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This guy is a jerk and you are right to be annoyed. But you need to move.
Life is too short to try to fight this.
I'm trying to find a place. In NNJ, it's extremely difficult to find anything better than I'm in now, or even habitable for a reasonable rent. For now because of my career, I need to stay close to NYC. So believe me I'm trying, but it won't happen anytime soon. Only good thing is landlord feels my pain and will let me out of lease last minute.
This approach wouldn't work in the OP's situation, but I can tell you that I had an... innovative... way of dealing with a neighbor's blasting stereo when I lived in an apartment house. When the noise level became truly unbearable, I would simply go down to the basement, and flip his main circuit breaker, located underneath his electric meter. By the time that he could get down to the basement to restore his electric power, I was back in my now-quiet apartment.
My approach clearly must have resulted in some Pavlovian conditioning for that jerk because, after a few weeks of losing his electric power every time that he blasted his stereo, he did learn to keep the volume at a much lower level.
Correct, it wouldn't work here, but that's what I would do were we living in say, a house split into apts. I'm glad you got your revenge . I don't plan to win against this sociopath. You can't when you say, "Your all day bass is unfair to me" and he comes back again and again with "Let me adjust it", and then makes it louder. See, no winning there. Or just says, "It's my day off and I pay rent here", as if I don't pay rent and it's not my day off (btw, his day off is like every other day, whereas I normally work 5.5. days a week).
It's sad; every other neighbor here compromises and keeps it together for weeks at a time. Even the families with little kids and dogs. This guy lives alone, barely works, is fat and ugly, and you'd think, he'd at least go out and try to better his life, look better, etc. But nope, happy to pig out, live off drug money or whatever. He has a very suspicious story about how he gets money.
Oh, let me explain cause it's relevant to your point: 1) this is a condo assoc, so a landlord owns each unit. 2) management and landlord constantly argue back and forth about who should handle what; 3) my landlord has attempted to contact his landlord but all they've done is threaten to take him to court -- I wanted to go to court but that's not how it works cause of the ownership here. My landlord doesn't want to get involved in a suit as he's 70 yrs old, on social security; 4) I've been looking for other places w/ the agreement that I can give as little notice as I want, as long as I get to leave. Landlord agreed b/c he felt so bad (it's in writing), so I've been looking for months now. Just no luck as of yet.
I don't plan to win against this sociopath. Like another commenter said, "be careful". He/She is right; these people can be dangerous, which I've sensed from him time to time.
Yes, this is a tough situation. In this case, I would make sure you have the landlord's permission to break the lease. Find a new apartment when you can. You have no relationship with the condo association. Your relationship is with landlord, and landlord is the one with a relationship with the condo association. If the association sucks, you really have no remedy because landlord has no remedy but to vote out the board and install people who are willing to do their jobs. You can continue to push your landlord, because the landlord must provide you a habitable apartment. In the end, there is case law that says you could get a 20% rent abatement from your landlord by taking the case to trial, but it might be best to settle it while your relationship with the landlord is still okay.
Yes, this is a tough situation. In this case, I would make sure you have the landlord's permission to break the lease. Find a new apartment when you can. You have no relationship with the condo association. Your relationship is with landlord, and landlord is the one with a relationship with the condo association. If the association sucks, you really have no remedy because landlord has no remedy but to vote out the board and install people who are willing to do their jobs. You can continue to push your landlord, because the landlord must provide you a habitable apartment. In the end, there is case law that says you could get a 20% rent abatement from your landlord by taking the case to trial, but it might be best to settle it while your relationship with the landlord is still okay.
Oh yeah, me and the landlord are great . He feels so bad b/c his last tenants never said anything. But as I mentioned, I have it in writing that I can give notice as short as 2 weeks and not be penalized b/c of constant noise problems. Agreed- it's too much for landlord, a very old man, to go up against the association board AND this landlord, who's a real piece of work. Isn't it a shame that horrible people always win?
So my big issue is finding a place, but leaving won't be, except the cost and hassle of moving. I do know one thing- never, ever again with a HOA/ condo assoc. And NO Howard Koval. I discourage anyone from renting in one of their buildings.
Of course you could fight fire with fire and turn on some Sitar music or Muslim Prayer chants played in loop while you are gone at work but other than maybe bothering him (and possibly others), I don't see how that accomplishes anything.
He could totally do that (not saying he should), and that neighbor would at least - one would think - begin to understand how he is feeling.
He could totally do that (not saying he should), and that neighbor would at least - one would think - begin to understand how he is feeling.
Hi, I'm the OP- and I'm a she. Don't worry, I know it's impossible to tell based on what I posted. That's another thing tho- he thinks he's a charmer who can either sweet talk or shove/ bully women around. I'm just too crusty and assertive for him
I wish he would understand what I was feeling, but he'd just crank his bass up louder. I assure you; that's the type he is. I do crank my TV up really loud now, and let my next door guy know if it's ever too loud, tell me. My loud TV isn't' always pleasant and it doesn't cancel out his douche bag "I need to feel important b/c I'm a fat, ugly pig" bass, but at least I get to hear something that's louder than his bass.
The day I move out, I plan on leaving my really, really old laptop here (was gonna get rid of it anyway) and put on a loop of old country- Conway Twitty, The Judds, Loretta Lynn. It's going to be put on the thinnest layer of flooring (kitchen), and with the speakers on the bottom of the laptop (retarded design except in this case), he should get a real nice dose of wailing Southern redneck goodness until the laptop runs out of batteries.
I agree that those noises are out of control, attached apt or not. I have a dog- guess what, she doesn't bark all day b/c I work mostly from home, which is why I got a dog. I don't get one to leave it home all day by itself. Your neighbors are classic selfish ppl who thinks the dog should just amuse itself while they're gone for 8 hours, and if it doesn't, it's just a little barking. Jerks, should all be locked in a city shelter for an entire day and see how it feels to hear non-stop barking.
The kids too- no, it's not just being kids. They need to sleep at normal hours and not bang around till midnight. The 5 AM thing, unfortunately, I've had with toddlers, but still, I've had wonderful neighbors who control their kids. But training is up to the parents, and most nowadays, are too lazy or stupid do it. I honestly wouldn't even have kids (don't now) if I live in an apt cause how are they suppose to really play? Without annoying my neighbors? I get accidents happen, but if they do, prepare the train the child you weren't prepared to have.
Yeah, that dog had issues. Most dogs will calm down after a bit. Severe separation anxiety. Very sad (and annoying since I was home all day)
From that experience, I've learned that kid noise has all of the protections you could ever imagine. You can't tell a kid not to do anything. I remember growing up in an apartment when I was young and learning from a young age "No running in the house!" Parents don't do that anymore apparently
Have you tried buying some sound machines and keeping them running? I live in a condo, and right below a huge dog and a toddler (I get it, I have two kids myself). We've also had construction across from our building for the last year (an enormous building going up). I have discovered that a white noise machine in every room works a treat and helps the kids get their much needed sleep.
I use Marpac Dohms. Check them out on Amazon. My sister is a therapist who has an office in a shared building and she can sometimes hear consultations from the dentist's office next to hers, so she was worried they can hear her client sessions. She got every office to agree to installing Marpac Dohms on the end tables in the halls that separate each office, problem solved.
Yeah, that dog had issues. Most dogs will calm down after a bit. Severe separation anxiety. Very sad (and annoying since I was home all day)
From that experience, I've learned that kid noise has all of the protections you could ever imagine. You can't tell a kid not to do anything. I remember growing up in an apartment when I was young and learning from a young age "No running in the house!" Parents don't do that anymore apparently
Good luck, I hope you find somewhere quieter soon
Ok, this is guilty conscience talking lol. We tell our 4 year old son to stop running, jumping, stomping all the time! We put him in time out, etc. He still does these things. I mean, we can't chain him down so he still does it. And we keep telling him to stop it. To say parents aren't doing that anymore is just odd. Thankfully we're moving out of NJ and buying a house in a few months.
And to the OP who said people living in apartments shouldn't have kids, ok then
Have you tried buying some sound machines and keeping them running? I live in a condo, and right below a huge dog and a toddler (I get it, I have two kids myself). We've also had construction across from our building for the last year (an enormous building going up). I have discovered that a white noise machine in every room works a treat and helps the kids get their much needed sleep.
I use Marpac Dohms. Check them out on Amazon. My sister is a therapist who has an office in a shared building and she can sometimes hear consultations from the dentist's office next to hers, so she was worried they can hear her client sessions. She got every office to agree to installing Marpac Dohms on the end tables in the halls that separate each office, problem solved.
Do you think they'd work on bass, though? Cause I thought of that and someone told me "It may not work cause it's not really his music, it's his douchebag club quality bass". I thank you for suggesting, but I'm really afraid of buying and not having it cancel out the bass, hence pointless
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. I don't plan to win against this sociopath. You can't when you say, "Your all day bass is unfair to me" and he comes back again and again with "Let me adjust it", and then makes it louder. See, no winning there. Or just says, "It's my day off and I pay rent here", as if I don't pay rent and it's not my day off (btw, his day off is like every other day, whereas I normally work 5.5. days a week).
