Thursday, September 09, 2021

The Nightmare Below Me


 

There's this tenant in the apartment beneath mine. She's as odd as two left feet according to other residents. A hoarder, a hermit, no one sees the inside of her apartment. 

The residents here manage the gardens, lovely little plots everywhere full of flowers, some vegetables, bird baths, extremely creative.

In the garden below my apartment was her particularly area and ever since I moved in there was just a vast hole with rocks and 4 bags of soil that were never opened. Finally, a few of the tenants did something about this eyesore and took over her plot and now it is gorgeous, full of flowers. She demanded they dig up bulbs she purchased years before (which had never bloomed due to aforementioned rocks and hole).

This gives you some idea of her personality.

I have never exchanged two words with this woman as every time I encountered her, despite my "hello" she turned her head away.

But now? She has launched a personal vendetta against me. She insists I have music playing and people partying in my apartment at all hours of the night.

A month ago, someone rang my doorbell and woke me at 1.00am. I didn't answer but my neighbour did. And in the tomb-like silence of the building, R complained to M, my neighbour that she couldn't sleep with the racket coming from my apartment. 

M told her there was never noise from my apartment as I was a quiet person.

I complained to the Board of Directors about this. In writing.

Fast forward to last week and I was woken again, but this time terrified as there was what seemed to be a sledgehammer banging on my bedroom floor. I thought the building would collapse or at least holes would appear on my floor.

R again obviously. I phoned a friend downstairs and she told me she had also been terrorized as she thought it was an earthquake  and got out of bed and spoke to another neighbour, two doors away from R who had also been woken up.

Again, I wrote to the Board outlining what had happened. They said there would be a prompt investigation. I know they did investigate by chatting to neighbours of R who confirmed the incident. But as to assuring me of a cease and desist order to her? Not a word. 

I am extremely unsettled and frightened by all of this as she is so unpredictable and, well, violent. I view her as unwell. No one in the building speaks to her as through various actions she has alienated them all.

I'm locking my door for the first time. I tiptoe around my apartment in my moccasins. I turn my book pages quietly. I knit on wooden needles. 

I know she lurks below me, all day, every day. In her head, there are parties and music only she can hear. 

And I am the target of her enormous rage.


33 comments:

  1. I'm guessing that she has some type of psychiatric issue or perhaps even dementia. To her, the sounds/noises are real. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I wonder if she has any adult children who could get involved.

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    1. No one seems to know Carole. I speculate she may have alienated any children. So little is known about her. The management is compromised to a huge degree in that the superintendent has access to her car at all times.

      XO
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  2. In the early stages of my mother's dementia, she heard pounding in the townhouse next door. She told me she had talked to the neighbor and the workmen and the townhouse was being renovated. There were no renovations and on workmen. When she moved to assisted living, she was put on medication and the noises stopped.

    Maybe one of your family members can meet with the management.

    So sorry you have to live this way.

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    1. Very interesting Sandra and so sorry about your mother's dementia taking such a similar shape.

      Good suggestion on a family member as I am very stressed thinking of how next event could be worse.

      XO
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  3. That's awful. And scary. Our adult daughter is staying with us for a month because her neighbor started screaming filthy things at her for three hours on Saturday and Sunday night. Police were called, but it's a free speech issue. Not sure why they couldn't arrest him for disturbing the peace. He ran off his roommate, too. Landlord is trying to evict him.

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    1. It's really difficult with speech as they have to witness the vitriol, abuse and sound level.

      I will call the police if there is a next time and I do have witnesses to what she is doing.

      XO
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  4. Terrifying. For you, and sadly for her as well. When reality slips away the results are so often dangerous. I hope a solution can be found - but fear not with your comment about the complicity of management.

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    1. Yes, EC, this car thing really throws a spanner in the works as he won't compromise this freebie. He's also supposed to be accessible 24/7 but oftentimes he's off with the buddies drinking.

      I hope it is the end of it now but experience has taught me that undealt with issues tend to escalate as the perp feels untouchable.

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  5. This sure sounds scary. Can she manage alone i mean cooknig, shopping, whahing and so on? or would that be a way to have her moved into a place where she's taken care of? It sounds as thougt she slipped into an alternate reality, and this is frightening for the people surrounding her.

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    1. Nobody knows Charlotte as there is no access to her apartment.

      Her car is like a larder, full of crap to the roof and now and again she hauls enormous bags into her apartment. Often taking 10 trips or more to her car. She never takes scheduled laundry time either.

      Basically a hermit and hoarder which is a sign of mental illness also.

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  6. Which is why am so not looking forward to apartment living. But there could come a time when living in a house, surrounded by atleast some land, may no longer work. So, for as long as possible, enjoying not having people up close.

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    1. I also enjoyed it where I used to live and to be fair, I have also enjoyed living here until this incident which is wrecking my nerves.

      I've had nasty tenants in the past so was used to dealing with unexpected abuse and managing it with police and courts.

      But here it is challenging and shouldn't be a worry for me.

      XO
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  7. Whatever is going on with her, you shouldn't have to be victim to it.
    I hope it is soon resolved

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  8. What a sad way for both of you to live. It speaks little of management they have not resolved the problem, or discussed it with you. I hope it is resolved.

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    1. The chairman tells me it's "Under control" and being addressed. But I am used to BS answers like this from my business life.

      Today, I asked him for a guarantee it wouldn't happen again and that was the response.

      XO
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  9. I wonder what the board of management could do about the problem? There must surely be some process in place for such difficult people. Good luck and try not to let her get at you, physically and mentally.

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    1. Our board are known for their inertia Andrew. Plus the building manager is compromised by having 24/7 access to her car. He's not going to kill the golden goose.

      I'm dreading what her next tactic will be as it will escalate.

      XO
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  10. She sounds terrifying and I imagine the inside of her own head must be equally terrifying for her. I hope something can be done soon, she sounds like she needs help and/or medication of some kind.

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    1. Definitely River, she is one mentally ill woman, possible dementia, it must be awful for her and I am sympathetic to that but this unwarranted violence has me very upset.

      XO
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  11. That's frightening and whoever runs the place will surely bear some responsibility for not taking steps to make sure all residents are safe, including her. Meanwhile keep your knitting needles handy and keep on agitating for action. It has to be done, sooner rather than later, as you know. This sucks. -Kate

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    1. Thank you Kate. They are a fairly inept board and at meetings they have lied about different issues. So I put everything in writing to them. I have contemplated getting my lawyer involved with a cease and desist letter as my feeling is the board will do zero due to the compromised manager.

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  12. Get the cops if the Board is playing soft with her.

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    1. My thoughts exactly. Yes I will with any further dead of night upheavals, Ramana.

      XO
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  13. Our daughter and son-in-law live with his mother, Jo. Lately Jo has been having hallucinations of all different kinds in ways that have made her aggressive and scary: people being smuggled through the house, marbles all over the floor, etc; many of the odd things she sees and hears she's attributed to Mel and Ric: "Why are you...?"

    It turns out that one of the medications she is on has hallucinations as a side effect... and, of course they are having problems stopping her from taking the med because "the doctor" told she had to take it even though another doctor had told her to stop.

    Mel and Ric are finally back one their feet and are talking about finding their own place and "letting" some of his siblings and other family members step up to "care" for Jo.

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    1. What a dreadful situation Mike. I am glad they're getting out of it. Their nerves must be in shreds.

      I remember the husband of one my dearest friends sliding into hallucinations but they took the form of seeing horses and cows and barns outside his suburban living room window. And noisy tractors which needed "oil changing". Harmless really.

      Others like below me and your relative do not sound harmless at all.

      XO
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  14. She is likely mentally ill. Can you report her to the social and housing authorities and to the cops should she escalate and something happen to you? I hope you will be okay during and after Larry.

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    1. That is a good plan E, I didn't think of the social services as the Board are obviously going to do their usual ostrich trick. Larry was awful, but I am safe. And so are my family members.
      Thank you.

      XO
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  15. I'm sorry to hear about your crazy neighbour. She's clearly mentally ill and needs urgent treatment. We had a similar downstairs neighbour in a flat in London, who insisted we were operating noisy electrical appliances and kept banging on her ceiling to shut us up. Luckily she died and that put an end to the problem.

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    1. Oh Gawd Nick, your last line made me gasp but I understand completely. Larry has knocked her out of my mind for now.

      XO
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  16. Definitely contact social services and maybe file a police report.

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  17. Oh, that's unsettling and sad. Clearly she has delusions/hallucinations and needs to be on an antipsychotic.

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  18. Oh, gee, that's a miserable situation if those in a position to do something aren't doing anything. I do hope if you contact social services and possibly report to the police there can be some resolution to whatever her problem is. Meanwhile, continue to document any of her actions and stay safe.

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