Moving into a new place usually comes with a little adjustment. You learn the sounds of the building, figure out where to park, get used to the neighbors, and eventually settle into a routine.
For one couple, that routine had been completely uneventful since they moved into their duplex in 2021. They had neighbors come and go, but there had never been a serious problem.
Then, about six months ago, a new neighbor moved in.
At first, the complaints seemed harmless enough. Then they started appearing on the couple’s front door.
Again and again, the neighbor left handwritten notes complaining about smells coming from their home. First it was smoking. Then cologne. Then air freshener. The couple insisted none of those accusations made much sense.
They don’t smoke. They don’t use plug-in air fresheners. They burn a candle perhaps twice a month, and both of them work so much that they’re barely home for long stretches of the day.
Still, the notes kept coming.
And eventually, the couple’s Ring camera captured something that made the situation even stranger. The neighbor was recorded reaching across their doorway to leave another note while apparently trying to avoid the camera.
At that point, the question wasn’t simply, “What smell is she complaining about?”
It was, “How do we get this to stop?”
Here’s how it all unfolded.
The Notes Wouldn’t Stop
The couple had already contacted their landlord about the situation. His advice was straightforward: ignore the neighbor.
That sounds easy until someone repeatedly comes to your door and leaves complaints about things you aren’t actually doing.
The first issue was smoking.
Except there was no smoking.
Then came complaints about perfume and cologne. Again, the couple acknowledged that they occasionally used perfume, but they weren’t covering their home in fragrances. Candles weren’t a regular thing either.
The wife had actually spoken with the neighbor face-to-face after the first complaint. She tried to be reasonable and explained that they weren’t heavy candle users and didn’t use air fresheners around the house.
The neighbor suggested that perhaps the building itself was responsible because it was old.
The wife agreed that this was possible, and the conversation ended peacefully.
For about two months, anyway.
Then the notes started.
The couple’s Ring camera became particularly useful because it showed the neighbor approaching their door to leave the messages. In one instance, she apparently tried to reach around the camera while placing the note, only to be recorded anyway.
The husband eventually reached his limit.
After another note appeared, he wrote back with a simple message telling her to stop.
It wasn’t exactly the diplomatic solution their landlord had recommended, but after months of unexplained complaints, their patience was wearing thin.
But What Was She Actually Smelling?
This is where the story gets genuinely interesting.
Several Reddit commenters wondered whether the neighbor could be experiencing a smell that wasn’t actually coming from the couple.
One possibility raised was phantosmia, a condition in which someone perceives an odor that isn’t actually present. Cleveland Clinic explains that people experiencing phantom smells can detect odors such as cigarette smoke or chemical smells even when there is no corresponding source. Various conditions, including infections, allergies, migraines and other medical issues, can contribute to changes in smell perception.
That doesn’t mean this neighbor has phantosmia. There simply isn’t enough information to know.
Another commenter suggested something much more mundane: the couple’s dryer.
Depending on how a building is laid out, scents from laundry products can sometimes travel outside through vents. Since the neighbor frequently left her window open, it was possible she was picking up an odor from somewhere else and assuming it originated inside the couple’s apartment.
That possibility actually fits the broader mystery better than it initially seems.
Smells travel.
In an older duplex, figuring out exactly where an odor originates isn’t necessarily as obvious as walking outside and pointing at the nearest door.
The neighbor could genuinely be smelling something.
The bigger question is whether she has correctly identified its source.
The Landlord’s “Just Ignore Her” Advice
The landlord’s response also became a point of frustration.
“Just ignore her” sounds reasonable when you’re dealing with one strange note.
But when the notes keep appearing for months, ignoring the problem doesn’t necessarily make it disappear.
One Reddit commenter put it bluntly: when the landlord says to ignore her, maybe what he really means is that he’s ignoring the tenants too.
Others thought the couple should take a calmer approach and speak to the neighbor directly, especially because the neighbor had already tried communicating through notes.
One suggested giving her the notes back and explaining clearly that they don’t smoke, don’t use plug-in fragrances and aren’t responsible for whatever smell she is detecting.
That approach has one major advantage: it establishes a boundary without escalating the situation.
The couple also has something important on their side now: documentation.
The notes can be kept. The Ring footage can be saved. Communications with the landlord can be documented.
That matters because this doesn’t have to become a personal feud between two households. If the complaints continue, the landlord should be able to see exactly what has been happening.
Final Thoughts
The strangest part of this story is that both sides could potentially believe they’re right.
The neighbor may genuinely be experiencing unpleasant odors. The couple may genuinely not be producing them.
Those things aren’t mutually exclusive.
The smartest move probably isn’t another angry note or a hallway confrontation. It’s documentation, a clear boundary, and getting the landlord involved if the complaints continue.
And if the mystery smell still exists after that, perhaps the next step isn’t another note on the door. Perhaps it’s figuring out where the smell is actually coming from.
Because sometimes the person you think is causing the problem isn’t the source at all.
