Apartment woes...
My bathroom ceiling is leaking.
There's a new family upstairs, and they take more showers than I ever thought was possible. I don't particularly care for these new neighbors, because they're very loud and they always monopolize the washing machines. The banging starts around noon and doesn't let up until four in the morning. There are two adults, and two children in this family, yet from my apartment it sounds like the proverbial herd of buffalo, or worse yet, the running of the bulls. I was talking to a friend on the phone and even he heard the noise.
"What is that thumping? Are you trying to hammer something?"
"No, it's the neighbors."
"Are you leaning against the wall?"
"No, the UPSTAIRS neighbors."
"Jesus!"
"No, I'm pretty sure he'd be quieter."
I tried once to talk to them about the noise level. The lady was downstairs, doing laundry for the billionth time that week. I heard her in the hall, talking to one of her kids, and I introduced myself, telling her that I lived in the apartment underneath her, and that sometimes the noise level from upstairs got a little excessive. I told her that during the day it wasn't a problem, but at night it was hard to sleep. I was very nice and polite about it, and what does she say?
"No habla english. Sorry. No comprende."
Now, I'd just heard her speaking perfectly good English to her child. She went back upstairs and banged some cabinets for good measure. I went back into my apartment and called the manager, letting her know the situation. I told her also that she might want to add two more washing machines to the complex. The neighbors might be noisy and they might be liars, but with their obsessive laundry and showering habits, they aren't dirty.
Their cleanliness has led to my current problem, the leaky ceiling.
Between four people, they take at least ten showers a day. One day I counted eighteen showers, either that or they had four showers and cleaned the tub fourteen times. The exact nature of the running water is irrelevant. The point is that since they moved in, one month ago, the ceiling in my bathroom has gone from pristine to warped to dripping to gushing. Every time they turn on their shower, I've got a damn fine impression of Niagara Falls in my privy.
I am so, so afraid that one day, the neighbors are going to crash through my roof and land in my bathtub. I hope I'm not in it when it happens.
I called the landlord again and told her about the leak when it first started. She promised to have someone out there ASAP. A week later, I called again. She said she had filled out the paperwork and someone should be here soon. I called again on Thursday. She said the repairman would be here Friday.
I'm still waiting.
I'm at a loss. I can't very well tell the neighbors to stop bathing. Even if I could, they'd pretend not to understand and then turn the faucet on full blast.
This can't end well.
There's a new family upstairs, and they take more showers than I ever thought was possible. I don't particularly care for these new neighbors, because they're very loud and they always monopolize the washing machines. The banging starts around noon and doesn't let up until four in the morning. There are two adults, and two children in this family, yet from my apartment it sounds like the proverbial herd of buffalo, or worse yet, the running of the bulls. I was talking to a friend on the phone and even he heard the noise.
"What is that thumping? Are you trying to hammer something?"
"No, it's the neighbors."
"Are you leaning against the wall?"
"No, the UPSTAIRS neighbors."
"Jesus!"
"No, I'm pretty sure he'd be quieter."
I tried once to talk to them about the noise level. The lady was downstairs, doing laundry for the billionth time that week. I heard her in the hall, talking to one of her kids, and I introduced myself, telling her that I lived in the apartment underneath her, and that sometimes the noise level from upstairs got a little excessive. I told her that during the day it wasn't a problem, but at night it was hard to sleep. I was very nice and polite about it, and what does she say?
"No habla english. Sorry. No comprende."
Now, I'd just heard her speaking perfectly good English to her child. She went back upstairs and banged some cabinets for good measure. I went back into my apartment and called the manager, letting her know the situation. I told her also that she might want to add two more washing machines to the complex. The neighbors might be noisy and they might be liars, but with their obsessive laundry and showering habits, they aren't dirty.
Their cleanliness has led to my current problem, the leaky ceiling.
Between four people, they take at least ten showers a day. One day I counted eighteen showers, either that or they had four showers and cleaned the tub fourteen times. The exact nature of the running water is irrelevant. The point is that since they moved in, one month ago, the ceiling in my bathroom has gone from pristine to warped to dripping to gushing. Every time they turn on their shower, I've got a damn fine impression of Niagara Falls in my privy.
I am so, so afraid that one day, the neighbors are going to crash through my roof and land in my bathtub. I hope I'm not in it when it happens.
I called the landlord again and told her about the leak when it first started. She promised to have someone out there ASAP. A week later, I called again. She said she had filled out the paperwork and someone should be here soon. I called again on Thursday. She said the repairman would be here Friday.
I'm still waiting.
I'm at a loss. I can't very well tell the neighbors to stop bathing. Even if I could, they'd pretend not to understand and then turn the faucet on full blast.
This can't end well.