A pair of German pensioners on the wrong end of their neighbors allegedly heavy footsteps will have to take it all in stride, after the country’s highest court ruled that the man’s resounding gait was in line with the law.
The conflict came to a head in the German seaside resort of
Travemünde, on the Baltic Sea. The dueling neighbors are
residents of the Maritim complex, a 30 story, 70s-era building,
which houses 320 apartments.
The bone of contention was one less of decorum and more of decor;
namely, whether the upstairs neighbor had gotten off on the wrong
foot by ripping up the carpet and opting for parquet flooring.
The case, which came before The Federal Supreme Court (BGH) in
Karlsruhe, argued both that the resident had no right to uproot
the carpet due to the upscale nature of the apartment, and that
in doing so, he was violating the noise ordinance.
Both the arguments, however, fell on deaf ears.
The court said that his footsteps fell within the maximum level
of 63 decibels. A normal conversation, meanwhile, is anywhere
between 60-65 decibels, while a telephone dial tone is 80
decibels.
As for the “binding upscale” amenities, the court ruled
that the buildings designation as an upmarket complex did not
entail that the floors remain carpeted, even if they were
“chic in the 70s”, the Local’s German edition cites
Judge Christina Stresemann as saying.
The defendant’s legal council also noted that 53 apartments in
the building already had installed different types of flooring.