What to do about (insert not so nice word) neighbors??

[MadMan118]

So the neighbor across the hall decided to call the super to have him come over to explain to me that I'm closing my door to loudly. I wish I could make this up. And the other night I had to explain to the police responding to a noise complaint that my apt was completely devoid pf people except me and my girlfriend who were at the time asleep. I really don't get it especially when her teenage daughter's friends are coming and going at obscene hours of the night . Right. Now obviously trying to talk to building management has fallen short of any sort of progress. And the neighbor denies any of this, of course. So is there some other civil means of solving this issue I really don't want to leave but I'm not going to stand for being harassed.

[cookiesRfalla]

Start closing your door VERY loudly.

[MatticusMania]

Did you document the visit you received from the super and the police? Get and keep records. She can deny it all she wants until the evidence is staring her in the face.

[sandmangeck]

brown paper bag, feces, lighter.

[Selta]

That sucks. I've never had issues with neighbors... and I probably usually am that "*******" too. Sometimes noisy (never too late or too early), let my door slam if I'm carrying something etc.

[MatticusMania]

About two weeks ago I came home from a gig after ingesting a particular substance. It was about 1:30 am and I got the inclination to play the piano. About an hour later my fiancee was coming home from a gig that she played. Just as she parked the car the police rolled by and stopped her. They questioned her, as they were responding to a noise complaint. She was a little unsettled after coming inside and she told me about being rolled up on. I had to tell her that the neighbors probably called the clops on me. The next day I went and apologized to my neighbor for making noise late at night. She said she didnt even hear it. Nor did the neighor next door on the other side.

[cookiesRfalla]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

About two weeks ago I came home from a gig after ingesting a particular substance. It was about 1:30 am and I got the inclination to play the piano. About an hour later my fiancee was coming home from a gig that she played. Just as she parked the car the police rolled by and stopped her. They questioned her, as they were responding to a noise complaint. She was a little unsettled after coming inside and she told me about being rolled up on. I had to tell her that the neighbors probably called the clops on me. The next day I went and apologized to my neighbor for making noise late at night. She said she didnt even hear it. Nor did the neighor next door on the other side.

What? Then who made the complaint?
Maybe one of them did complain but didn't want you to know that it was them who complained.

[Cabazon]

How do you know it's the neighbor across the hall making the complaint? Maybe it's someone else in the hall mistaking your neighbor's daughter's friends noise as coming from your apartment.

[cookiesRfalla]

Originally Posted by Cabazon

How do you know it's the neighbor across the hall making the complaint? Maybe it's someone else in the hall mistaking your neighbor's daughter's friends noise as coming from your apartment.

Most logical.

[MadMan118]

Originally Posted by Cabazon

How do you know it's the neighbor across the hall making the complaint? Maybe it's someone else in the hall mistaking your neighbor's daughter's friends noise as coming from your apartment.

Well the super specifically told whom the complaints were from.

[nocontrols]

Originally Posted by cookiesRfalla

Start closing your door VERY loudly.

No. Aggressive behavior, pranks or petty retaliation NEVER work in situations like this because jerks feed off battles and confrontations, so you're giving them what they want and it'll escalate and then you run the chance of being evicted or something.

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Did you document the visit you received from the super and the police? Get and keep records. She can deny it all she wants until the evidence is staring her in the face.

I would agree with this. Keep getting records and keep getting on your super about the situation. If you've got the cops on your side, there's not going to be much these idiots can do. Also, I'm confused as to why your landlord isn't doing anything? Make them make it right. You're paying them for service.

[UncleFluffy]

Originally Posted by nocontrols

No. Aggressive behavior, pranks or petty retaliation NEVER work in situations like this because jerks feed off battles and confrontations, so you're giving them what they want and it'll escalate and then you run the chance of being evicted or something.

Agreed. I've said it before, but:

Once you get into a p***ing match it doesn't matter if you win or not because everyone ends up getting wet.

[Big_Daddy]

I wish I could draw advice from this thread, but it isn't a 'What to do about your twenty-something neighbor that has scizophrenia, who wants you and your family and your dog to tell him everything so that he can write his book, and that he isn't angry that we're inside his head.'

[DWBass]

In my experience..........once you have disrespective neighbors, it's time to move! Been there done that. Played nice........didn't work! Complained to landlord.........didn't work! Time to move!

We've had: Upstairs neighbors who's parents left them on their own. They decided to have parties every night!
Downstairs neighbors who smoked an excessive amount of weed and played their music late at night pretty loudly while we normal 9-5 working class folks tried to sleep!
Another upstairs neighbor who walked around excessively and would constantly bounce a ball on the floor. The bedroom directly above ours, someone had a rocking chair and we'd have to deal with that noise until almost 1am nightly! Time to buy our own home. But guess what, you still have to deal with next door neighbors. It never ends.

[gttim]

When I moved into my condo I had just bought, the old lady neighbor started in on me about doors and cabinets and was basically trying to get me to live like a monk. I am allowed to live a normal life and make normal sounds. Apartments and condos do have noise that bleeds from one to another. The final straw was one morning, when her paperboy slammed the Sunday paper on the front stoop, and my and my date's dogs started barking at the noise. The neighbor came and banged on my door, complained about the dogs and the "extracurricular activity" she heard the night before (although I liked hearing that complaint and told all my friends about it). My date was standing right behind me. I explained that I was allowed to live a normal life and make normal sounds and she had to deal with it. She gave me some smart ass response. I replied "**** you! Do not ever speak to me again." She came by once two days later and I repeated the same before she could speak. We have not spoken in over 5 years. She is the bestest neighbor I have ever had!

You are allowed the enjoyment of your home. You are allowed to make sounds. You do not have to be cowed into living like quiet mice. Read your lease or covenants. Check the local law on noises. As long as you do not violate it, nobody can do anything. If they keep calling the police when there is nothing that violates a noise ordinance, the police will tell them to quit. The police will also talk to you, but only to try and make the issue go away. Be nice to them and explain nothing is going on but a crazy neighbor.

YMMV

[cookiesRfalla]

Originally Posted by gttim

When I moved into my condo I had just bought, the old lady neighbor started in on me about doors and cabinets and was basically trying to get me to live like a monk. I am allowed to live a normal life and make normal sounds. Apartments and condos do have noise that bleeds from one to another. The final straw was one morning, when her paperboy slammed the Sunday paper on the front stoop, and my and my date's dogs started barking at the noise. The neighbor came and banged on my door, complained about the dogs and the "extracurricular activity" she heard the night before (although I liked hearing that complaint and told all my friends about it). My date was standing right behind me. I explained that I was allowed to live a normal life and make normal sounds and she had to deal with it. She gave me some smart ass response. I replied "**** you! Do not ever speak to me again." She came by once two days later and I repeated the same before she could speak. We have not spoken in over 5 years. She is the bestest neighbor I have ever had!

You are allowed the enjoyment of your home. You are allowed to make sounds. You do not have to be cowed into living like quiet mice. Read your lease or covenants. Check the local law on noises. As long as you do not violate it, nobody can do anything. If they keep calling the police when there is nothing that violates a noise ordinance, the police will tell them to quit. The police will also talk to you, but only to try and make the issue go away. Be nice to them and explain nothing is going on but a crazy neighbor.

YMMV

+1
Almost the same thing happened to me when I was in Japan. The walls were so thin that my next door neighbor called the police on me saying I was noisy, but I was only talking on the phone. I explained to the police that you can hear anything through these walls, even whispering can be heard. Eventually he called the police twice more and got me evicted. Now I only look for apartments that have sound proof walls.

[MJ5150]

Pour some hot water on top of his igloo.

-Mike

[BlacksHole]

Perhaps it's time for you to complain about their noise. After a couple of times of this the police will stop responding to either one of you and you can get on with your life.

[cheezewiz]

I can tell you with absolute certainty, if you get in a "calling the police for every noise" war, the police will NOT be inclined to do anything for you, and will probably end up citing both of you sooner or later. There is no call that is a bigger PIA than neighbors calling in silly crap on each other.

That is not to say there aren't legitmate noise complaints, but the piddly neighbor wars are more than annoying.

[MJ5150]

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

.......but the piddly neighbor wars are more than annoying.

Well, they are fun to watch on episodes of "COPS".

-Mike