Should I look for a more expensive apartment?

[Food Lady]

I've been here 8 years and it's 1:37 am and I am still up, waiting for my neighbors to go to bed, already. I have zero problem with people staying up all night if they want, but they slam doors, shout outside on the sidewalk in front of people's bedroom windows, rev car engines, let their kids run through the parking lot, etc. There are times when it's blissfully quiet--Friday and Saturday nights for some unknown reason--and that gives me a false sense of security. I start thinking "Oh, it's not so bad living here" and then BAM-- this nonsense tonight. I have to be up at 7:45 at the very latest. I can't live like this and I think maybe being in a lower-end complex might be the problem.

I can go $200 higher if I have to. My credit isn't great, so I'm imagining for the sake of argument that I could get in on income alone. Let's pretend that's true. Here would be my concerns:

--The "luxury" apartments have even more tenants. Could that mean even more problems to deal with?
--Does more expensive necessarily mean better clientele? You would think those tenants would be busy working productively to make the higher rents, but you never know. Maybe they have crammed a bunch of bored people into one unit to make the rent and all those people have nothing better to do than stay up all night bugging neighbors. I fear I'd regret moving and spending more money.
--Paying more rent means my old bills get paid off even later.

I'm gone 12 hours a day so all I'm asking for is quiet after midnight. The cutoff is 10:00 but I could deal with midnight, even. And not having to schlepp laundry across the parking lot would be nice.

On the other hand, downtown there is an older building that's hidden away in a historical neighborhood where the rent is less than what I pay here, or just about the same. It overlooks the river and the surrounding houses and cemetary are probably 100 years old. I like that. I actually would like being near the cemetary; I find them peaceful and nice places to walk. It looks like the kind of place where the tenants are like 75, which would suit me just fine. Yeah, they can be kind of nosey, but did I mention I'm gone 12 hours a day? The drawback is that it would make my drive to work almost 3 times as long, as it's across town from where I am now. I don't know that I'd mind, though; I could take the longer route along the river, which would be a nice drive. The same stores I go to are on that end of town as they are here. And let's face it: everything here is 10 minutes away, max. It's a small town. It's no biggie to drive to anything, really.

Maybe I shouldn't go more expensive but...older. I don't know if they'd let me rent; one ad said senior living and the other didn't. I should go check it out.

[greek_jester]

It doesn't hurt to check out the one by the cemetery. The worst they can do is say no. If they do, then at least you know where you stand.

[Bright_Star]

Why don't you address your concerns of your current place with the apartment management & see what they can do about the noise? OR if you have to, call the cops.

[eltf177]

Why don't you address your concerns of your current place with the apartment management & see what they can do about the noise? OR if you have to, call the cops.

100% this. You pay your rent and are entitled to peace and quiet!

[Food Lady]

I've complained to management and called the cops more times than I can remember. I've been doing it for 8 years. It gets quiet for a while and maybe someone moves out. Then someone else moves in and it's the same thing all over again. It never ends.

[Trixie]

I know around my area there are apartment complexes with "cottages" which are just a small house, usually have a garage too. Not sure if they're attached but might cut down on annoying door slams. Or maybe some place where the entrances are outside. And if you get a unit on the end that cuts down on noisy neighbors.

[Pixelated]

If it's a corporation that owns the building, they don't, in all likelihood, really give a shit about complaints. Don't like it? Move out. Somebody'll take your place quick enough.

If you can find a privately owned building, that might help. I lived for several years in an apartment building owned by a couple in the next city. She was onsite five days a week and she ran that place with an iron hand -- by which I mean she would cheerfully give you enough rope to hang yourself and then you'd get a non-arguable eviction notice. The place was quiet and clean. I remember one incident in which a family argument escalated into a shouting match, and the next day, a couple members showed up in a panic in her office, apologizing and promising it wouldn't happen again. I am not making that up. (She also would give people some slack when they needed it: when she learned of a tenant who was recovering from cancer and was skimping on groceries in order to pay the rent, she went and bought her some food and told her not to worry about the rent; they would straighten things out when she was better and back to work.)

Money itself doesn't necessarily mean better neighbours. The "It's MY place and I'll do what I want!!" mentality crosses all income levels.

One suggestion I've heard is to drive by your possibilities in the evening and night hours, when you can. That's when everybody's home and it might give you a better idea of what the place is really like.

But I would absolutely start checking other places out. That might take a bit of the tension off right there, just knowing that you are actively looking. I sympathize with you. My last place was a building with a drunken party-hearty dipshit living next door. If I'd had to stay there I'd have lost my mind.

Depending on how much stuff you've got, you might want to start packing too. That might cheer you up a bit while you're looking.

Good luck and I hope you find someplace better.

[morgana]

One suggestion I've heard is to drive by your possibilities in the evening and night hours, when you can. That's when everybody's home and it might give you a better idea of what the place is really like.

This. So very this. A drive-by on a Saturday night was the deciding factor between this place (which I *love*) and the other complex I was considering.

[notalwaysright]

Given how often you post about your neighbors, I'd say move. Yes, it's true that you won't know 100% until you actually live in a place whether it's okay or not. But... At this point, what do you have to lose? It's expensive to move, you have the security deposit, and the cost to actually get from apartment A to apartment B. But you have the possibility of your mental health improving, and you certainly do not have that possibility at your current location.

Just my two cents. I also really like moving every few years, because I love a fresh start. So I might be biased.