How do you catch noisy neighbors in the act? (apartment complexes, rental)

[waronxmas]

Welcome to city life in a multi-unit building. Noisy neighbors are just part of the deal. I'm not trying to say it's right though, as it annoys me to no end. When it does happen to me, I open my window and go all "New York" on them and scream whatever four lettered foul words with gerunds attached I can think of.

[tind]

I appreciate your empathy, and I'm definitely going to explore the HOA avenue you've suggested, but.....

Originally Posted by jsimms3

I have noticed that while you may hate rich people

Wait, what? Which phrase from which of my posts on this thread gave you this idea?

Originally Posted by jsimms3

you won't run into the same magnitude of problems if you live amongst wealthy, educated professionals/families

Fallacies (http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fallacies.html - broken link)

Originally Posted by jsimms3

It's the entitled, poor, low class people who are infiltrating nice communities/buildings and wreaking havoc, and banks' lax lending standards largely led to this.

Fallacies (http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fallacies.html - broken link)

[DTL3000]

Does anyone else crack up a little every time they see the title of this thread?

[tind]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

Does anyone else crack up a little every time they see the title of this thread?

No, just you.

[jsimms3]

Tind I wasn't talking about "you", I was saying people in general. And fallacies my butt. I'm facing the same problem and that's what I have noticed. I know that the nicer the building in Midtown, the fewer the problems. There is a correlation there whether you or anyone else decides to accept it or not. I would say save up and buy up a level. Take my advice or leave it, I'm sure as hell taking my own advice.

[tind]

Originally Posted by jsimms3

Tind I wasn't talking about "you", I was saying people in general.

I know you're not talking about me because I'm the only one out of the two of us who knows my current and past socio-economic status.

Originally Posted by jsimms3

I know that the nicer the building in Midtown, the fewer the problems.

Had you asked, I would've been more than happy to tell you that I'm talking about a well-to-do, OTP apartment community down the street from one of the best schools in the state of Georgia.

Only part of your situation can be applied to my situation.

Originally Posted by jsimms3

There is a correlation there whether you or anyone else decides to accept it or not.

Correlations, how they're interpreted, and theories are three different things.

Originally Posted by jsimms3

Take my advice or leave it, I'm sure as hell taking my own advice.

I believe I made it quite clear that some of your post was helpful to me, so.....

I'm going to bow out of this tangent as gracefully as possible. Please be my guest in stickin' it to me by having the last word.

And best of luck with your housing situation.

[ToucheGA]

I would not waste any more time with your HOA. Keep calling the cops until something happens. Convicted felons generally don't like cops coming by every night, and may eventually quiet down to prevent them from returning. If they do not, the cops might eventually observe something that gives them probable cause for a search and/or arrest.

You could also contact the local State probation and parole offices to see if anyone in the apartment is under supervision from the DOC or the Board of Pardons and Paroles. These individuals are often required to report any and all contact with law enforcement to their Probation or Parole officer. If they are not reporting this as required, they could get into hot water.

[LahdeeDahdee]

Yeah...I was wondering why on earth the OP would want to actually catch noisy neighbors in the act? I thought to myself, "What kind of nosey... freaky-deaky mess is this?"

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by LahdeeDahdee

Yeah...I was wondering why on earth the OP would want to actually catch noisy neighbors in the act? I thought to myself, "What kind of nosey... freaky-deaky mess is this?"

That would make it easier to validate his complaints. If you report it after the fact and they deny it, you're stuck in a situation where the cops and/or other authorities are far less likely to do anything.

[Somoso]

Having noisy neighbors is one of the harder problems to endure - especially so in apartments where music vibrations travel easily through the paper-thin walls and floors separating units. I've had this problem in every apartment I've lived though to varying degrees. Unfortunately I can't think of a single time that the landlord took definitive action to silence the violators beyond the occasional verbal warning or letter that was promptly ignored. Oh yes - In one case the landlord did take legal action but by the time the issue was heading to court the lease was near expiration and the noisy group left.

It can be better in situations where the landlord is actually a resident of the apartment complex - if they are conscientious they do tour the area at night to check out the activity. But this is rare and in the "chain" apartments like Post the office people all seem to live off-property. In some cases the community "handles" the problem - sometimes by less than legal means - I recall that a woman who consistently playing loud music at 3 a.m. complained to the office that her car had been keyed several times and her tires had been flattened once. I think she got the message eventually but methods such as this can escalate and shouldn't be the default route to resolving the problem. I've confronted noisy neighbors usually without significant problems though its not for everyone. It depends on your temperment and personality. I've always been polite but firm though have found that people who like to make noise will eventually get back into the habit even if they lay off for a while.

There is a concept called "peaceful enjoyment of property" that ,in situations like this, is mentioned in legal circles. If you are renting then your landlord or property owner has a responsibility to help provide an environment wherein "peaceful enjoyment" is possible. If they don't then you might have a case but that is a question for an attorney. Of course its probably not something that you just do in a week and its quite likely to involve documentation (certified letters, police reports, recordings, videos) that 1) there is indeed a problem and 2) you have tried working this out with the landlord. Lastly, the problem you mention is why I've always preferred 6 month leases over 12 month even though there is additional expense. Good luck.