I moved into my apartment June 15 and have had so many problems this entire time. First of all, I can hear every sound the upstairs neighbors make. I already complained about it and they have stopped playing loud music, and I can tell they are really making a concerted effort to be quieter, so I don't blame them. I blame the total lack of soundproofing in these cruddy San Francisco single-family homes which have been divided into several different units for a dozen people to be crammed into.

But the noise is definitely not what is bothering me the most. The biggest problem I have is that another tenant, who lives in the unit next to mine, cooks fish for dinner almost every night. And the smell is unbelievably strong, as though her kitchen range pumps the air straight through my vents. I have already spent a few hundred dollars on basically every odor eliminating product imaginable, and it only helps a little bit. It really permeates into everything. This evening the smell of fried fish was so intense that I started feeling sick to my stomach and had to go for a walk for an hour to let the smell dissipate. It's too much.

I am obviously not going to complain directly to my neighbor about cooking smells because I'm not in charge of what other people choose to eat, but I want the freedom to blow this popsicle stand. I never, ever would have moved here if I had known I would have to smell fish every day. It is honestly the most repulsive odor to me. But I have no idea how my landlady would respond if I explained the situation and asked to break my lease. I can't afford any sort of legal fees. Nor could I afford to pay the rent on this apartment while living somewhere else-- the Bay Area is very expensive and I'm just squeaking by as it is! What recourse do I have in this situation? It is unlivable and I cannot make it until next June.

I just did a quick search and can't vouch for this organization personally, but tenants' unions are a good option for legal help/advice. San Francisco has its own tenants union that has been around since 1970, so I'd imagine they're pretty good at what they do! Here's the URL: https://sftu.org/

I'm not sure how much help they can give you, but at the very least they can probably point you in the right direction.

No advice as I no longer live in the area and am not sure what help still exists but... As a former Bay Area resident who jumped ship because of the rent versus living in an actual layer of hell problem, you have my most extreme sympathy. I used to live with someone who made a weekly meal that literally smelled like a hot garbage can. To this day I have NO idea what she could possibly have been making, I've never smelled anything like it since then except for, well, actual garbage.

I almost would recommend talking to the fish person, to try and get them on your side to talk to the landlord about it together, since you have no hard feelings against them and it's the situation that is the problem. Maybe there's actually a ventilation problem in the kitchen that could be fixed. I know I would be low-key embarrassed and want to help any way I could if I knew my neighbor was being tormented by a constant wind of my homemade kimchi's scent where I live. But then again, having lived in the Bay, there are a lot of unfortunate people there who may not see it that way. In any case, I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you for the advice + commiseration in your replies! It is greatly appreciated. I have been doing quite a bit of research and think I may be able to figure a way out of here eventually based on the lack of ventilation, but I'm going to keep thinking about the situation and try to put together a plan. Thanks for mentioning the tenant's rights union, Marcus. I will be sure to reach out to them when I've decided when / how I will leave.

In the meantime I have taped several layers of aluminum foil over all of the vents in my apartment like a weirdo, and am relying on an air purifier to keep me breathing my own air. 🙃

No problem! :) I hope that they can help you out so you're able to live more comfortably. My old apartment had similar issues (nothing nearly as extreme) so I totally understand how much potent smells can affect comfort and sometimes people's ability to do things.