Apartment Neighbours...

[Munkie]

can seriously suck.

Question: Your neighbour comes to your door and politely asks you to turn your music down a bit, because she is trying to watch TV, and cannot because all she hears is your music. Do you:

A) Apologise and turn it down?
B) Tell her to read the rental agreement.
C) Argue with her for 5 minutes about being allowed to listen to it as loud as he wants until 11pm.

Any guesses?

If you guessed A, this story would not be here. Onwards fair reader!

Last week, I'd been laid low with a mighty chest cold, so I spent most of my week sleeping on the couch and watching tv. Now, I've got these people in the place below me, that replaced a young couple with 4 kids. The new neighbours have a dog. Dog is often locked in a bathroom (the place is identical to mine, so there are 2), which means it can be heard barking all day. Now, this last week, as I am laying there on the couch trying to rest and watch some tv, they decided to listen to music. Not a huge issue in an of itself. No... the issue is that it not only is rattling the windows slightly, I can no longer hear my TV. Which is at full volume.

I get dressed, grab my keys and walk down to my neighbour's apartment and knock on the door. His child answers, then he comes to the door. I ask him politely if he minds turning his music down a bit, as I am having trouble hearing my TV. He asks me "So?" I tell him, "Your music is beginning to rattle my windows and it's drowing out my TV, which I have at full volume to hear it over your music. Would you please turn it down a bit so I can watch TV?"

He then proceeds to argue with me about having been told that he was allowed to listen to his music as loud as he wants, whenever he wants, until 11pm. Yes, that is in the rental agreement, but it ALSO states in the agreement that it is to be at a reasonable level until 11pm. Basically, if your neighbours are asking you to turn it down.. it is not at a reasonable level. So finally, he tells me, in an irritated tone, that they were going to be leaving soon anyway and blah blah blah. I said fine and left. Back in my apartment, I can tell they have turned the music down a tad, then about 30 - 45 mins later, it's off completely.

Blessed silence. I return my TV to a much lower level and continue to watch my show.

So far, they have not had their music that loud since, but they still have screaming fights at 1 am in the master bedroom... which is below mine. And no, I can't wear earplugs, none fit my freakishly tiny ears and I tend to sleep fairly heavily. I hadn't been sleeping well that week because 1) roommate was gone and I wasn't used to the absolute silence in my apartment and 2) being sick sucks. Everything woke me up.

[bhskittykatt]

Try discussing it with your landlord. They might be able to intervene.

I had upstairs neighbors like that. They would play drums, rather badly I may add, that would start at 11pm (when I got home from work) and end at about 2:30am (when I had to get up for my paper route). They would also play loud music in the hallway, and when Hubby poked his head out to ask if they could please quiet down, they'd say "Who are you telling to be quiet?!?!" and start to come at him. He'd shut the door and deadbolt it.

A couple times we called the police, but it never did anything, since they started up as soon as the cops left. Eventually they were evicted...from the shouting match with my landlord I gathered that they were well behind in rent. My new neighbors are much more quiet...

[poofy_puff]

I feel your pain.


I lived on a second floor apartment once where I had first-floor AND third-floor neighbors with subwoofers. They complained that *I* was disturbing THEM when I'd bang on the floor or ceiling because they refused to come to the door when I'd knock to ask them to turn it down.

If their music has lots of bass, play them some bagpipes to show your appreciation.

[Munkie]

Bagpipes... i'll be sure to take up lessons!

@bhskittykatt: actually, this was the one and only time it really, honestly bothered me, and that was because I spend very little time in my living room. I was only out there because when i'm sick, my bed just doesn't feel right, and a couch is far more comfortable (i have no idea why!)

[Sapphire Silk]

I had a neighbor like that, as well.

Lady and her 18 year old son had just moved in to the apartment next to mine. 3 am I wake up to this incredibly loud "boom shicky boom" music. I'm a deep sleeper; it's hard to wake me.

I go bang on the door. Son answers, apologizes, and turns it down. Mom makes excuses the next day about how she had a migraine and had gone to bed and didn't realize what son was doing. Yeah right lady.

This began a long battle between us. Son persistently kept playing the music loud. Landlord wasn't much help at first, so I started calling the cops. Unfortunately, the cops weren't interested in tenant disputes and wouldn't give Son the citation he so richly deserved. But there were other complaints from residents and finally Landlord banned the Son from the property. Mom moved out after her year lease was up.

The screaming at 1am is unacceptable behavior but easier to deal with: just call it in as a domestic dispute. The cops usually take those a bit more seriously.

OTOH, my upstairs neighbor in that same apartment building was much nicer: always asking if she was making too much noise. In truth, I almost never heard her, and when I did it was creaking on the floor from her walking about (she can't help that).

I live in a house now, and while I have had noise issues from neighbors it is nothing like what I had to deal with in an apartment. I will never live in one again if I can help it.

[Whiskey]

1) bug the shit out of your landlord.
2) Call the police and report a noise violation. If its loud enough that they can hear it over the phone, they should show up. Landlords don't take too kindly to the police showing up at their complex.

[RxBoy]

I used to have an upstairs neighbor who was loud at night, too. Since we each had separate electric, we had our own circuit boxes. I used to go down to the basement and shut off the breakers when their music got too loud. They never did figure out that it was me.

[raw456]

I feel your pain hope is doesnt get too bad.

Years ago I lived in a block of flats heavily populated by a certain ethnic group. Whilst 99% of them were great, the people across the hall from me were constantly having impromptu parties that would start around midnight and go till about 3-4am. The music was unbelievably loud. One night I went over to tell them to STFU!!!! and got the "we no understand eglish" response.
I said "here's 2 english words to learn, Immigration and Deportation!" and stomped back to my flat. Within seconds the music stopped, and less than a week later they all moved out. Apparently my bluff scared them

[blas]

There were two scuzzballs who used to live below me and one unit to the right, they had a band and thought these little poorly insulated two bedroom apartments were the perfect place for band practice. My psycho downstairs neighbor never complained about that, but I must fear her wrath if I make a peep after dark.

[Andara Bledin]

I have inconsiderate neighbors, myself. I've posted about them a few times already.

Thankfully, our complex has a security company. For some bizarre reason, they patrol during the day (when nobody really does anything) and then are only on call at night (you know, when people actually get up to stuff).

Regardless, they will roll for noise issues. We've called the at least half a dozen times on our hole neighbors.

We also called them once, when the downstairs neighbor was running a large blower to dry the carpet in a room that got flooded. We didn't mind the sound of the blower motor (it was gas-powered - why would you run that inside at night while you're trying to sleep, with the windows closed?), but the noise of the blinds being slammed against the window pane was making an unholy racket. You could barely hear a thing from outside, but the walls in this place conduct sound like nobody's business. >_<

I suggest anyone with noisy neighbor problems look up the local ordinances for noise violations. That way, you can have some idea of how loud is legally too loud.

^-.-^

[Shalom]

it was gas-powered - why would you run that inside at night while you're trying to sleep, with the windows closed?

Because you're trying to be considerate and asphyxiate yourself with carbon monoxide so your upstairs neighbors can finally get some sleep at night once you're gone?

[Munkie]

the fighting at one am doesn't happen all the time. they just happened to have one last week, while I was sleeping badly. they are actually really good neighbours, I honestly DO NOT have an issue with them. I've only had to go down the once to ask them to turn their music down. Local noise laws state that you can be fined for an unholy racket after 11pm. This isn't usually an issue, and thank goodness too. I often go to bed around 10, but more often it's like, 11. And I get up at 5am.

Most of the time I don't care, as long as I can get to sleep. IF they start getting more obnoxious (arguments all the time, screaming, loud music, etc) I will have a chat with my caretaker. (Our landlord is a company, the caretaker is their spokesperson/on-site problem-solver/etc). But until such time, I have no cause to complaint, since, like I said, it's not an all-the-time thing.


But that does remind me of this place I used to live...

middle-floor apartment, below a volatile couple with a couple month old baby. Often played their music at deafening levels, the bass of which was clearly audible in my apartment (and occasionally the words too). One night, a screaming fight. Lasted long enough, was loud enough, with the screaming baby and the sound of dishes breaking... that I called it in. by the time i had called it it, they had been screaming at each other, non-stop for nearly an hour. IIRC, the cop I spoke to said "bout an hour to get there..." until I mentioned breaking dishes and a baby.

lo and behold, the magic words. no less than SIX cruisers showed up ten minutes later and up they trooped. One set stopped to talk to me and my sister (she refused to talk to them, so I told them all i knew), and the rest did their thing. I heard them tromping back down the stairs, and i look out my front window. theres a lady cop with the baby, two male cops with the upstair's female neighbour, handcuffed, and she was NOT happy. I considered it settled, even after i got a note under my door, a "if you called the cops imma kick yo' ass bitch" note from the male. (nothing ever came of that, btw)

I will not hesitate to call the cops if it is warranted. Especially with a child involved. I've not once heard the child downstairs screaming, so its all good.

Anyway, here's a crappy drawing of that building, and I hope y'all can see it okay.

[blas]

My friends, who are a married couple now, as a fresh couple were once harrassed by elderly neighbors in their very first place they got together in a 4plex, with the worst elederly couple you could ever imagine as neighbors.

Worse than what our neighborhood Sheriff does, these freaks would peek out their windows any time my friend or her husband (well, then bf) would come or go, even if it was just them, no one else, no friends, no nothing. Eventually, there got to be dents in the shades in one particular neighbor's apartment. My friend said that eventually they started waving when they'd see the neighbors peeking at them, and after a few rounds of that, all of a sudden whenever they'd come or go, their neighbors lights would go off (at night) and they'd still be able to see a shadow behind the fingers poking through the shades.

Then there was the mattress and head-board ordeal. My friend's husband threw out their old head-board, next to the dumpster, which was allowed. Someone else in that area threw out a very small child size TRANSFORMERS mattress, which was not allowed for disposal at that place.

The husband of the prying neighbors called up the landlord and said that he personally witnessed my friend's husband toss the mattress next to the dumpster

The landlord promptly called my friend and her husband and said that they'd been tipped that they had thrown a mattress by the dumpster and that that was not allowed per lease rules blah blah blah....... and proceeded to come over, and my friend's husband (who can really be a prick when he wants to, once in a while it's a good thing!) not-so-nicely pointed out that he and my friend live ALONE as a couple, they share a bed, a child size bed would not fit either of them, there is NO WAY any normal young couple would be sharing a Transformers mattress, and that they have no kids or even kids who would stay with them. Their spare bedroom was the computer room. He even waved his arm into their room, with their king sized bed and said "THAT is our bed. We just got a new head board. I put the old one next to the dumpster. THAT, I did. That is ok, right?"

Fortunately, the landlord believed them. My friend and her husband knew exactly who tattled on them. Friend's husband went over to their place the very next day after the landlord incident and pounded on their door. Both of them answered, and husband went off on them for telling on them and getting them in trouble over something that they didn't do, and that they damn well knew that there was no proof and only did it to get them in trouble. The wife of the couple actually hid behind her husband, but he got really mad and actually tried raising his voice at my friend's husband, it ended with my friend's husband saying something along the lines of whatever you say, but we're sick and tired of your shit, that includes you peeking out the windows at us, get a life and leave us alone.

Then my friend and her husband moved out as soon as their lease was up, only having to deal with them still peeking at them through the windows still in the meantime.

[PepperElf]

I considered it settled, even after i got a note under my door, a "if you called the cops imma kick yo' ass bitch" note from the male. (nothing ever came of that, btw)

if you're afraid of reprisal you can also tell the cops that you don't want them to contact you when they show up

[Darkforge]

Bagpipes... i'll be sure to take up lessons!

surely the point is that you don't take lessons...