36 Funny Passive-Aggressive Notes From Neighbors Who Have Had Enough

Apartment living can truly be wild at times. One minute, you’re minding your own business, and the next, you’re caught in a passive-aggressive note war with someone you’ve never actually seen in person.

Whether it’s about noise, parking, mysterious smells, or the great laundry room standoff, neighbors seem to prefer airing their grievances on paper rather than having an actual conversation.

Lucky for us, that means a treasure trove of hilariously dramatic, wildly unhinged, and sometimes oddly polite notes. From expertly crafted sarcasm to full-blown artistic masterpieces of pettiness, these neighborly messages prove that apartment life is never boring.

1. “Friendly neighbor”

“Our cat got out and ran straight into our neighbors apartment”

2. “Moved in 2 days ago”

“keep in mind i just moved in 2 days ago, couldn’t park in my spot because someone was there and was finally able to, today i got this note on my car. what do i even do?”

3. “Creepy Van”

4. “Easy Sting”

5. “Enjoy The TP”

6. “Cute Note For Our Cats”

“We live on the first floor and our cats love to sit in the window that faces the parking lot”

7. “Brutal Honesty”

8. “How To Handle This”

“This person has parked their old sedan in my reserved spot multiple times. I finally left a note that said, “Please remember that this spot is reserved, and someone else parks here.” I simply lifted the windshield wiper to tuck the note underneath—I didn’t touch anything else.

Then, I hopped in the shower. Two minutes later, I heard banging on my door—then heavy beating. I called my complex’s courtesy officer and even considered calling the cops. Then, I found this note.

The pounding on my door was so intense that I don’t feel safe. I was genuinely afraid the door might come down. The note itself seems threatening. Should I just ignore this? The person lives right below me, so we’re in close proximity…”

9. “Seems Reasonable”

10. “NOT AT ALL DANGEROUS”

11. “Note left on door”

“Nasty neighbor keeps knocking on our door and leaving notes about a baby crying… but I don’t even have a baby!

They keep complaining about noise, but it’s coming from all around us.

What would y’all do about a neighbor like this?”

12. “Neighbor who keeps complaining about me left cookies at my doorstep”

“I’ve lived in my second-floor apartment for almost nine years and never had any complaints from downstairs neighbors—until a new one moved in about six months ago.

I’m a homebody, I don’t have a lot of visitors, just two cats. Everything was fine until about three months ago, when I had a guest over for the first time since she moved in. That same night, she left a note on my door complaining that I walk and talk too loud. I ignored it but notified management in case things escalated—and they did. She went on to complain to them twice more.

Now, I feel super self-conscious just existing in my own space. Even talking on speakerphone makes me worried I’m being disruptive. She hasn’t complained in a while, so I thought it was over. But today, she left a note and cookies on my doorstep, and honestly? It makes me feel weird.

I don’t want to be friends with this person. She’s already made me uncomfortable in my own home, and I’d rather not acknowledge her. I have no idea what her intention is here—if she’s trying to bait me into apologizing or what. If I respond, I’ll just leave a simple thank-you note. But I don’t even know if I want to do that.”

13. “Someone’s parked in my spot twice already.”

“I work nights, and I guess one of the neighbors noticed because they’ve helped themselves to my assigned parking space twice now (that I know of). The first time was this past Sunday when my partner texted me about it while I was at work. It happened again tonight when we got home from visiting family. (I wasn’t working, but they probably assumed I was since my space was open in the evening.)

I left a note on their windshield and emailed management as well. Did I handle this okay, or should I be worried about retaliation? I’m not a big fan of confrontation, but I also don’t like the idea of someone just taking my assigned space whenever they think I’m not home.

I’m new to apartment living, so I’d love any advice or input. Thanks!”

14. “Justified note?”

“This has been a whirl wind. After the garbage has sat there for days, it was FINALLY taken out.”

15. “Crazy lady next door to me”

16. “Second night parking in my spot.”

17. “Regarding my last post about neighbors having loud a** s*x..”

18. “Is there a better way to word this?”

“So, my upstairs neighbors smoke a lot of weed, and the smell is really strong. It comes down through our vents about three times a day. Personally, I don’t care, but when my kids and family visit, I have to explain it… and my ex is the type who might withhold visitation over it.

I bought an air purifier and was thinking of leaving it by their door with a note. I’m just worried it might come off as kind of rude. I’ve never talked to these people before—it’s six people living above me, with empty rooms for when my kids visit. They’re super loud, but I usually just stay in my room.”

19. “Well this is embarrassing…”

20. “Here’s a good one… last month my lovely downstairs neighbor taped this to my door.”

“My son was apparently laughing too loud while playing at the park with his friends… Let’s hope her lease ends soon because this is the third letter she’s left on my door about his “laughing.” I’ll see if I can find the others.

She’s 65, has 15 cats, and we can smell her cigarette smoke through our vents every night. We’ve never said a mean word to her, but honestly, I might just post my own letter about the cigarette smoke… and I’m not even that type of person.

But COME ON. This is ridiculous.”

21. “Note on neighbors door. My mom made me feel bad.”

22. “Best possible outcome?”

“My neighbor is a 26-year-old guy living on his own for the first time, so some missteps are expected. Based on the smell, I’m pretty sure he chain-smoked at least two packs because the stench was rank. Our downstairs neighbor also complained to me, which was a nice confirmation that I wasn’t just being dramatic.

I had to use a lot of carefully worded language to mask my frustration, and his response made me feel like a total monster. But hey, I’ll take the win!”

23. “My college roommate was the noisy neighbor”

24. “Is this normal? Am I in the wrong for being annoyed?”

“My boyfriend and I moved into a new apartment last summer, and at first, we loved it. But in the past few months, things have gone downhill fast.

We haven’t had heat in our bedroom all winter, and property management keeps brushing us off. Then they suddenly stopped managing the building, and the new company still hasn’t fixed anything. Meanwhile, we’re paying $2K for a one-bedroom… with no heat.

On top of that, all our packages started getting stolen—including a $500+ Fabletics order and Christmas gifts. To test it, we ordered a small Amazon package… stolen. Someone even had their prescription meds taken. Yet, no one else in the building seems to have this problem.

As if that wasn’t enough, neighbors stomp up and down the stairs at all hours, shaking our light fixtures and waking us up. A polite note changed nothing.

I’m fed up. I don’t want to be rude, but I also don’t feel like being nice to package thieves or people who have zero regard for their neighbors. And more importantly—who can we report this neglectful property management to?”

25. “Is this note ok to leave for my neighbors?”

“Last night, I found out that my neighbors two floors down can hear my bed making noise at night. I had no idea, and I feel really bad. I don’t know who lives in that unit, but I want them to know that I’m aware of the issue and working on fixing it. Do you think this note is okay to leave?”

26. “First ever note… is it bad?”

27. “Ice Cold Revenge!”

28. “Is leaving this note on my neighbor’s door too harsh or not harsh enough?”

“For context, my neighbor’s dog howls and whines when left alone. My neighbors leave every morning and are gone most of the day. The howling started a week ago, but it’s been getting worse each day. On Saturday, it was nonstop for six hours, and it sounded like the dog was trying to break out of a metal crate. I was genuinely worried it might hurt itself.

I work from home, and it’s really affecting my concentration and mood. I’m not exaggerating when I say the howling is SO LOUD and lasts for hours. I understand that dogs need time to adjust to apartment life, but this doesn’t seem to be improving—it’s actually getting worse.

I don’t want to be that neighbor who leaves passive-aggressive notes, but I’ve never met my neighbors and wouldn’t know how to approach them since I don’t even know what they look like. I figured a polite note would be better than going straight to management in case they weren’t aware of how much noise their dog is making.

Should I change anything in the note before leaving it?”

29. “Upstairs neighbors pouring water all over balcony”

30. “Drama in the building last week”

“Call me crazy, but 8 AM or 9 AM is a perfectly reasonable time for people to move around in their own living spaces. The first sign went up, and I saw it and laughed. The next day, a response appeared. By the third day, that response had been taken down. I currently live in a small town in the Midwest, where passive aggression is practically an art form.”