CowgirlAnne82

Hi, my family and I live on the second floor of an apartment complex and my neighbor downstairs is bullying me. She says that I am too loud. This particular neighbor complains about every thing though, I mean when the dryer is on she complains and everyone who has lived in this unit has been scared away or evicted because she complained too much.

I have asked the apartment manager to switch us to a downstairs apartment so this wouldn't be a problem. Me, being hard of hearing, things need to be louder for me and living upstairs is not a good idea. So I asked them to switch us but they won't unless we pay a new deposit, a whole new app fee, and new background check. I feel this isn't fair and feel my rights are being violated.

What do I need to do to get my apartment complex to move us with out all the fees?

Deafness

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authentic

Tell your neighbor "Live with it".

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cdaigle430

If she is the only one complaining and she knows of your situation then, ask he to pay the extra fees to get you moved. Otherwise she will have to learn to live with it or move out herself.

Also, see if you can get free legal assistance in regards to your neighbor's complaints and your apartment managers unreasonable requests. Around here it is our was Pine Tree Legal. You will be surprised at how quiet and or reasonable people are when you show them the legal mumbo jumbo

VacationGuy234

I don't think you should move. While you have a right to be loud, I think a better solution is an FM system that you can plug into a head phone jack to go right to your aid(wireless), I use this all the time. This will handle things like TV, computer and Ipod. Beyond that, anything else that is loud is her problem.

If you have to, get a restraining order if she complains, once the FM system is in place.

Babyblue

If your neighbor downstairs continuously harrasses you then call the police and get a restraining order against her. There are laws against people harassing you.

Jiro

"Talk to manager."

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TWA

play tricks on her and convince her that her apartment is haunted.

radioman

I dont think you need to move. I am a landlord so I know. A landlord can only talk to neighbors, but cannot tell them what to do. My response? I always tell them to call police as I am powerless to tell neighbors what to do, but tenants can call police and get resolution. It may not be to your liking- but at leeast you got it documented. A landlord will NOT move you without fees.
Your BEST defense is to call police on a threatening neighbor over a noise complaint BEFORE they do. That neighbor KNOWS that harassing you works since it works on others before. STAND YOUR ground. as long you are NOT making loud noises past 10pm to morning, they cannot complain. you can complain however.

Also if they continue to harass you, tell THEM they should move as you are there to stay and you are reasonable. (remember, dont say they HAVE to or need to move, but "should" - its the key and remember that if police shows up at your door)

Beowulf

Teach Irish jigs in your apartment.

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CowgirlAnne82

Thank you all for your comments. I have a feeling she isn't going to stay in the apartment much longer. A family with 4 rowdy boys moved in next door. If I can hear them and that's saying a lot, then my neighbor certainly can. She isn't going to be happy. I don't like it she's mean to my visitors and it's not like I get many, I am a shy hermit and a SAHM

SimonJ

A what?

Frisky Feline

SAHM is only i know of Stay At Home Mom.

SimonJ

Thanks, I would never have got that!

kwyant

As a landlord I also deal with these type of concerns. I have moved people from one unit to another for various reasons, and I do request a new deposit, then I return the balance or entirety of the first deposit once the first unit is vacated and cleaned. It is inappropriate for an existing landlord to require a new background check for an existing tenant. I am not sure if the application fee is separate from a background fee. If it is, I need to know more about it to comment. I have had to deal with excessive noise complaints and over the years I have come to the following bit of wisdom, if the noise is loud enough to warrant calling the police and getting a noise violation, then do that. If it is not, then it is the normal sounds of living in close proximity (apartment life). I get notification of all police calls. I counsel those who have received their first one to avoid getting any more.

Beowulf

For a landlord you are not saying much.
You get notification of police calls and "counsel" those who received the first one to "avoid getting any more." And? What if there were more calls?

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kwyant

In the city where I live and rent apartments, the city council has passed a 3 strikes rule. Get 3 noise violations or a number of other nuisance violations and the landlord is forced to evict. Since I know that rule is not in effect everywhere, there didn't seem to be much reason to mention it. I have seen the police write a nuisance ticket to a person for calling in unjustified noise violations, such as baby crying or tv set to normal volume so a person has be careful about calling in except in cases of true noise violations. It is a difficult area. People are allowed to make the normal noises of living and there is no guarantee of a noise free environment within your apartment, so the police get to decide what is excessive. As a landlord I used to try to make this determination myself, but since I am not empowered to do that, all I could do is little different from what the offended party could do. I certainly could not evict someone for being loud without noise violations lest I open myself up to lawsuits. Now I advise the person complaining, 1) Try to work it out with the offending person. 2) If you can't and you feel it is a noise violation, call the police. If the police gives a noise violation, then there is a good chance that will be the end of it. If it continues, 2 more noise violations mean automatic eviction. 3) Then I counsel the person who received the noise violation to avoid receiving any more. Not a perfect system I am sure, but if anybody knows a better way, I am open to learning.

mattski24

lol, hahaha tell ur next door there's no curfew in apts during day time.. u stay there be who u are she has to live with it .. there's apts rules quiet time like 10 or 11 or midnight . that time u have to be quiet not to be loud. simply as that but during day time i would tell her shut up mind ur own thing i got my own thing where i live here..

whatdidyousay!

And how is the dryer being too loud your fault?? It looks like your neighbor is a bitch and does not want anyone living under her! Have you tried going a center for deaf and hoh and see if they help you in any way? I see no reason why you would have to pay and fee to move into another apartment. What are the tenants rights on this?

DeafBadger

This is tricky because I used to live in a lower level apartment with college students living in the upper unit. The apartment told me there was sound proofing, but due to repairs done at various times, I could tell there was absolutely no sound proofing between levels.

The college students would party well past 3 AM at times. I need a solid 8 hours sleep. So they would frequently wake me up with the noises.

I called the police a few times and they sent a unit over, but it was always an hour after calling and somehow, the college students would vacate and disperse before the police showed up.

I spoke with the manager about this and he wanted a recording, so I borrowed a tape recorder, but it was design to record human voices, not thuds and crashes coming from upstairs. I had a friend stick around to witness the sounds, and he confirmed they were being very loud indeed.

The manager did bring them in to talk to them about it, but it just ticked them off and they made deliberate noises after that. I was literally subsisting on 3-4 hours sleep a night for a period of two months.

It was never resolved, and thankfully, my lease had expired and I was on month-to-month. So I found another place and moved. I was not the only one who thought these people were noisy though. Neighboring tenants also thought so, but for some reason, it just wouldn't be resolved.

I have no issues with normal apartment noises, but I expect neighbors to be considerate and not make loud noises after, say 10 pm. In my area, that's the cut-off for noise ordinances.

I'm not saying that you're making noises like the college students were. It sounds like you're doing your best to be a considerate neighbor. Sometimes tenants are just too sensitive to the littlest sounds. Footfalls are normal. Dryer sounds are normal.

Good luck.

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rockin'robin

Wondering if the lady downstairs stays home all the time?...So every noise bothers her....

When I was living in apartments, I always chose the down floor, not the top!....But even then, some tenants walk very heavily upstairs, and the banging of the kids on the floors with toys, etc. The vibes of heavy walking did bother me at times...the other noises bothered my hearing family....all times of the day or night....even slamming their front or back doors!

I would speak to the Lady downstairs in a nice way...and ask her what time/things and when the noises bother her....but it could be she is just a "chronic complainer"....I dunno!...But some people do make unnecessary noises, that they are not aware of....then try to remedy what she is saying that bothers her.....be a good neighbor....

If it doesn't work...then I would let her call the Police, as I sure would not do so!....I'd put her on ignore!...But still try to keep the noise, even the baby crying to a minimum....especially after 10PM....

shel90

If the lady wanted complete silence, she should live in a single family home.

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LuciaDisturbed

That's wrong. I've switched apartments in the same building in the same complex, from an upstairs apartment to a downstairs one, without paying any of those crazy fees and without any background check. I had absolutely no issues. My only reasons for switching was for my safety due to my disability and I was worried that the metal plates that held the cement stairs had rusted into such snaggy conditions that if the back of my summer skirt or a pair of tatted old jeans got caught on the metal I would trip and fall. The management/landlord had absolutely no issues and switched me when a ground floor apartment in the same building became available. I didn't even need a doctor's note at all. I no longer live at that complex now though. I moved out the weekend after Turkey Day just last month.

Your landlord is totally in the wrong. They just want to suck all the money they can get before you finally move whenever in the future. They're just being greedy, selfish bastards who only sees the money signs $$$$$$.

Good luck and I hope you succeed but you shouldn't have to move just to aplease your neighbors. You're deaf and can't hear your own voice? The washer is too loud? They don't want to hear your cat or dog fart? Too bad for your neighbors! They are just being totally unreasonable. Don't let them drive you out of your apartment! They're whiny little dicks. Stand strong and stay where you are. They can't get the landlord to evict you just because they can hear you or the washer or whatever sounds that are at reasonable volumes for whatever time of the day it is made at. Screw the neighbors. Don't let them deny you your right to a normal everyday life and make you tiptoe around your apartment just because they "can" hear 10 times better than bats. They're just being dicks.

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MDCodeRedFreak

To the OP:

Take note of Lucia's post. That's what I would do.

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Smithtr

Luica not pleasure inappropriate swearing no offense I am please no please! you insult swearing you angry complaint OP!! negative your many times stop grow up!
your own your yourself your own apart if your take an advantage to people! no

your own your apart simply!inappropriate behavior OP!

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purplecatty

I agree with you 110% I've been there before. It sure sucks and we had to talk with Landlord and straighten things up. Luckily we only live Apt complex 6 months. Also I never had issue when we asked to transfer from one room to another for reason, As long as it's same rental price, no whatsoever charges on that, just change addresss and room number then sign it.

Sound like his Landlord is dirty jerk. Best bet is to talk with the Bank or Company that owns the Apartment complex. Landlord is just the "underlings". It works like a charm when Landlord blamed us for leaky water and expect us to pay $1,500 damage. It was never our fault so we went to Bank that owns and control Apartment complex. They gave us a waiver and warned Landlord to leave us alone. Landlord was pissed and kept mouth shut until we moved but funny thing she got fired a month later then new Landlord came in so We don't have to worry about grudgy Landlord at all.



Catty

rockin'robin

Jane B.

After having worked for a company that did construction, and both owned and managed rental property for many years before retirement I can't resist making some comments about industry terms. What Catty is calling "Landlord" is commonly known in the industry as the "Property Manager". The Property Manager may be someone hired by the owner or the owner may do their own property management.

I could see there being some at least a temporary addition to the security/damage deposit until the unit being vacated has passed inspection for any tenant caused damages but NOT additional fees.

purplecatty

Yes, Here in KS, they called Property Manager "Landlord".. We did not lose the security deposit after we moved out. The toilet was Apartment's problem. The Ballchock got stuck and it filled up and overflowed the tank, my roomates and I are deaf and we can't hear a thing. So the Owner waived it because we fits in description of waiver policy.

Catty

jaccythone0257

Hi, there!! I want to know how to make a good career in apartment property management field. currently I am working in a BPO office and want to switch in property management as I have heard they got some very good opportunities for new comer.

apartment property management grand rapids

caz12

i think she meant shamen one of them spirtual people...i would ask her to sign to you and keep pointing out you deaf she get fed up