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I have been living in my apartment for 4 years. Ever since I moved in my downstairs neighbors has bothered me but over the years it has just gotten worse and worse. I live on top of a 65 year old woman and her 2 sons. The oldest is a drug dealer convict with anger issues. The younger one is a schizophrenic monster who throws tantrums like a 2 year old. Both of their ages are 30-35. Neither of them work. I'm pretty sure the younger one had never had a job and just sits home all day due to the fact he doesn't interact with people well.
In 2013 they started harassing me by banging on the ceiling with objects. I suspect it was a ball or broom. They would do it every time me or my husband came home. They would do it all night long to the point where me and my husband could not sleep. Any time we would just walk to the bathroom they would follow us and bang under our bathroom. My husband tried going down stairs and speaking with their mother and that didn't work. We complained to our landlord. They told them to stop but they continued with the immature behavior. We wrote to the owner of our complex multiple times and that didn't work either. My husband and I aren't loud. We never blast music or watch tv too loud. We are barely even home. My husband is a doctor and I'm in medical school so we really aren't home too much to begin with. We don't even have sex loud. We don't walk too loudly or stomp on the floor. The most noise we make is vacuuming or the occasional time we drop our phones on accident.
In February 2014 my husband left for work at 7am while I was in bed. As soon as they heard him leave they started banging on the ceiling directly under my bed. I called my husband very upset and he told me to call the cops on them. Again. For the third day in a row. The same cops came to our apt again and told them to cut the crap and leave me and my husband alone for the third day in the row. The police left and about 10 minutes later my 3 neighbors came up to my door banging and threatening me with horrible things. Saying how my husbands not home and they would break down the door harm me and he wasn't there to protect me. I didn't say anything back to them I just recorded the entire thing on my phone and dialed the police on my cell phone and they said they'd be right over. When the cops came back the a-hole brigade had fled the scene and the cops listened to my recording and stuck 3 nice little tickets on their door saying they would have to appear in court because they were being sued for harassment. I ended up going to court. They all plead guilty to violating the noise laws of our lease and the harassment and verbal threats they made to me. They were fined a lot of money each and were sentenced to community service. FINALLY.
The judge told them if they bothered me or my husband again they would be in a lot of trouble. After the court date in March 2014 they finally stopped banging on the ceiling. They had kept banging on the ceiling until our court date. UGH SO OBNOXIOUS! But they stopped... Until a week ago. They started banging on the ceiling one night while me and my husband were both home. We weren't walking around the apt. We had been sitting in bed for hours while I was reading and doing homework and my husband was sleeping. They woke him up after he had been working for 2 days straight. They only banged for about 15 seconds and stopped. Still it is not okay. They have done the same thing about 3 more times this week. It's not to the extent it was before but it makes me cringe when I hear it.
We spoke to the police again. They said there isn't much they can do. They can just tell them to stop or me and husband should just move. I will not be bullied out of my beach apt by 2 imbeciles. My husband pays 5000 a month for us to live here and we aren't bad neighbors and don't deserve this at all. We have never banged back on our floors either. If anyone is making too much noise it is them. They scream and fight with each other all the time. The cops have came to our building so many times because their disfunctional family issues. Is their anything else my husband and I can do. My landlord won't evict them because they have been living here for almost 20 years. My husband is older and just wants peace and quiet after he is done with work.
I will not be bullied out of my beach apt by 2 imbeciles. My husband pays 5000 a month for us to live here and we aren't bad neighbors and don't deserve this at all.
Okay, so the choice is fight with the bullies or move and be happy.
They threatened you and you've got it recorded on tape.
Can't you get a restraining order against them? Every time they do something call the cops and send a letter to the LL. If you annoy the LL enough they may do something about them.
Great to be upstairs.....do you love basketball, soccer?
I once lived downstairs and upstairs were teenagers who loved bouncing a ball...that was not so nice but management was able to put a stop to it but until management tells you to stop it may help you to relax to play with the ball a little bit
We spoke to the police again. They said there isn't much they can do. They can just tell them to stop or me and husband should just move.
Since it appears you had a judgment rendered in your favor, why not go back to court and demonstrate with your evidence that they've violated the order?
I've recorded them banging on the ceiling. The cops said they can't pinpoint where the sound is coming from so it's useless. Basically saying me or my husband could be doing it.
I feel for you, OP. This is a situation where I would simply move. Clearly these people are not wound too tight and the fact that they continue the harassment despite repeated intervention with law enforcement and the cops shows they don't give a flip about maintaining a basic sense of decorum.
I am curious, however, about the fact that you pay $5K to live there. That seems like a very high amount (luxury apartment prices even). I am surprised that landlords of a place of that caliber are not more invested in keeping law abiding citizens like you and your husband as tenants and evicting the riff raff.
I've recorded them banging on the ceiling. The cops said they can't pinpoint where the sound is coming from so it's useless. Basically saying me or my husband could be doing it.
The point is that they've started up again, you've filed a police report and - assuming that they'll continue or escalate this nonsense - you just keep reporting and recording it until you DO take them back to court for violating the judge's order. In essence what the police "think" is irrelevant to a degree. They may have insufficient evidence to act but your police reports and recordings are sufficient for you to re-address the problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Virtual Prof
That seems like a very high amount (luxury apartment prices even). I am surprised that landlords of a place of that caliber are not more invested in keeping law abiding citizens like you and your husband as tenants and evicting the riff raff.
That's a total surprise to me too. Hopefully the OP let the landlord(s) know what happened and continues to keep them in the loop. It makes no sense that they'd even permit someone to stay who's had a judgment rendered against them for this sort of thing.
Yes, I also wondered about the $5000 rent. How do THEY afford to live there? Is there some kind of rent control or Section 8? If Section 8, wouldn't they have violated the terms?
Just a technical note, they are not being "sued" for harassment. That is a civil term and a lawsuit would not be initiated by the police.
Yes, I also wondered about the $5000 rent. How do THEY afford to live there? Is there some kind of rent control or Section 8? If Section 8, wouldn't they have violated the terms?
Just a technical note, they are not being "sued" for harassment. That is a civil term and a lawsuit would not be initiated by the police.
I'm guessing their mother pays the rent and her sons just live there for free. Regardless, you'd think the LL would have evicted them after they were convicted of the harassment of another tenant.
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