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'Oh God — I'm coming': noise row goes public

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'Oh God — I'm coming': noise row goes public
One solution for those offended by neighbours' noise: ear plugs. Photo: AFP

A neighbour in a housing complex in the canton of Aargau was so annoyed by a couple’s noisy love-making he went public with his discontent in a bid to embarrass them into making less of a racket at night.

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Making excessive noise in Swiss apartment buildings is a no-no, and for the neighbour in the Rosengarten apartments in Untersiggenthal that rule extends to conjugal relations.

To press home his concerns, the anonymous person posted a letter on a door in the underground parking area for the residence detailing his specific concerns, 20 Minuten newspaper reported on Monday.

“At the beginning it was quite amusing to listen through the walls and windows to their loud mating rituals, but still in the long run I have to say as a neighbour it just sucks,” the letter reads.

The neighbour asks in the interest of helping everyone sleep why the couple do not take measures to soundproof their apartment so that those next door do not have to hear the rhythmic bangs of the bedstead against the wall.

“Believe me, it’s no fun when you have to explain to one of the elderly relatives or godchildren that the words of the neighbours, ‘Oh God, I’m coming’ have nothing to do with religion or suicide,” the detailed letter goes on to say.

“During weekdays and on weekends it is just embarrassing when you hear this through the walls.”

Residents in the apartment building informed media of the letter, sparking a debate about how far regulations regarding noise in apartment buildings can go.

A neighbour in another building confirmed that the couple were particularly loud.

“Through the open window, I hear them, though I do not live in the same building,” he told 20 Minuten, adding that he could understand the resentment of the immediate neighbours.

But not everyone agreed with the concerns, with one neighbour expressing annoyance at the letter.

“Sex in your own home should surely be still allowed.”

Walter Angst, spokesman for the local tenant association, said there were always questions of tenants who feel disturbed by lovemaking noise but such issues can be negotiated without the need for arbitration.

“In neighbourhood conflicts we always urge tenants to talk things over with mutual consideration,” Angst told 20 Minuten.

There are usually simple solutions: “You can close the window during intercourse.”

But he said it was neither reasonable nor practical to expect couples to be silent during sex or to establish times when lovemaking could occur.

At the same time, making anonymous public complaints is not the way to respond and could lead to legal action for violation of privacy, Angst indicated.

A neighbour who is upset about lovemaking noises should personally complain to the couple involved or report the matter to the manager of the building who can “deal professionally with such issues and with the necessary restraint”. 

One other solution for the offended neighbour: buy a pair of ear plugs.

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