Noisy Neighborsn- HELP PLEASE!

I live in a mid priced bldg in Mid-Levels in which the ceilings are poor constructed and I can hear everything that goes on upstairs including the woman's high heeled slippers that screech and scrape across the floor at all hours of the night. Speaking to bldg mgmt was a waste of time and we aren't allowed to speak to other tenants directly about problems. I've tried ear plugs, white noise machines which all solve the enterior sounds but not interior. I don't want to move. Does anyone have any suggestions? I haven't gotten a good night sleep in months. Appreciate any and all suggestions. Thanks

Frankly, if you cannot tolerate noise, Hong Kong is probably not the place for you. I cannot, and it wasn't the right place for me.


If you are having trouble sleeping in the short term, get some swimming earplugs from a sports shop.

We had the same problem, I didn't bother going to management as I knew nothing would be acheived, so I went up there one night, knocked on the door and asked them kindly to keep the noise down. It lasted about a week. I then wrote a letter outlining all the noises that they make and asked in particular if the woman could please not wear clackity heels throughout the night. Thankfully they adhered to that and she doesn't anymore, so it is worth doing something direct.


Funnily people tel you to move, but no one ever takes into account that you have probably signed a 2 year lease which you have to pay out to break!


If you know someone who can write chinese, that would be all the better. I also get a broom when they a too noisy and whack the ceiling a few times, that usually is enough to stop them for a little while.


The main problem we have now is the scraping of furniture, I am going out to buy those padded stick on things and take them up there with a kind note. other than that our Saturday night is 10pm-2am with the mahjong tiles swirling around!!


Even though it's getting cooler, I still put the fan on to drown out the noise.

Even though it's getting cooler, I still put the fan on to drown out the noise.


that's so true, i switch on the a/c to drown out the noises from the streets and the neighbors from time to time even when it's winter

Thanks so much for all your replies. Neenib you hit it spot on. I have actually lived here for many years and am not in a position to move and am dealing with the constant scaping of the furniture as well. Wiz bang - I too put on my a/c. I sent a note to my landlord today to see if maybe she has more clout with the bldg mgmt. Will try writing them a note. I could give them an hour by hour report and sometimes it's throughout the night I've been aprehensive to do so because as p.mason above says they might get annoyed and it might get worse but I guess it's the best first step short of banging on the ceiling with a broom. Everyone enjoy the balance of the weekend and hears hoping we all can get some sleep tonight.

Usawmninhk, you have my empathy. I also went through the same thing with the people upstairs. The acoustics in our building are so bad, I could hear the gentleman upstairs when he used to get up to pee in the night. But it was the thump, thump, bash, bash, with the clunky shoes, slamming the doors that I could not bear every morning at 5.30 pm. I didn't need to set my alarm to wake up because without fail, the neighbours would start. I also tried speaking to the management office, but to no avail, leaving a letter in the post box (in English and Chinese). In the end, I went up there myself and took a Chinese friend to interpret and much to my surprise, they actually made a conscious effort to quieten things down.

Mah Jong games often bring complaint. So much so, that it appears in many official documents relating to property. I've seen it in several Tenancy Agreements, and in the Deed of Mutual Covenant of a building.

If the management say they can't help by mediating and speaking to your neighbour, they're flat out lying. If they're unable to achieve anything simply due to the fact that they're useless, that's another matter entirely.

Either way, you've already found the way to deal with the matter effectively. Most people are generally agreeable when you approach them, and will generally make an effort to please. Hong Kong locals, in particular, will commonly do anything they can to avoid confrontation.