I used to live in a basement apartment, and my damn toilet would foam over whenever the upstairs neighbors used their washer. I finally pitched a screaming fit(literally) and told them I was going to the health department. They tried to evict me...so I called the health deptartment. And the attorney general'* office...
They tried to evict me, so I made both calls. They ended up getting several violations from the health dept, having to redo the plumbing in ten apartment buildings(all the basement studios had the same problem...), and I got six months of rent back...
That was a pretty good day for me...