That is precisely the situation that Reddit user u/TeHNyboR has found herself in. Many complaints were filed against the new family that moved in across the hall because of their noisy kid. The disturbance never stopped, and the woman is now considering reporting them again.

Couple’s loud toddler makes their neighbor’s life a living hell

She is considering filing yet another noise complaint but fears that they may get evicted

“WIBTA if I filed another noise complaint about my neighbor’s very loud toddler?” – this web user turned to one of Reddit’s most judgmental communities, asking its members whether she’d be a jerk for filing yet another noise complaint about her neighbor’s toddler, one that could potentially lead to the family’s eviction. The post managed to garner nearly 5K upvotes as well as 1.4K comments debating the situation.

Everybody deserves to be comfortable within the space of their own home. You go there to unwind after a very demanding day of engaging in boisterous activities, and most will probably agree that it’s, hands down, the best feeling ever. 

However, the star of today’s article, u/TeHNyboR, is in a slightly different position. The thing is, the woman works from home and characterizes herself as somewhat of a homebody, which means that she spends most of her time at her apartment. Everything was peachy until several months ago when a family moved in across the hall with a 2- or 3-year-old toddler. The inconveniences began during their move. It took over two weeknights and involved a lot of banging and loud talking between the late hours of roughly 10 and 12 at night, which made a bad first impression on her and her roommate. 

The family has been living there for a few months, and their youngster has already established a reputation for being quite rowdy. While working, the post’s creator often hears the toddler scream “bloody murder,” loud enough for it to seem like the girl is standing directly in her apartment. The woman frequently has to apologize to people she is on calls with for the child’s screeching; moreover, she also hears her shenanigans at night from her bedroom, which is actually the farthest room in the apartment from the front door. 

The OP then noted that the child’s screaming doesn’t sound worrisome or suggest that it originates from being an excited toddler – instead, it sounds more like a typical tantrum. Anywho, she has already called and complained about the family to their office and knows that multiple other neighbors have also filed reports. 

Recently, the woman had to call in sick with a bad migraine, and, as you probably guessed, even with the door of her room closed, she could still hear the kid going up until 10 p.m. She pointed out that it didn’t sound to her like her parents were trying to get her to calm down, so she resorted to speaking to a couple of friends for some advice – however, she was instead told to “keep it moving” because “parenting is hard.”

The OP revealed that she’s an aunt to two kids, so she gets that taking care of children isn’t the most effortless thing ever – yet, she feels like there should be a line. 

Now, onto the main issue. The family already has two violations for excessive noise, and the OP believes that one more could get them booted out. The netizen continued by saying that even though the noise is a major issue that her neighbors have been repeatedly warned about by the management and that it disrupts both her work and leisure time, she can’t help but feel awful knowing that she might be the reason they get evicted. 

She claims that the kid frequently screams “bloody murder,” which interferes with both her professional and private life

Sometime later, the Redditor updated her post and added some extra commentary to answer a few questions. Firstly, she stated that noise-canceling headphones aren’t always an option for her and that she’s already had work people tell her they can hear the child’s screeching over said headphones.

The woman then noted that her office space is an open area, so there’s no way of noise-proofing it. Regarding the breaking of the lease, it costs 1,000 bucks to do so; plus she has a roommate to consider. Moreover, she’s been residing at this place for eight years, so the only things that are getting broken are her “eardrums and patience.”

Some community members also remarked that perhaps the child might have a disability, but the OP has no info on that. She also doesn’t suspect abuse and has not called CPS – however, she now believes that a wellness check wouldn’t hurt. Last but not least, the woman said that she’s neither able to move her home office nor work from a friend’s house, as she works with confidential information. She also suffers from chronic pain – thus, remote employment is preferable for her well-being.

Now, chances are a couple of you have already dealt with loud neighbors or are perhaps even dealing with some right now, and while the actions you can take generally depend on the nature of the noise nuisance, one thing is certain: letting it slide will not do you any good (of course, we’re talking about a significant noise level and not the occasional disturbance in the form of heavy footsteps and whatnot). 

For instance, Nolo, a publisher in Berkley, California, whose mission is to help consumers and small businesses find answers to their everyday legal and business questions, has a great step-by-step guide on how to deal with rackety neighbors correctly. 

Start by approaching said neighbor and discussing the matter with them directly, because more often than not, they are not aware of it. Then, if that doesn’t work, it’s suggested you get a copy of your local noise ordinance. And if reminding your neighbor of the rules also doesn’t do the job, you should then report the problem to the landlord or homeowners association in writing. 

If you value keeping the peace, the website suggests considering mediation. Apparently, such services are available in most cities and are often free. If that doesn’t get you the desired result, you’re left with two last options – calling the police and suing for nuisance. 

Fellow community members shared their thoughts and opinions on the matter