The complaints were so bizarre, they were left concerned (Stock Image) (Image: Jordan Lye via Getty Images)
A woman was stunned after moving into a new flat and discovering her neighbours were anything but welcoming from the outset, following receipt of a late-night, threatening message. She revealed it was her and her partner’s “first time living in an apartment,” meaning they remained uncertain about proper conduct regarding matters such as lighting and noise levels, learning through experience, as everyone must.
Rather than offering gentle guidance, however, her neighbour opted for heavy-handed tactics by sliding a note beneath the door that deeply troubled her. “[The] neighbour [is] constantly complaining and it’s making us uncomfortable,” she revealed.
The message, aggressively written entirely in capital letters, stated: “Dear neighbour, If you could be so kind as to turn your kitchen light off, if it’s not possible, at least turn it to a ‘low’ setting. Thank you. Unit 21”.
They’d also documented the precise time and date of sending the note, presumably establishing a written record of their grievances should the Redditor fail to comply with their demands.
She explained: “We recently moved into an apartment in Sydney after living in a standalone house in Melbourne for years. This is our first time ever living in an apartment, so we’re still learning what’s normal and what the unspoken rules are.”
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“From day one, we’ve had issues with a neighbour in our building. She told us she’s the ‘chairman’ of the building and said that if we ever need help, we can come to her. At first, we thought she was just being friendly. But things got uncomfortable pretty quickly”.
Upon moving in, their initial priority was to unpack, arrange their belongings and get settled. “This was during the December holiday period. We weren’t having parties, playing loud music, or doing anything excessive, just normal moving-in activity,” she explained.
Nevertheless, this had evidently irritated the neighbour, as she appeared at their door “three nights in a row, knocking late in the evening” to inform them they needed to keep the noise down, though in a roundabout manner. She made remarks such as “There are nurses and doctors in the building, “If something happens, I get calls,” and “I just wanted to let you know…”
Yet the couple believed she “just wanted things her way” rather than genuinely receiving any telephone complaints about the new residents in the building.
She added: “On the third night, she came again whilst we were literally just washing dishes at around 9.30pm and watching TV at a normal volume. It was extremely hot (30–40°C), so we had windows/vents open, which might have let some sound travel, but again, nothing unreasonable”.
On another occasion, they received a visit whilst her partner was “packing late” at midnight, “because he was leaving early the next day to visit his parents”. “She knocked again and told us we should turn off our kitchen lights because the light apparently bothers her and affects her sleep. The lights were inside our apartment, and our kitchen window doesn’t directly face her unit. That request felt like a big overstep,” she fumed.
The intrusive neighbour had seemingly even visited to divulge “intimate details” about the previous family who had occupied their flat, leaving her questioning whether this woman was simply gathering information about them to gossip with others, which had made them wary of her.
“I’ve started feeling anxious in my own home, like we’re being watched or monitored for doing completely normal things,” she revealed, describing the woman as “intrusive rather than helpful”.
Within the comments section, readers encouraged the original poster to contact the landlord and enquire further about her and her position. One contributor remarked: “Yeah, I’d contact the landlord and ask for specifics on this woman’s role in the building and let them know about all these instances.
“Chances are she’s just a bored busybody and has been doing this for years (likely pushing people out of the building).”
Another concurred, writing: “It sounds like she’s lived there a long time and feels entitled to boss people in the building around like she owns the place.
“I would keep anything she sends you in writing and pass it along to the landlord if she escalates or starts actively harassing you. Worst case, this allows the landlord to build a case to evict her if she’s harassing multiple people in the building”.
A third person vented: “Even if she is the ‘chairwoman,’ which sounds delusional, she’s pretty much harassing you. Policing your kitchen light is insane”.
