Pushing it to the ceiling usually yields better results.
But Why Do Upstairs Neighbors Stomp?
Of course, there are various reasons why an upstairs neighbor might stomp. However, one of the most common ones is noise. In the event that your upstairs neighbor is stomping to make noise, chances are they are trying to get your attention to tell you that the noise you’re making is too much.
In most cases, more reasons for stomping noises have been associated with the faults with the building’s architectural portion. Apart from sensitive constructions and newer buildings dating back a year, a couple or five, many flats built decades ago have a high risk of broken pipes or loose connections.
The noise could be coming from the pipes, and no matter how light or heavy the movements are on the surface, they still make sounds beneath the apartment.
What to Do About Upstairs Neighbor Stomping
There are many things you can do. You could speak politely to them or choose to spend some extra funds on soundproofing your apartment. You could even get gadgets that constrain the noise from getting to you or choose to be the bad guy by channeling anger into a revenge plan.
As a matter of logic, your upstairs neighbor might not be aware of what discomfort they are causing you. It might be because they have their floors bare with no carpet coverings. Here are some viable moves to get around the issue:
Discuss the Matter without Displaying Anger
Be a civilized citizen and let them realize your concerns so they are aware of the inconvenience they cause you in a friendly manner. You might be surprised to understand that they had no idea they are being so loud and will gladly try to be considerate in the future. For instance, if the neighbor is noisy particularly late at night, you can explain why you need your sleep, such as school or work schedules.
Paint the Ceiling with a Dampening Product
This can be a good solution to have the problem solved once and for all, without much arguing with the neighbors. Green Glue, for, example works very well as a noise dampener for low-frequency noise and is very budget to install. Sometimes it is not your neighbor’s actions, but rather a poor construction quality.
Reduce the Noise by Listening to Your Favorite Music
Even if the people around get annoying with stomping, this does not occur all the time. There are certain times when they do it, especially when preparing supper. You can reduce those sounds by succumbing to your favorite music during this time.
Just try to keep the sound considerably high so the noise does not disturb their peace as well.
Contact the House Manager
If the stated options did not work, contact the landlord or house manager. It is also a great idea to communicate with other neighbors. Perhaps they also experience discomfort from the upstairs neighbor. The more comrades you have, the more power you will have in this dispute.
