We've sold the house, downsized to a condo that is being built, so are living in an apartment for a year. Upside - not having to fix whatever stops working (and in a house, it's always something). This apartment building is pretty soundproof, we don't have much noise transfer. And it's a non smoking building (but had a fire alarm at 3am once and had to evacuate to the chill outside, because someone decided to smoke in the elevator anyway!) And there's a stacked w/d in the unit, so no communal laundry to deal with. We have ($) assigned parking spaces in the parking garage beneath, so it is more of a hassle getting heavy items from the car up the elevator and down the hall than it used to be with an attached garage, but it's not really a big deal. We no longer get a daily paper because if we have to go down to the office to retrieve it, it really isn't convenient. The big annoyance is having to use the authorized TV cable provider. But we've met a bunch of really nice people, including the office staff, so we feel really lucky to be here. Especially after reading many of the previous comments.

People in general get on my ever lasting nerves. That and lack of closet space and that nasty ass brown carpet and egg shell white every thing. I mean seriously rentals all around bore me to ever eternal bat shit.

I've lived in apartments for the last 13 years. Aside from some of the things mentioned (noise, parking, laundry) I personally am perfectly happy to continue to do so. Remember, people like to complain. Apartment living is not all that bad.

Obviously, an apartment can never be as quiet as a house in the country. However, if one wants/has to live in an apartment, it would be best to visit that building and neighborhood on weekends and at night, to get a good idea of how quiet the surroundings are. We once lived in a small apartment condo on South St. in Philadelphia. While that area is known for the street noise, we loved living there as it was always lively and friendly. Depends on what one finds comfortable.

parking!

Heavy feet! I used to guess what they were doing, I know the space was too small for a basket ball court, but that was my guess. Loud voices, and people who don't pick up after their pets.

Lived all my life in big houses and now for five years in an apartment. Yes there are sounds, but just of people living and going about their daily living. I don't focus on this and so it does not worry me. Some pretty good food smells - send me straight to my kitchen to cook up a storm. One yappy pesky dog - gets me to thinking of getting a vet to take out its vocal cords - but I will do something civil about this dog this summer. Otherwise I have my own parking and washer dryer and mind my own business and they theirs. We have a no noise rule between 2-4 in the afternoon and after 11.00 at night and most adhere to this.

I believe in live and let live and it works.

Lugging groceries.

Ppl who let their 100 lb dogs run around their 2nd floor apt. at midnight! Yes, these ppl live over us!!!

charlestonwomann1,....lol, I feel your pain! I am renting a townhouse/condo now for the very first time in decades. It is an experience. Especially when I have lived in a single family detached home for the past 30+ years. :)

A "BIG FOOT" living above you.

Letting the door slam shut. So rude!

Noise, insufficient/inconvenient parking, people not picking up after their dogs, smoking and dropping the butts on the ground, spitting, unsupervised kids. After moving to a new city, spent three years in an apartment before buying another house. Hope to never do so again!

My apt is at the end of the hallway on the next to top floor so I don't have any noise problems. And the men who live beside me and across the hall are quiet and mind their own business. It's a couple nosey ladies that bother me. I try to avoid them. There are 104 apts in my building. When I think of the cost and maintenance problems in my own house, it makes me happy to be here.

I feel blessed to have escaped apartment living, in NYC and many of the boroughs, having experienced many of the above complaints. It's such a liberating and life changing decision I made many years ago, and just feel so very lucky that I was able to make the move to "the country."

The annoyances for me dealt with having kids while living in an apartment. (I was cool with it when it was just the two of us.) No yard. Kids need to play outside, and sometimes you feel well enough to go outside, but not to drive to the park. Going *anywhere* is a big deal, and I didn't want needed play time to be a big deal. My other issue was property maintenance. Edging the two feet of grass or the use of loud tools always seemed to happen during nap-time, right outside our window. *shrug* Life can be good no matter where you live. And life is good. :D

In most new apartments there is a real lack of storage space. Er, what is really lacking is space in general.

Because one person in the building hoards and does drugs, they've managed to get bugs and now the building is infested with ants. While my apartment is mostly clean now I see the occasional one and we have a dozen ant traps everywhere.

Cannot improve space. Very old building. Rent in this city is insanely high so it's this apartment or slums. No underpadding for feet in carpet. Balcony door isn't weather proofed so winter is freezing. Had to buy space heater. Someone before me had put up wallpaper and then painted over it so I have bubbles now on the wall that show up more and more the longer I'm here. It looks awful.

Cement walls. Hanging a picture takes like an hour and the nail only goes in slightly so you have to be willing to live with the idea the picture might fall. I have some of those command hooks to help keep the pictures up but with the humidty in the building, sometimes the hooks fall.

Too much rent, nothing to show for it too. I wish I could buy a condo or a small house but with mortgages and downpayments are what they are, it'll be another few years before I can purchase.

We lived in an apartment downtown and finding parking was the worst!!

Live in an apartment in an historic building in a small college town. Love it! There are two apartments in the building, upstairs over a business. Great neighbor, we have a small 8x10 shared deck on the back, decorated it together and enjoy weekend girls nights there throughout the spring/summer. On-street parking with a 2 hour limit on weekdays so have to use public parking about a block away, but that's an EASY trade off to be downtown and have front door access to all the festivals, parades, concerts, etc. It's all in choosing the location that's right for you.

Lived in the condo for 3 mths... No showers after 8am and 9pm.. Ruining their beauty sleep ..but we still shower whenever we want.. People peeking out of their peephole door when we walk pass and file complaints over every little things.. Smelling of their old cooking wafting down the hall....So glad to move out!

And when u have a colicky baby and rock through the night so u can sleep with the baby sitting on the rocking chair ( it actually fell apart).. And the neighbour above banging on the floor at 2 am waking the baby and me...and start the baby crying all over again.. My patience ran out as it happened every night .. My husband takes turns and reassure me not to worry and helped me out.. Well at the end it happens and daddy is tired .. He totally lost it and banging on the wall hollering on top of his voice... No more banging on the floor above at 2 am... lol

You know the saying "you get what you pay for"? I lived in a 60yr old building that was cheap. I got what I paid for. Thin walls, no insulation, broken appliances, no gap between floor/ceilings so footsteps in unit above shook ceilings in unit below. Rude neighbors, no parking, bad manager who insisted we didn't need a working heater. I stayed so I could save money and pay debt off fast. That's how I was able to buy my condo. I can say it was worth it, but I'll never live in an apartment again

Did I mention how the laundry room ceiling fell in due to a leaking toilet above it? It happened 3 times. They never called a plumber. They relied on a "handyman"

Sorry about website we are changing the site..you can call am mike 877 328 8482 or email mike suncoastdecor.com and will send more info..thanks

I had a neighbor that did not watch her dog when she let him out. Every morning he would run around barking and she did not pick up the poop.

I also moved just because of a rental increase. I hear horror stories of bad tenants. I feel that if I pay rent on time and in most cases pay early, keep property cleaner than when I moved in that a landlord would rather have that than take a chance on someone else. I liked the complex because many of my neighbors were social but don't miss the flea infestation that came from the park across the street, the car alarms always going off and the ass that dented my car door in the parking lot.

All neighbors above you are "elephants". And...if you are above someone, you are the "elephant"!

I downsized to the city to a condo i purchased....big mistake...cost me thousands...and I wound up selling at a huge loss....the condo fees the special assessments..endless repairs...etc.....real estate nightmare....the cooking smells, the noisy and newsy neighbors, the parties, the city dirt and noise the endless problems that even the insurance company did not want to address...Then I went to a rental....slightly better...in a redone townhouse with just 19 units. Lucked out pretty quiet here except for city noise. They looked at me like i had two heads when i asked for maintenance. But they came through and now are paying more attention to the building. I am a sticker for getting things done properly. So if you are paying rent....make sure you don't settle and get things repaired or maintained. The big down side is the $$ it costs to live here. Not good especially since i am old and i downsized and running out of money and strength to move again.

ASV..chook...is Lucy in the sky wearing diamonds???

All comments were so entertaining and most made me laugh - at the absurdity of it all..yes apt living is a drag - except for ms pollyanna who says "live and let live" nope- not in such enclosed spaces where there are supposed "rules and regs" set up to babysit all idiots calling themselves adults. My very first day of moving in..the pervert who lives below me, slides his window open as I've got my arms full of boxes and says "how do you like living here? Your bedroom is right above my bedroom" OMG He has since knocked on my door asking me "did you just take a shower or a bath?" there is water leaking down my ceiling - so I said "hey-you have a problem..then call maintenance" Or the psycho who took my clothes out of the dryer not even 5 minutes after cycle ended - I told her to never touch or go thru my laundry again,,so a few hours later she's reaching across by the outdoor entrance - buzzing me - and running back inside. Seriously. Walls are so thin - a guy just moved in next door - (it's always been ladies for past 5 years) and now I can hear him peeing in the toilet..so I bought a 60" runner and hung it behind the toilet hoping to muffle THAT sound. Oh there's lots more - but I'll stop here - time to move.

Lack of storage space and barking dogs.

I lived in Germany for a long time and most people there live in apartments or townhouse and these problems are less common because there is very strong social pressure and even laws that limit late night noise, pets let loose, trash and so forth. We never had a problem, and if you break an unwritten rule, like not having curtains in the window, they let you know. Takes some time to get used to, but it has to be that way for people to live well in dense areas. Also had very thick walls, so that helped. I'd rather have the expectation of civility and privacy than the anything goes mentality that we have here in too many places.

The whining barking dog all day was American BTW. German dogs go to dog training early and learn to behave in restaurants and such. A lot of times, you don't even know they are there.

I didn't focus on lighting when selecting my apartment. So, I wound up having to purchase lighting for the walk in closets, wall mounted makeup mirror for bathrooms, lamps for the dining area (there is no chandelier or ceiling outlet available in the dining area), reading lamps for bedroom (since nightstands won't fit). Now I know how important the right lighting is to me, and will be more aware next time. Live and learn!

Live on 3rd floor; have huge picture windows (6 x 12) I'd love to clean regularly on the outside. Any valid suggestions are welcome; I hate dirty windows and have a gorgeous view. xx

The fact that management could come into your home, or send workmen into your home with no phone call.

Had that happen & I had been in the middle of doing my taxes & all my personal info was all over my dining room table...and to top it off, the guy didn't shut my door all the way so then, anyone could have come in! That set me off like a raving lunatic.

Got my lease nulled & moved out.

Doorfilter is the only way to stop air and dust & smells from entering the condo. http://gizmodo.com/a-door-bottom-filter-keeps-your-neighbors-smells-out-of-1679534165

I think the key to designing an amazing small focus is to actually not focus on the fact that it is small. Great your dream space. Incorporate all the things you love then devise a plan to make them work with the space you have.

I have an amazing blog post that I think may help.

http://timothyriversinteriors.com/2015/01/19/decorating-a-small-apartment/

Can you guess by my screen name? My neighbors have surround sound and we share a common wall. I hear the thumping and bass 24/7 and I work from home. I welcome any and all suggestions re: what they can do to muffle the noise. Thank you.

They need to soundproof the wall. Ask them to look into Acoustiblok. We are going to use that for the music room in the basement. It's their responsibility to do that if they want to watch movies 24/7

Inconsiderate noisy neighbors.

Thank you Printesa for the above recommendation - much appreciated! And thank you Gray & Walter for your empathetic comment too! I live in NYC - the city that 'literally' never sleeps! :)

I lived in a condominium-apartment.

Inconsiderate neighbors: people who wouldn't lift a finger to keep common areas like hallways tidy. They would complain bitterly about it, they would post pictures of junkmail littering the vestibule where people threw it out of their mailboxes, but they wouldn't actually bend over and pick it up.

And since it was in a condo, I was financially tied to the poor decision-making of other people.

I live in an apartment condo and have seen neighbours move in and out. The worst I have experienced is the neighbour screaming and banging around like she is being tortured several times per week (the police came to check out the situation and said everyone living there is fine). Water leaking into our apartment from the unit above and causing damage several times per year that the owner denies. The fire alarm going off and trying not to panic as I gather up our 2 cats and wait outside in the freezing cold/middle of the night (you get the picture) only to find out that it was a false alarm over . . . and over . . . and over again. The common areas getting damaged by owners in the building so that our condo fees have to pay for the repairs instead of other repairs we need to make, and then complaining that the condo fees are too expensive.

I hated living below someone wearing shoes inside, and hearing that annoying "clomp clomp clomp" all the time..

Clomp clomp clomp until exactly 10pm. From exactly 10:05pm until exactly 6am, the loudest snoring you've ever heard.

It's also really annoying how neighbours have no thought of other people. When laundry machines were broken they didn't report so it could be fixed... And I love when I (and the few other people here) have to work past midnight and some genius in the building is doing construction at 6am... Or another neighbour that vacuums at the same time. I'm never thrilled about that.

Second hand smoke, cigarette butts everywhere, dog shit everywhere. They all go together. Trash!

Happy to update: My daughter and I moved :) No more apartment living...we've stepped up to a townhouse, brand new construction, 2 story living, attached subterranean 2-car garage, gated development. Two miles away from my boyfriend (previously we lived 50 miles apart). And there are only 2 units in our building :)

Two issues, but I'm trying not to focus on them: Secure pedestrian gate is next to our townhouse, and is spring-loaded to slam shut! I've put in a request with maintenance and I'm hoping they'll follow through and adjust the tension this week. And the only neighbors we share a wall with FIGHT, LOUDLY in the middle of the night, slamming doors and waking us from a dead sleep. One night she must've kicked him out, I heard yelling and doors slamming only to look outside and then see him throwing rocks from the landscape at their 2nd story bedroom window. Next time, I'm calling the police in hopes that will be the last time!

Even so, it's all much better than the 3rd floor walk-up apartment we were in, with about 400 units in the complex and no assigned parking!

The worst aspect I think is having those who are disrespectful and inconsiderate, creating noise others have to endure. Other than that, having odors stink up your apartment is pretty awful, and they fade, yet if summertime, is not easy to have windows open to air out. It seems that the ventilation system is the culprit, ours being old that they are not wanting to deal with. It would also be awful to have bugs, etc., which seemingly they make an effort in keeping out, here.

What is distressing when having noisemakers above in recent years, is how things will be handled. Apparently, signing agreements is pointless and the one disturbed can be thought of as oversensitive, not enforcing rules. It's difficult to have determined what level of noise is bothersome, with some saying "That's just apartment living". There are apparently only two headings to categorize noise - "Everyday living", / Normal living" (which everything seems to be lumped into, whether being disruptive or not). Otherwise, "Nuisance noise", addressing fighting, parties, loud disruptions after hours.

What about those regularly causing slams, bangs, thuds, stomping (having it said that "nothing can be done about walking", which is not normal walking), or overly loud TV / Bass noise ANY time of day, which appears to go unaddressed, from what I am seeing. Again, who is going to assess what is a normal level of racket? I have experienced more than one having spent all of their time, at any hour, at their dining table - banging loud objects, assembling items, repeatedly scraping chairs across the linoleum, slamming the table or chairs against the wall, and without it being resolved if asked about. Geez.

It it comes down to the personality, since some will be conscious of their actions and not want to disturb others, while some have been raised to be self-centered, rude and childish adults...(as am hearing BASS noise upstairs from the neighbor here for two months, which is not getting resolved, no matter what.

Pungent smell and nosy tenents

I just thought I would add something I found regarding "Low-frequency Intrusion", for anyone interested in how another's sound system will affect others.

http://www.lowfrequencyintrusion.com/?p=about

I live in a 55 and older community and I have no complaints... everybody here is quiet friendly and they don’t even cook so there’s no smells, plus everything is concrete poured walls and floors, so I have absolutely no complaints! I love it here best move I ever made ....I moved in when I was 55 a few years ago.