The joys of apartment life

**HalfJax** · 11-09-2007, 12:08 PM

Ahhhhh… The joys of apartment life. Gotta love it.

We seem to have come to a point in our current residence that is quickly spiraling out of control and I am hoping that someone may have had a similar situation and can give some advise on what we should/should not do.

Over the past year, we have had a problem with our neighbors. Namely noise. As petty as some of you may think this is, we feel that we should not be subject to hearing what they are watching or listening to while we watch or listen to our own. We have complained to the management numerous times, we have had the police out a couple of times, we have had the managers themselves come out and listen and still nothing has been done about it.

It is stated in the apartments rules and regulations that “RESIDENT, family and guests shall have due regard for the peace, comfort and enjoyment of the other residents in the building. Musical instruments, radios, television sets, record players, etc., shall be played only during reasonable hours, normally 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and at reasonable volume.”

So what is considered ‘reasonable volume’? We feel that if we can hear it loud enough to recognize what song is being played, then it is not ‘reasonable’ We also feel that if the bass is loud enough to wake me up on the opposite side of the apartment then that too is not ‘reasonable’.

Our manager has written them a ‘final notice’ and still the problem continues. Sometimes it is very apparent that they are being spiteful with their noise. Yet nothing is being done.

I’m wondering if anyone here would know what our next step should be. Obviously we can’t go to the managers anymore as they refuse to do anything about it.

Before anyone suggest that we move, understand that we have a VERY limited income and could barely afford to even move in here. We can maintain, for now, our tenancy, but if it came down to us having to move, we would not be able to afford it at all. We also have suggested to the management to not evict the neighbors, but to move them to a vacant apartment elsewhere Maybe their new neighbors would be a bit more lenient.

We are at our wits end and any help would be appreciated…. Anything.

Thanks

**hiphopcr** · 11-09-2007, 01:41 PM

Never had to deal with noisy neighbors, but I've dealt with a ton of apartment crap in L.A... roof caving in, destroying our possessions and the landlord not doing anything about. Getting ripped off with rent and deposits. Getting our apartment broken into (and stealing our sweet 42" HDTV).

Anyway, sorry bro, I know what it's like to be at your wits end with apartment living.

**Shane R. Monroe** · 11-09-2007, 02:12 PM

Call the cops ... that's what we had to do with our neighbors behind us. We had to call them about ... 3 or 4 times before the trouble stopped.

**Chadster** · 11-09-2007, 02:48 PM

Reminds me of the Office episode where Michael buys a condo and loud violin music plays from next door the whole time they're in the condo. "A 30-year mortgage at Michael's age basically means he's buying a coffin. Now if I were buying my coffin, I would get one with thicker walls... so you couldn't hear the other dead people."

Now that I've gone completely off topic, I, like you, would consider unreasonable volume loud enough to the point where you can clearly hear the music (Not just muffled noise coming from the other side of the wall). Have you tried just complaining straight to the neighbors' faces? Don't be afraid to get pretty angry at them. Calling the cops works too if the prblem persists.

**spinal** · 11-09-2007, 05:19 PM

When my neighbors have bee super noisy in the past, I put my stereo speakers up against the wall and played some cradle of filth just a little louder than their music, within a couple of minutes they turned their music down. This has happened a couple of times, but not for a long time now.
This however might cause you more trouble, so, might be best not to do that.

**HalfJax** · 11-09-2007, 05:32 PM

In the beginning I would walk over and politely ask them to turn it down. Then I started complaining to the managers. After a few times the managers told us to start reporting it to the cops. Called the cops a few times. Cops then told us that it has to be dealt with at the manager level. Went back to complaining to the managers.

The noise level varies. When it is normal day-to-day noise we could care less. But when I'm in taking a shower (which is halfway across our apartment from the wall we share) and can hear their bass thumping over my shower... I think thats a bit too loud. When it wakes me up, it's too loud. We have heard them have a 'normal' volume level and we can not hear anything from them. We have had their music so loud that I was able to sing along with the song that was playing. (Thunder Road, if you are wondering)

Here is the kicker, our manager has given a veiled threat that if we (us and our neighbors) don't settle the problem among ourselves, she will most likely evict BOTH parties. Now, I've had a peek at our file in their office and we do not have one single complaint from anyone in the 2 years we have lived here. They have about 10 or so in just the last year. We are now a bit nervous about bringing ANYTHING to the attention of the manager staff for fear that they will kick us to the curb. It feels like it may be time to get some legal help with this, which is something we really do not want to do. Yet our manager refuses to deal with the issue. She has evicted residents that have allowed guests to stay off the lease. She has evicted people for being late with rent. She has evicted for people parking in wrong spots. Yet she refuses to do something about this. I have tried looking at it from her point of view and I just don't understand. Maybe I'm missing something but to me, it seems rather simple.

They have been given a final notice stating that any more noise complaints and they will be evicted. Yet, we have complained 4 times since then and nothing.

**Turbo2Xs** · 11-09-2007, 05:41 PM

If violence isn't the answer then you're asking the wrong question!

Seriously though (and trust me), your neighbor's CAN be sited for noise levels no matter what time of day it is. The real problem is that you have to deal with them afterwards as well including the possibility of violence, vandalism and other annoyances. Thus, you really have to pick your battles and be prepared to deal with the outcome.

Personally, I'd of be damned if I had to live as a prisoner in my own home but I lived alone and could handle the results of such a confrontation without fear of another being harmed. As for my car at the time, lets just say that even the people that disliked me out of principle (Badge and all) apparently knew better than accost my car. Perhaps THEY to learned to choose their battles...

Best of luck, I certainly understand your position and don't envy you.

**HalfJax** · 11-09-2007, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Turbo2Xs

If violence isn't the answer then you're asking the wrong question!

I think it would fix the problem, but my wife disagrees. And unfortunately I would lose my pension if I end up in jail. 3 meals a day, free health care, clothing, and shelter seem like a good trade off, but then... Wife and child... *sigh*

**Jones** · 11-09-2007, 09:36 PM

My friend is going through the exact same thing. Nothing has been resolved as of yet.

**Dragon57** · 11-09-2007, 09:54 PM

I once had the same exact problem (neighbors and manager). I talked to the neighbors, asked them to respect the terms of the lease (we had babies that needed sleep at the time), pleaded with the manager to do something, etc. It only made the neighbors mad and the noise/music was louder. We did everything, but in the end had to live with it because we could not afford to move either. Luckily the neighbors moved out before we did and the new neighbors were quite.

I truly wish you the best. It is a difficult situation and I wish I had a solution for you.