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I have a neighbor below me, who obviously just got a new stereo. They play it so loud, pictures, etc., are vibrating, and I can't even hear my own TV.
Last night I came home around 5ish, to my floor thumping BIG TIME, and everything in my home vibrating. I turned on my stereo to try and block it out, but my neighbor only turned up theirs louder.
I went downstairs and knocked on their door. No one even heard me knocking, or if they did, they didn't answer. I left a polite note, just letting them know how loud it is to their neighbors, but today it's blasting again. I have to have my TV up so loud, it's irritating, and I can still hear the thumping in the background.
I don't mind loud music from time to time, I play mine loud ocassionally too - but this is just too much!!
Is there any kind of noise law that's applicable during the day?
I will talk to the apartment managers too, of course, but they encourage neighbors to work out their own differences.
Most areas have laws regarding the noise levels and they generally have time ranges applied to them. So it might be acceptable to have up to 100 dB at X feet away from 8 am - 10 pm, but it might be 80 dB from 10 pm - 8 am for instance.
I'd call up the non-emergency number for the police and ask them. If you already asked the people to keep it down, it's not unreasonable to get the police involved.
I have a neighbor below me, who obviously just got a new stereo. They play it so loud, pictures, etc., are vibrating, and I can't even hear my own TV.
Last night I came home around 5ish, to my floor thumping BIG TIME, and everything in my home vibrating. I turned on my stereo to try and block it out, but my neighbor only turned up theirs louder.
I went downstairs and knocked on their door. No one even heard me knocking, or if they did, they didn't answer. I left a polite note, just letting them know how loud it is to their neighbors, but today it's blasting again. I have to have my TV up so loud, it's irritating, and I can still hear the thumping in the background.
I don't mind loud music from time to time, I play mine loud ocassionally too - but this is just too much!!
Is there any kind of noise law that's applicable during the day?
I will talk to the apartment managers too, of course, but they encourage neighbors to work out their own differences.
Before involving the police, I would make sure to have a face to face conversation with the neighbors. Maybe they did not get the note. Offer up some sort of compromise - certain times to play the music or certain periods of time in which they can blast the music. Try your best to find a reasonable compromise (even if it might mean giving in a little bit) before escalating the situation in to a confrontation. I am not advising you to back down or to "just take it." But understand once police are involved you are opening yourself up to retribution in the form of harrassment, intimidation, vandalism, etc. Use that route as a "last resort." Once a situation is escalated it can be very difficult to lower the temperature so to speak. People then feel compelled to save face and in those situations they can behave irrationally. Good luck, it's a crappy situation and one more reason why I despise apartment living.
Before involving the police, I would make sure to have a face to face conversation with the neighbors. Maybe they did not get the note. Offer up some sort of compromise - certain times to play the music or certain periods of time in which they can blast the music. Try your best to find a reasonable compromise (even if it might mean giving in a little bit) before escalating the situation in to a confrontation. I am not advising you to back down or to "just take it." But understand once police are involved you are opening yourself up to retribution in the form of harrassment, intimidation, vandalism, etc. Use that route as a "last resort." Once a situation is escalated it can be very difficult to lower the temperature so to speak. People then feel compelled to save face and in those situations they can behave irrationally. Good luck, it's a crappy situation and one more reason why I despise apartment living.
Oh I'll definitely talk with them face to face first; I don't have any intention of dragging this into a big blow out, I just think the guy needs to know how LOUD it is to his neighbors. I shudder to think what it sounds like in the apartment "below" them! This is the very reason why I didn't use the surround system I already had, and bought a new one with less bass - noise level.
I'm not fond of apartment living either, it was my only option when I relocated here though, as I wasn't sure how long I would be staying in Texas. I haven't lived in an apartment in "many, many" years.
Last edited by ladysrodgers; 01-01-2008 at 04:07 PM..
Most areas have laws regarding the noise levels and they generally have time ranges applied to them. So it might be acceptable to have up to 100 dB at X feet away from 8 am - 10 pm, but it might be 80 dB from 10 pm - 8 am for instance.
I'd call up the non-emergency number for the police and ask them. If you already asked the people to keep it down, it's not unreasonable to get the police involved.
Thanks, I'll call and find out. I'd like to work it out with them face to face first though. It's possible he just doesn't realize how loud it is in adjoining apartments.
nusance law is what you are talking about. Your neighbor cannot play so loud as to interfer with your peace and enjoyment. Many states allow you to sue if you cannot get the person to stop.
Ps: do be careful about approaching neighbor some people are very ignorant and would rather shoot you than be a good neighbor. I am pretty sure they know their music is loud. May be a young person.
Last edited by europe24me; 01-01-2008 at 04:48 PM..
Reason: add molre
Before involving the police, I would make sure to have a face to face conversation with the neighbors. Maybe they did not get the note. Offer up some sort of compromise - certain times to play the music or certain periods of time in which they can blast the music. Try your best to find a reasonable compromise (even if it might mean giving in a little bit) before escalating the situation in to a confrontation. I am not advising you to back down or to "just take it." But understand once police are involved you are opening yourself up to retribution in the form of harrassment, intimidation, vandalism, etc. Use that route as a "last resort." Once a situation is escalated it can be very difficult to lower the temperature so to speak. People then feel compelled to save face and in those situations they can behave irrationally. Good luck, it's a crappy situation and one more reason why I despise apartment living.
Nonsense. Anyone old enough to live in an apartment is old enough to know they shouldn't be blasting their stereo in multifamily housing. Do that in your own home or your car, not in an apartment. This is one of those basic common sense/mutual respect things that every apartment dweller should know; therefore, if they aren't following it, they're either a complete moron or have already demonstrated their disrespect toward you by not following the unwritten rules of apartment living. As a long-time apartment renter, it's my experience that talking will probably not do any good at all. These types could care less that they're bothering you.
Here's what to do: call your leasing office first. Give them the unit number of the offender, and make sure they understand you won't tolerate that. It's their responsibility to enforce community rules, not yours. Be firm about that point. Then, give it a couple of days to play out. If that doesn't work, or if you have a repeat of the "everything vibrating" scenario, call the cops (be sure to call the non-emergency number for your city). You can make your complaint anonymously, and stereo-jerk will never know it was you; if it's as loud as you say, everyone in your building would have a legitimate complaint.
Whatever you do, don't be wishy washy or compromise. There is NO compromise for that situation... only various degrees to which you get screwed by some ******* with too much stereo and not enough brains.
Nonsense. Anyone old enough to live in an apartment is old enough to know they shouldn't be blasting their stereo in multifamily housing. Do that in your own home or your car, not in an apartment. This is one of those basic common sense/mutual respect things that every apartment dweller should know; therefore, if they aren't following it, they're either a complete moron or have already demonstrated their disrespect toward you by not following the unwritten rules of apartment living. As a long-time apartment renter, it's my experience that talking will probably not do any good at all. These types could care less that they're bothering you.
Here's what to do: call your leasing office first. Give them the unit number of the offender, and make sure they understand you won't tolerate that. It's their responsibility to enforce community rules, not yours. Be firm about that point. Then, give it a couple of days to play out. If that doesn't work, or if you have a repeat of the "everything vibrating" scenario, call the cops (be sure to call the non-emergency number for your city). You can make your complaint anonymously, and stereo-jerk will never know it was you; if it's as loud as you say, everyone in your building would have a legitimate complaint.
Whatever you do, don't be wishy washy or compromise. There is NO compromise for that situation... only various degrees to which you get screwed by some ******* with too much stereo and not enough brains.
Yes, her rental office should enforce existent rules of conduct. Yes, calling the police is an option. However to suggest that speaking to the neighbor directly and working something out is nonsense, is, well, nonsense. In this day and age and in a (overall) violent city like Dallas where confrontations can and do end in tragedy, taking an aggressive stand over the volume of a stereo is in my opinion needlessly foolish and risky. Much of the self-defense and firearms training I've taken over the years centers primarily on conflict avoidance, and understanding where and when to give a little and where to hold your ground. To advise the OP that this is a, "I'm sick and tired and not gonna take it anymore" moment when it is nothing more than a nuisance is foolish to say the least. Neither you or I know enough about the stereo playing neighbor to know if the person is stupid, inconsiderate, unaware, willing to turn it down or unwilling to turn it down. We don't know if the person is mentally unbalanced, sociopathic, on narcotics, armed, a gang member, or any combination of the above.
So in my humble opinion, the best path is to take a very conservative approach and do not escalate the situation. YMMV and it's up to Lady Rogers to decide how she should handle it.
Yes, her rental office should enforce existent rules of conduct. Yes, calling the police is an option. However to suggest that speaking to the neighbor directly and working something out is nonsense, is, well, nonsense. In this day and age and in a (overall) violent city like Dallas where confrontations can and do end in tragedy, taking an aggressive stand over the volume of a stereo is in my opinion needlessly foolish and risky. Much of the self-defense and firearms training I've taken over the years centers primarily on conflict avoidance, and understanding where and when to give a little and where to hold your ground. To advise the OP that this is a, "I'm sick and tired and not gonna take it anymore" moment when it is nothing more than a nuisance is foolish to say the least. Neither you or I know enough about the stereo playing neighbor to know if the person is stupid, inconsiderate, unaware, willing to turn it down or unwilling to turn it down. We don't know if the person is mentally unbalanced, sociopathic, on narcotics, armed, a gang member, or any combination of the above.
So in my humble opinion, the best path is to take a very conservative approach and do not escalate the situation. YMMV and it's up to Lady Rogers to decide how she should handle it.
Unless she lives in the ghetto, it's not likely that her neighbor is a violent gangbanger. I think she should complain to the landlord, and if she doesn't get satisfaction she should pursue legal options that may include breaking her lease because she is unable to enjoy the peace and quiet to which she is legally entitled under Texas law. She should also document everything.
Stereo wars, on the other hand, are immature and counterproductive....especially if the resident can truthfully claim that he's not the only one making a lot of noise. Just because he's doing it doesn't give you the right to do it; you should be mindful of the other people in your building and what kind of misery that kind of useless response may be causing for them. If you're making them miserable with your noise (particularly if they can't hear or can muffle the noise that's bothering you) then you're no better than he is.
nusance law is what you are talking about. Your neighbor cannot play so loud as to interfer with your peace and enjoyment. Many states allow you to sue if you cannot get the person to stop.
Ps: do be careful about approaching neighbor some people are very ignorant and would rather shoot you than be a good neighbor. I am pretty sure they know their music is loud. May be a young person.
Yes, it's the nusance law, thank you. I've seen the guy before, I think he lives there alone. He looks to be in his early 30's maybe, and I usually don't hear a thing from his apartment.
He may know it's loud in his place, but doesn't realize how loud it is in other apartments. I know years ago my neighbor over me complained about my music. I didn't even play it loud, but after going into her place, I could hear the bass quite loud. I'm hoping this is the case downstairs.
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nusance noise
