Children should be seen and not heard.

[HotelMinion]

The condo building were I moved in a few months ago is full of families with like 5 children and 2 barking dogs each. Everytime the school bus comes by to pick up, the line wraps itself around the block of children. Seriously, don't people have anything to do than to procreate? You can'teven enter you're own unit without tripping over someone's child.
The little girls are ok, maybe a giggle or two. The boys are far worse. Far, far worse. Our building has a playground, but it's shared by some other buildings and it's a block or two away. So the boys don't go over there. Instead, they play sports on the front lawns. They kick balls so they hit the parked cars. They SCREAM, oh God, they yell their little foul heads off. I sleep during the day, so I have Ear plugs and my noise canceling out machine and that helps. But it doesn't help when they throw themselves on my front door and on my bedroom window and it feels like someone is breaking in. Sigh. Plus they rap about killing the world. Lovely.
Well, I wanted to make a complaint, but the lady who is the property manager is very scatterbrained, getting ahold of her to talk is a real daunting task. Sooo, I decided to write a complaint to the company that owns the building, but I never got around to it. Turns out, I didn't have to. Other people, I don't know who, have complained and a notice went up. It said the ball playing on the lawn was not allowed and use the playground. And if anyone's children were caught destroying property i.e. the cars, their parents would be fined. Do you think those boys cared? Nope. They just continued. Finally, fed up with the more complaints, the manager decided to plant some trees and shrubbery on the lawns so the dumb boys wouldn't play ball on them anymore. This helped, but now guess what? They've taken to play INSIDE the building now! That's right! They're playing ball in the hallways, which are very small and narrow. The noise of them panting and heaving echos around. I guess the manager will put decorative item in the hallway now.
I wonder if there is some way to get the police involved. Do you think it's a good idea? I don't want to make trouble with my neighbors, but they should really tame their children. Maybe I should just write the owners and hope they would do it.

Also on a side note, this annoying ice cream man comes down our street and stops in front of our building, blasting this annoying, cutesy music at full volume. Maybe I should write their company? Or would they think I was crazy? :\

[Sandiercy]

Perhaps it is time to find a new place to live. I know it can be hard, I have had to do it a few times but you might keep your sanity if you leave.

[Mystic]

Unfortunately, ice cream man isn't really breaking any ordinances so your complaint would likely be laughed at and thrown in the garbage, especially since they make money because they blare that annoying little jingle. Without it, they'd go broke.

As for the kids, it's an issue you need to take up with the building super and work up the ladder from there if nothing is done, but don't expect a whole lot considering it's during the daytime hours. It's an unfortunate curse for people who work nights that they have to deal with daytime noise, but it's a part of the decision you need to consider when working a late shift. The world isn't going to conform to your hours.

I use to work nights so I feel your pain. :\

[Merriweather]

I know it would be a drastic solution, but you might want to check around about adults only apartments. Either a complex that doesn't allow children, or a larger one that has one or two buildings set aside as adults only.

[Sunshine]

I agree with the others..it might be time to move out, and try to find an adult only apt.complex.

[telecom_goddess]

I know it would be a drastic solution, but you might want to check around about adults only apartments. Either a complex that doesn't allow children, or a larger one that has one or two buildings set aside as adults only.

I can't speak for the OP's area but here they are not allowed to have apartments that doesn't allow kids. The only exceptions are senior living centers.

[Kitten in the box]

the only thing i can think of is try moving into an adults only complex. (depending on your income) it may be pricey though. they allow kids to visit relatives that live there but do not allow families to move in with children per se.

also if you are of age you could try checking into senior establishments. (again depending on your income) but these may be up there in price too. senior living establishments allow grandchildren to come and visit but not move in. My Nana use to live in a senior establishment which was a very nice trailer/mobile home park. It was well kept and the "homes" were not trailer like at all.

Unfortunutly there may be little you can do to quiet down the kids, but you can request they not run or play in the hallways as it poses a danger to themselves and other residents.

also the noise factor can be quite disturbing.

[RetailWorkhorse]

The unfortunate thing about adult only complexes is they tend to have an age limit attached to them. If HotelMinion isn't old enough then they say No Way You're Living Here.

It's the same problem I'm having trying to find someplace to live cheap enough in Florida. I can't live in a campground because even in the off-season it's expensive, so I'm having to buy land, something that my Mom and Dad greatly dislike and says so at every chance.

[MoonCat]

You could try to find a place that only has one-bedroom units. They're less likely to have kids in those places. I say "less likely" and not "they won't have any" because I've known people to put their kids to bed in the living room or dining room if they don't have enough bedrooms. But generally if the units are only one bedroom each, they probably won't have many kids living there.

Of course, you could still have other noisy people...

[Flying Grype]

See if you can rent a basement or second-floor apartment in a house. At the very worst you'll be dealing with ONE family rather than umpteen of them. Better, you stand a chance to find a house owned by quiet old folks whose house is too big now that their family is grown. In my experience in-house apartments are cheaper than apartment complex units or condos.

[protege]

As someone who lives in the 'burbs, I know what it's like. Most of the kids are OK. Sure, they'll make some noise playing during the summer, but that's about it. Their parents realize that not everyone enjoys hearing screaming at all hours, so the kids are quiet at night.

Across the street...it's another story. There are two kids, a 6-year-old, and his 2-year-old sister. You'd think that with the little girl being only 2, that she'd be constantly screaming. Since she was born, I've only heard her a handful of times. Usually, she's a happy little one...that only gets upset when her brother is mean to her.

To put it nicely, that kid annoys the fuck out of the entire block. He's constantly screaming over something...mainly because his parents spoil the hell out of him. It'll be 10PM, and he's pounding on his bedroom window (not the frame, but the glass ) screaming his head off. During the winter, it's not so bad--I get home late, and since I have the house closed up, I don't have to deal with it. Summer though, it's another story. People are less tolerant of his screaming when they have their windows open. Yep, the cops come

[Opalin]

To put it nicely, that kid annoys the fuck out of the entire block. He's constantly screaming over something...mainly because his parents spoil the hell out of him. It'll be 10PM, and he's pounding on his bedroom window (not the frame, but the glass ) screaming his head off. During the winter, it's not so bad--I get home late, and since I have the house closed up, I don't have to deal with it. Summer though, it's another story. People are less tolerant of his screaming when they have their windows open. Yep, the cops come

If it wasn't for the hell one of my friends has had to go through due to a false report I'd have called CPA in your situation... "Hello, CPA? There's a little boy across the street who's been up on a regular basis trying to smash his window and screaming almost constantly...."

And OP, if you're still under lease I'd either write a polite request stating that you're not getting enough sleep due to volume levels to the parental units of the children, or the owners of the apt complex

[Merriweather]

I can't speak for the OP's area but here they are not allowed to have apartments that doesn't allow kids. The only exceptions are senior living centers.

I lived in one town that had to resort to passing laws to get more complexes to allow children, so many were becoming adults only that it was next to impossible for a family to find a place. I think the law they came up with only applied to complexes over a certain size, that they had to have at least a percentage of apartments that allowed children.

I loved how one larger complex we lived in handled things. They had several buildings over a large area, and simply set aside one or two buildings to be adults only apartments, and the rest rented to people with or without kids. So adults who wanted to could be in child free buildings, and ones in buildings that allowed kids knew what they were getting into.

Must be difficult in an area that doesn't allow any child free apartments - I recall back in my apartment days there were always a few complexes with the tiniest of apartments, with mostly single adults - can't imagine those places having to rent to people with children, when the places were so tiny and no play areas, etc.

[EvilEmpryss]

If kids are damaging property (yours, specifically) by kicking a ball at your car, you can get the police involved and prosecute the heck out of the parents. If they're destroying other people's property, you can call the police, but can't press charges if you don't own what's damaged.

There are usually nuisance laws even during the day time. That said, banging on your door or window isn't a nuisance, it's harassment. There's a big difference between making noise in a public area and banging on your apartment.

If you can't afford to move to another complex, you also might consider getting a flat on a higher level of the the one you're in. The kids should be less likely to go to the second or third story to cause problems for people. If you have proof that you're subject to undue noise and harassment where you are now, you might be able to convince the management to let you swap apartments without any fines or extra fees.

Just don't turn into an SC when asking for them.

[Dreamstalker]

Our building is supposed to be adults/professionals only. There are three other tenants with kids; the woman below us with a boy and a girl who are fairly well-behaved, and the couple 'next door' above us who have a toddler. Those two families are fine, the kids never cause any problems.

The couple above US; two kids who are of school age, but rarely actually in school. They never play outside--which is baffling, this building has six parks/playgrounds within walking distance--instead choosing to rampage around the apartment to the point where items in our place are rattling on walls and on occasion I can feel the sofa (which isn't anywhere near a wall) vibrating. We've complained, but apparently unless they actually violate quiet hours, management can't/won't do anything (um, all tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment of the unit; their 'quiet enjoyment' is infringing on ours).