All kinds of neighbours - which one are you?

By Jackie Marchildon
December 15, 2017

Some of the best rental stories come from our neighbours — we love them, we hate them — we love to hate them. I’ve heard stories of neighbours falling in love, people being robbed by their neighbours, and well, neighbours being taken down by a SWAT team. You never know what you’re going to get, but that’s the glory of renting, isn’t it? You’re never stuck in one place for too long if you don’t want to be.

Jokes aside, neighbours, quirky or not, can really make your apartment feel like home. They become part of your routine and it’s fun to get to know the different types of neighbours out there.

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The upstairs neighbour

This one likely hits home with many people. I had never really encountered this until I moved into my current building, and even then, the true ‘upstairs neighbour’ didn’t really surface until we’d lived here for almost two years.

Our new neighbour upstairs began to make noise. A lot of noise. Noise that made no sense. Did she weigh 600 pounds? Was she always in high heels? Did she have a ball and chain attached to her leg that she was forced to drag across the room whenever she walked around? It didn’t (and still doesn’t) make sense! What are the noises she’s making and how are they so loud? Does she ever sleep? How are these noises so consistently loud throughout the day? I know she lives alone. I’ve seen her, she’s a small woman — she couldn’t possibly be making these noises on her own! Could she? And that, is the mystery of the upstairs neighbour.

The creative neighbour

Have you ever gone into someone else’s unit, looked around and thought, “How do we live in the same space?” Their apartment just looks so much cooler than yours. Don’t feel bad, it happens. There’s always an artsy person or couple that can manage to turn their space into an artist’s haven. Don’t worry, your place is still nice.

The neighbour that complains

I will admit I’ve had a few neighbours here and there complain about me. A couple of complaints in university were warranted, I’ll give them that, but as I’ve (gracefully) aged, I’ve realized that some neighbours just like to complain.

You know the type, the one that hates everything about how you live. Music too loud? Landlord gets a call. Your dog barks once? Landlord gets a call. Your significant other starts spending the night more often? Landlord gets a call. It happens. If you’re a decent neighbour, there’s nothing to worry about – and your landlord knows that.

The party neighbour

This is your best and worst neighbour, depending on which side of the door you’re on. You’ve probably wandered into one of their parties at some point and had a great time. But when they are swinging from the chandeliers with the music at top volume on a Tuesday night and you need to sleep, it’s a little less fun. Sometimes the party neighbour is also the hot neighbour, and that can be extra fun…or no fun at all.

The peppy neighbour

This is the neighbour that is always trying to organize things for the building. He/she means well so there’s really no need to hate on them, even when you’re sneaking out through your fire escape to avoid the courtyard party out front. He/she is also probably the only reason anything gets done around your building, so don’t be too quick to judge!

About Jackie Marchildon

Jackie Marchildon is the bilingual freelance writer and editor whose experience ranges from human rights writing to travel blogging to educational publishing.

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