I met another parent at my kids school. Found out as we chatted she lived on the second floor of a four floor gongyu, like us. So I just threw it out there, as at the time we were copping it in from our downstairs neighbours, if the kids played with a toy on the lino for any longer than five minutes, they’d be up complaining. I ended up with a kind of stress response every time I heard our doorbell. Anyway it was like a waterfall moment in our conversation. She just started coming out with all the abuse they had copped over the years from their kids being … kids. Childless teacher couple below them, would wait in the stairwell as they came down to go out, and give it to them. Sometimes I think society in Taiwan hates kids. And they wonder why the birth rate is dropping. Anyway none of this helps you. If it’s just adults it is easy enough to tone it down I suppose? Your neighbour banging on the wall is low class. Would they do that to a local?
Thank you for sharing! It actually really helps to hear other people’s similar experiences.
It seems to me that you are living in an apartment with illegally partitioned units without any concrete walls separating them, AND they are unreasonably enforcing quiet times during the day. I’d say that’s more than enough to get out of the contract with your full deposit back if you really want to.
ignore, you are not doing anything wrong.
Ignore. He has to say something to satisfy the other guy. Set an iphone alarm to scream bloody murder, like The Shining chick in the bathroom, every hour when you’re away.
If it’s haunted, he will move. 
A joke…but also not a joke. No one’s gonna be jack hammering at dawn. Legally, they can start at eight a m, but chances are they’ll try and start at seven thirty instead.
Don’t luve next to new building construction.
You are not doing any excessive noises. The thin walls are the problem. Your neighbors should have know about that when they rented their place. Such smaller and cheaper apartments have such downsides. Everyone should be more considerate, but can’t expect people tiptoeing all day, especially if somebody have kids.
We used to get complaints from the downstairs neighbors once in a while, about the kids, and I had the impression they held off complaining as long as they could :-). Sucks for both sides. Wall hangings and area rugs might help dampen the sound some.
I’ll luve wherever I want!
This is absolutely ridiculous. I’d ignore it. Screw this neighbor. But don’t go out of your way to be noisy. Just live your lives. You’ll know in a few more weeks if you can stomach staying there or not.
Exactly, I understand objecting if you throw wild parties late at night, practice drums or the bagpipe, but complaining about someone laughing? or about kids living next door?
People here are a little too much.
I went through this a few years back. The walls weren’t thin. It was a brand-new 4 bedroom apartment with great views. What would be considered high-end ($90,000 per month).
The downstairs said they could hear our footsteps. She then started saying she heard us arguing in Taiwanese language, which is funny because no one in my house can speak a word of Taiwanese. The more we denied it, the crazier she got.
Was your neighbor a foreigner who didn’t know the difference between Mandarin and Taiwanese? Did you guys argue Mandarin at home?
So what happened in the end? Were you forced to move out? You used the past tense when describing the apartment.
No. The neighbor spoke Mandarin and Taiwanese.
All arguments strictly in English.
We ended up moving. We were probably going to move anyhow. The neighbor tried taking us to court. She said she had to go and stay in a hotel for two weeks (from the “stress”), she was trying to claim that from us. She lost.
I do believe there have been times when we disturbed them and they didn’t bang the wall. But what I understand from talking to the rental manager is that they don’t like those initial bursts of laughter, but by the time I shush my husband or we remember to be quiet, it’s too late and they’ve already been upset.
Your husband sounds like he laughs a lot. Is he just watching funny videos all day?
Did you actually go to court? Lawyer and everything?
Sometimes we laugh at each other too. I would say full-on howling laughter is like once or twice a week, but we chuckle a few times a day. Isn’t that normal?
Chuckling at home is normal, but I don’t think a full-on howling laughter once or twice a week is normal if you’re just by yourselves. Maybe if you’re throwing a party or playing games with friends or something.
In any case, the illegal thin walls are to blame. That’s what your neighbor should be complaining about.
Yes, went to court. We didn’t use a lawyer, neither did the neighbor.
It was a small room with a type of magistrate. I wasn’t allowed in the room, only my wife and kids were allowed in. Basically the neighbor couldn’t prove that we were making noise so their case failed. The magistrate also said my wife has the right to counter-sue for false allegations, and he strongly advised the neighbor to settle the case without any compensation if they didn’t want us to sue them.