Do thin walls make bad neighbors?
Dear Liz and Laura,
How does one politely address to their neighbors that one can hear every little noise, private and public, coming through their walls? After repeated exposure, such a revelation would require some delicacy, if indeed it should be revealed at all (as surely the walls won’t become more dense). What does one do?
Signed,
Unintentional Eavesdropper
Dear Unintentional Eavesdropper,
This is indeed a delicate matter, one that should be handled with tact, respect, and understanding. However, that’s not the way Liz and Laura roll. What we’d do is give these inconsiderate rubes a taste of their own medicine. You can start by blasting grating music at all times (think the Boredoms, Cannibal Corpse, or the Jonas Brothers), alternating that with cranked-up pornography, reruns of The View, and a looping tape of those Optimum Triple Play commercials. After a while they’ll get the message. Failing that, you could just get some earplugs and/or turn up your favorite tunes and deal with it. If that doesn’t work, and if asking them politely doesn’t work (either via slipping an anonymous note under their door or manning up and talking to them face to face)….move! There are lots of apartments out there, many of them surprisingly noiseproof (we blast bad movies until 5 in the morning regularly, and our neighbors deny hearing a thing). Don’t give up hope, young renter!
Cheers,
Liz and Laura
Keep the questions coming, kids! info@lizandlaura.com
