A dispute over excessive noise has ignited a fierce online debate after a tenant shared the handwritten note she left for her neighbour, which many have branded 'snarky' and 'passive aggressive'.
The Note That Started the Row
The woman, a resident of Salt Lake City, explained she was driven to act after enduring near-constant noise from her neighbour's television. She claimed he watches loud true crime shows '24/7', making it difficult for her to sleep as the sound travels into her bedroom.
Her note began politely: 'Hi neighbour, I've noticed your TV is almost constantly playing and I can hear it from my bedroom now which has made sleeping difficult,' accompanied by a sad face. It continued with a request: 'Would you please keep the volume low at night to support rest during quiet hours?' However, the sign-off took a contentious turn, adding: 'I am grateful for your consideration and I hope your cough gets better. Happy holidays!'
After slipping the message under his door, she reported hearing him mutter 'tough s**t' moments later, though she conceded there was no guarantee his comment was related to her note.
Online Reaction: Sympathy Versus Criticism
When the tenant posted the note on Reddit, the response was sharply divided. A wave of sympathetic users offered creative, retaliatory advice for dealing with a noisy neighbour.
'Have you considered learning to play the xylophone?' read the top comment. Others suggested a 'fight fire with fire' approach, recommending she start vacuuming or practising drums at 7:01 am, the moment most local noise ordinances end.
Yet a significant portion of commentators criticised the note's tone, zeroing in on the mention of the neighbour's cough. Many labelled it a 'passive aggressive' and cowardly gesture disguised as well-wishing.
'Letting them know you know they have a cough was kind of weird,' one woman wrote. Another agreed: 'If you're complaining about sound while you're sleeping, the "hope your cough gets better" just feels super passive aggressive.'
Alternative Solutions and a Search for Quiet
Amid the banter, more measured advice was also offered. Several people urged the tenant to take a formal 'grown up' approach by documenting the disturbances and complaining directly to the landlord, as the neighbour's response was ultimately outside her control.
One former sufferer of noisy neighbours shared a practical solution: 'I purchased a white noise machine. It was completely transformative... it all but completely droned out the sound from the neighbour.'
The tenant herself expressed simple exhaustion, admitting she was 'stressed' from hearing constant aggressive programming and just wanted 'relief/peace and quiet for even just a small portion of the day'. The incident highlights the common tensions of shared living and the fine line between polite requests and perceived aggression in neighbour disputes.
