One of the most important things we all need in our lives is privacy. Whether that means limiting followers on your social media accounts or constantly closing your curtains so people passing by cannot see what you’re making for dinner, nobody wants to feel like they are being watched. But sometimes, especially when you live in a tight apartment building, even when no one else can see you, they might be able to hear you.
One curious individual reached out to the Ask Reddit community and posed the question, “Redditors with thin walls, what have you heard in your apartment?” The post received thousands of comments featuring overheard conversations that were never meant to be shared, but sometimes, the urge to eavesdrop is far too strong. We’ve gathered some of the juiciest, cringiest and most hilarious stories of things neighbors never asked to overhear but were subjected to, and gathered them below for you all to read. Enjoy going through these responses that might make you want to install soundproof walls as soon as possible, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda piece featuring conversations bystanders have caught at just the right moment, check out this story next.
#21
I once heard a former roommate laughing with his then girlfriend about how they're f*****g me over on money. Turned out they were taking my utility portion and buying various games and alcohol.
Instead of confronting them, I confirmed what they said with the utilities company (they hadn't paid the bill is 2 months) and I moved all my stuff out that day while they were at work. For good measure, I took myself off the lease and told them about the GF that had been there 6 months.
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246points
Our curiosity for other people’s business never seems to be satiated. According to a paper published in Psychological Science, it is more challenging for humans to not eavesdrop on someone who is talking on the phone than on two people having a conversation right in front of us. We are intrigued by this “halfalogue” and love filling in the gaps about the context and what the other party is saying. This same idea applies to listening through the walls. We likely did not have the full context of the people’s relationship, probably did not hear the entire conversation and may even miss parts due to noise in our own apartment or variations in our neighbors’ volume. But we’re still captivated. I would guess that most of the people whose answers are featured on this list did not hear those conversations yesterday, but they certainly remembered them.
#22
My next door neighbor in college would snooze his alarm, head to the gym, and then his alarm would go off until he got home. I finally left an angry postit on his door that said, ‘Turn off your f*****g alarm.’
Anyway we met years later and now we’re married with kids so w/e ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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228points
#23
Pre-dawn hours, blizzard outside, everything still and quiet, my roommate and I heard our neighbor on the other side of the firewall fart, wet and deep like a stifled baritone sax, and exclaim to himself in a twisted combination of awe and disgust, "OH my GOD!" We burst out laughing, and hear him chime in with pride, "Did you guys *hear* that?!" vindicated that his fart was heard and forever lives in our memories.
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227points
#24
I lived under some Cubans who played Air Supply when they had sex at the absolute loudest volume they could. They also really enjoyed soccer/football, and the woman would make sounds like a siren, just long extended “wwwoooooooooooooo!” for minutes on end whenever something exciting happened.
They were pretty terrible neighbors. Really obnoxious and loud all the time. They would mop their patio, and the dirty water ran all over our porch. They also poured out used mop water off the patio too. The parking was terrible in that complex and they would occupy two spaces with one vehicle.
They pretended not to speak English whenever we tried to talk to them (even before all the problems; I try to be friendly with my neighbors), but they would also speak loud English right outside our apartment as if we couldn’t hear them. So one day I tried to say hello to them and got a terse, rude reply in Spanish followed by “No comprendo” so I casually asked my sister if she thought the guy knew his wife was sleeping with that blonde they always had over (not made up, they were having an affair).
There was lots of screaming from their apartment later on. No regrets.
EDIT: Silver. Noice. You guys are the s**t. And these comments are great.
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215points
According to Jonah Lehrer’s piece for Wired titled “The Science of Eavesdropping”, we are drawn to gaps in information. This goes for books, films, shows, people, etc. When we do not fully understand something, we are intrigued and want to know more. So no matter how obnoxious you might find your neighbors, when you hear a juicy conversation through the wall, you can’t help but listen in. Even if the ethics of eavesdropping are questionable, you pay rent to live there too. If you get an auditory show while you’re eating dinner, who says you’re not allowed to listen?
#25
I heard my roommates having sex very loudly. I didn’t say anything at the moment but sat them down the next day and talked about it...turns out the boyfriend was at work during the time it happened
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213points
#26
Not in my house, but I travel a lot for work and stay in a lot of hotels.
So far my favorite was hearing someone banging around in the shower for a while then this exchange:
(Loudly) "Hey! Wash my balls."
(Louder)"Wash your own goddamned balls!"
(Yelling)"F**k you, your pussy stinks!"
They got quiet after that, probably because they heard me howling with laughter and realized people could hear them.
211points
#27
I shared a wall with a Buddhist temple, so a lot of chanting and gonging. It was an awesome five years.
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209points
We hope you’re enjoying this list of some of the most hilarious, disturbing and confusing things tenants have heard through their walls. Keep upvoting the stories you think all your fellow pandas should hear, and then let us know in the comments if you have ever overheard a conversation that deserves on this list. I hope you all have privacy and peace and quiet in your homes, but if not, you might want to look into some soundproofing gear. I wouldn’t want you to come across details about your personal life on Reddit, shared by your neighbors…
#28
"Gina, I love you! Gina no! Gina, dammit put the knife down!!" At this point, both the apartments adjoining to Gina's called the police. Gina's husband decided to spend the night elsewhere.
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199points
#29
In college, I lived in a crappy apartment nearby the school, that was mostly populated by students. Halfway to class one day, I realized I forgot a book and had to rush back to my apartment to get it. As I was running up the stairs (which shared a wall with the stairs in the next door apartment, which mirrored my own) I could have sworn I heard someone yelling. I ignored it and ran to my room to grab my book. As I clambered downstairs, again I heard yelling, and I paused to listen. I heard some unintelligible moaning, and eventually heard the words “help me,” weakly groaned from the stairs next door. I rushed out and tried their door, but it was locked. I totally forgot about my class and ran to the apartment management office, hoping that someone was there. A manager was, thank goodness, and after I explained the situation, she grabbed her master keys and we booked it back to my neighbor’s place. She opened the door and the poor guy was laying in the stairwell (it was one of the ones that goes up halfway to the second floor, then turns 90 degrees for the rest of the way), clearly having fallen. I called 911 while the manager ran over to the guy. Ambulance came and picked him up, and I later learned that he had fallen down the stairs after passing into a brief diabetic coma. I guess he hadn’t eaten in some time; I don’t know too much about how diabetes works. Anyhow, to this day, I feel grateful that I forgot that book. That poor guy could have died, slumped halfway down the stairs with his face in the carpet.
Edited to add: also, relevant to the thread, I was grateful for the thin walls. Just for that though. Thin walls suck.
Edited again to add: Thanks stranger - baby’s first Reddit gold!
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193points
#30
Neighbor worked alot and hired a new sitter. New sitter invited 2 guys over. Kids were only 3 and 1
Heard her say "if we leave to go to the corner store now, the kids will be fine alone for 20 minutes." and heard them talking about popping some of moms xanax and selling them. Then they promptly left. I walked out knocked on the door and the 3 year old boy came out. I called the police, went into the apartment found moms work number next to the sink and she was furious. Left work and came back home and as she was walking up to thank me and the officers, the babysitter and guys came into the complex. (Mind you this was all within an hour, not 20 minutes lol). Mom whooped babysitter, then called babysitters mom and she got another whoopin. Got offered a sitting job after that and took it. LOL. Also have heard one of my neighbors talking in tongues and yodeling. Glad I dont live in apartment anymore.
Heard her say "if we leave to go to the corner store now, the kids will be fine alone for 20 minutes." and heard them talking about popping some of moms xanax and selling them. Then they promptly left. I walked out knocked on the door and the 3 year old boy came out. I called the police, went into the apartment found moms work number next to the sink and she was furious. Left work and came back home and as she was walking up to thank me and the officers, the babysitter and guys came into the complex. (Mind you this was all within an hour, not 20 minutes lol). Mom whooped babysitter, then called babysitters mom and she got another whoopin. Got offered a sitting job after that and took it. LOL. Also have heard one of my neighbors talking in tongues and yodeling. Glad I dont live in apartment anymore.
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189points
#31
"F**k you, man! If you don't like spaghetti, then you don't like me!"
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187points
#32
What can only be described as my flat mate having phone sex while using Christian bales batman voice
185points
#33
Every night I would hear my hardcore alcoholic neighbour puke in the sink, jam to her "party music" (usually Concrete Blonde on full blast), puke again, drag her foldout bed out of the closet, then turn on all her fans to go to bed. Her routine. I stopped hearing it. All I heard were the fans. Knew in my gut something was wrong, but kept pushing it away. (I was avoiding her in order to build up some boundaries between us). Silence for five days straight. She had been dead in there for five days, autopsy said heart and liver issue due to chronic alcoholism..
After the body was removed, I let her son into her apartment as I had a spare key. Some decomposition on her rollout bed, but no smell other than her usual smell. He thanked me for being the only regular person in her life, and I felt so guilty.
Keep an ear out for silence, friends.
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179points
#34
My downstairs neighbor (a 40 something Moroccan gentleman) playing various videogame songs on his piano for his son who came to visit. It was very cute and wholesome
Edit: a word
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175points
#35
Father used to live in a trailer park. I have nothing against trailer parks, but this one was pretty bad.
We heard a loud bang, sounded like a .22, it wasn't overly loud.
Then, "Did you get him?"
Voice 2: "Yeah, he's dead alright."
First voice: "That'll teach him not to go near your drugs!"
Cops were called, turns out these guys shot a cockroach with a handgun. Both arrested for drug charges, one with discharging a firearm improperly.
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169points
#36
I moved from far away, so I have a different state license plate than everyone else at the apartment complex. A couple of days ago I head my upstairs neighbor drunkenly ranting to his wife about what he thinks I'm up to. He's convinced that I'm on the run from something. I'm just in grad school lmao.
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164points
#37
an argument about money while I was doing the dishes. It ended with a slammed door and one of them on a piano, hitting the keys like a maniac. Some people read, some people go get something to eat, some people exercise.. this m**********r relieves stress by going crazy on a piano. lol
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164points
#38
Recently downstairs girl has acquired a dog that:
1. she doesn't take on walks
2. she leaves at home, out of a crate.
I hear her come home and yell/scream/throw s**t at this poor dog... it's heartbreaking - and since no one else in the 4-plex is home I am kinda scared to call animal control in case this crazy b***h decides to make my life hell for reporting her.
Suggestions welcome, this has been tearing at my conscience for the last 2 weeks.
Edit: it's been reported
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161points
#39
"William! We do *not* hit!"
His mom was visiting. He was 30.
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156points
#40
Upstairs neighbors were a single mom and teenage daughter. They were very loud. The mom’s room was above my room. One day I had off and was woken up by sex upstairs. It was pretty common in the previous couple weeks. This time, though, someone came in and started screaming.
“YOU’RE HAVING SEX IN MYYYYY BED?!”
Turns out the daughter had been skipping school and coming back to the apartment with her boyfriend. They were the ones having sex in the mom’s bed. The fight that ensued should’ve earned both women awards.
146points
