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Old 12-14-2012, 01:56 PM
 
10 posts, read 188,680 times
Reputation: 25

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My apartment used to be idyllic, but lately several inconsiderate neighbors have moved in.

An upstairs neighbor pours water off the balcony that ends up on my balcony. I noticed a few months ago that my balcony would have smudges of dirt on it; I just assumed that the wind was blowing dirt up (9th floor), but wondered why the next apartment over wasn't getting similarly dirty.

Then the other night I had the window open and saw a flood of water pouring from above. The wind blew some of the water, which smelled like coffee, into my apartment, onto the carpet and the bedskirt! I now also realized why my patio doors were getting so dirty all the time.

I left a note the next day taped to the neighors' doors (1 floor and 2 floors directly above me) explaining very politely that the water was getting on the balcony as well as the windows and in the apartment and asking whoever was letting water fall off their balcony to please stop doing this. The note included my name and unit number.

Neighbor continues to pour water off. I'm off work today and just noticed twice within the past hour water gushing down and getting on my balcony.

I figure it's the neighbor directly above because that balcony is filled with plants. The neighbor there is probably watering the plants and letting excess flow off. However, the way it was gushing, it looked more like they were throwing out water that had been in a bucket or were washing down their balcony.

At least with the rain, (a) it's clean water (more or less) and (b) you can kind of predict it may be coming, if the clouds look right or the forecast predicts it. With this water from the neighbor, a sunny cloudless day doesn't mean your balcony won't get wet.

Part of the problem is I can't prove who it is that's doing it.
When it happens, assuming I am even at home, it lasts just seconds. If I can see it happening, I am inside the apartment where I can't see who's doing it. It also occurs at totally random times, like late the other night or today mid afternoon, so there's no way to predict when it will occur and go to a location where I would be able to see who is doing it.

(And I won't even mention the chain-smoker. My lease has a no-smoking in unit clause. )

Suggestions?
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Old 12-14-2012, 02:09 PM
 
Location: Out of this world
278 posts, read 1,515,672 times
Reputation: 169
I would write a letter to the landlord or management. There's a chance the previous occupants had the same complaint.

Does it happen at a certain time every day? Also, maybe watch the balcony from the ground view outside. You might see them doing it.

Sorry your going through this.
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Old 12-14-2012, 03:20 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,477 posts, read 47,405,393 times
Reputation: 77670
I would send a written complaint to the management. Keep a copy in your files.

I doubt that they can stop the tenant, especially of she has not been identified, but you don't want to get charged for water damage caused by your upstairs neighbor's behavior.
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Old 12-15-2012, 08:50 AM
 
16,376 posts, read 22,353,618 times
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Maybe you can go outside and hang around with a book for an hour or so and see if you can monitor where(which unit) the water is coming from. It sounds like it is more than just water. It could be their leftover gross stuff such as greasy dishwater and such that they dont want to put down the drain. So they keep the gross stuff (coffee grounds too) and they dump it off the patio.
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Old 12-15-2012, 02:51 PM
 
10 posts, read 188,680 times
Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dbatiste View Post
I would write a letter to the landlord or management. There's a chance the previous occupants had the same complaint.

Does it happen at a certain time every day? Also, maybe watch the balcony from the ground view outside. You might see them doing it.

Sorry your going through this.
Unlikely to have been a complaint from previous occupants in this building (assuming the neighbor wasn't in a different apartment in the building before). I was the second occupant in this unit after it was built, and I've been here going on 6 years.

Unfortunately, it seems that it occurs at random times during the day. The first time I caught it was at night (I think it was around 10pm). The day I started this thread, it had started early in the afternoon. (And ironically, perhaps, they did it again later that afternoon, after I had started the thread!)
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Old 12-15-2012, 02:54 PM
 
10 posts, read 188,680 times
Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke View Post
I would send a written complaint to the management. Keep a copy in your files.

I doubt that they can stop the tenant, especially of she has not been identified, but you don't want to get charged for water damage caused by your upstairs neighbor's behavior.
Yes, that's probably a good idea.

My sense is that you are right too that nothing will be done about this.

I have started looking for a different place. I'd just rather not leave here because I like the location otherwise and I dread having to pack and go through the whole nightmare of moving.

I'm praying that these bad neighbors move out, but I have this feeling that that's not going to happen anytime soon.
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Old 12-15-2012, 04:37 PM
 
2,091 posts, read 7,483,142 times
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Fyi, coffee ground are good for plants, just sayin.
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Old 12-15-2012, 08:19 PM
 
2,687 posts, read 7,381,519 times
Reputation: 4207
Lightbulb well...

Quote:
Originally Posted by ferdinsky View Post
My apartment used to be idyllic, but lately several inconsiderate neighbors have moved in.

An upstairs neighbor pours water off the balcony that ends up on my balcony. I noticed a few months ago that my balcony would have smudges of dirt on it; I just assumed that the wind was blowing dirt up (9th floor), but wondered why the next apartment over wasn't getting similarly dirty.

Then the other night I had the window open and saw a flood of water pouring from above. The wind blew some of the water, which smelled like coffee, into my apartment, onto the carpet and the bedskirt! I now also realized why my patio doors were getting so dirty all the time.

I left a note the next day taped to the neighors' doors (1 floor and 2 floors directly above me) explaining very politely that the water was getting on the balcony as well as the windows and in the apartment and asking whoever was letting water fall off their balcony to please stop doing this. The note included my name and unit number.

Neighbor continues to pour water off. I'm off work today and just noticed twice within the past hour water gushing down and getting on my balcony.

I figure it's the neighbor directly above because that balcony is filled with plants. The neighbor there is probably watering the plants and letting excess flow off. However, the way it was gushing, it looked more like they were throwing out water that had been in a bucket or were washing down their balcony.

At least with the rain, (a) it's clean water (more or less) and (b) you can kind of predict it may be coming, if the clouds look right or the forecast predicts it. With this water from the neighbor, a sunny cloudless day doesn't mean your balcony won't get wet.

Part of the problem is I can't prove who it is that's doing it.
When it happens, assuming I am even at home, it lasts just seconds. If I can see it happening, I am inside the apartment where I can't see who's doing it. It also occurs at totally random times, like late the other night or today mid afternoon, so there's no way to predict when it will occur and go to a location where I would be able to see who is doing it.

(And I won't even mention the chain-smoker. My lease has a no-smoking in unit clause. )

Suggestions?
you should of gone right over to your managers office and pulled them outside to see it.
K
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Old 12-17-2012, 10:17 PM
 
9,881 posts, read 9,480,213 times
Reputation: 10053
if you can show the landlord the water ruining his property, then you might be able to convince him to find out who is causing this and then he will find a way to make it stop.

Can you follow the trail of water and see where it seems to go? My guess is the neighbor right above you. If it were coming from any other apartment, gravity would not let it go toward you. Plus i did this one time when i had a balcony, i was washing the floor with the hose, and i did not realize for some stupid reason (sorry) how much water was going directly downstairs. The tenant had no problem telling me either and i did not do it again.

you could approach the neighbor in case she doens't realize it, and dont go accusing, (that will make her lie and be defensive) but you could say something like "hey how are ya? Hey I was wondering if you were getting any water on your balcony, I was wondering where a bunch of water was coming from, i keep getting these coffee grounds on my balcony from that water runnig, do you have any idea where that water might be coming from or what I can do about it? i mean do you know if the roof is leaking or anything?" that way you are alerting her but doing it in a non-confrontational way.
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Old 12-20-2012, 09:22 AM
 
Location: West Virginia
13,908 posts, read 39,079,600 times
Reputation: 10234
Timing! When I lived on the 5th floor & had plants I was told by the LL there were complants about me watering them. BUT there wasnt a thing she could do! Was my Right to have plants & care for them. Was her right to sit out on her patio. I asked the complaining person When Wasnt she outside? That way I could water the plants & Not get her wet! We Fixed a Hour in the evening after dark! TALK To them & figure out a Time convient to both of you. Make sure your inside with door closed.
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