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UPDATE:
We have since found a resolution and the Landlord has agreed to move us to a different unit.
My advise to anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation:
1. Know your rights. Every city/town has laws that protects tenants against these occurrences.
2. Start keeping records of the noise.
3. You may approach your noisy neighbors first to try and resolve the issue. This didn't work in our case but it's definitely worth a try.
4. Report to the landlord
5. Repeat number 4 over and over again. Be very persistent, in other words become an irritant to your landlord until they do something to fix the situation.
6. Work with you landlord to find the best compromise. In our case we suggested that the landlord transfer us into a vacant unit on the upper floor.
7. Lastly know that this entire ordeal will cost you time and some extra money. Be prepared for that. We had to pay a little extra to move to an upper unit, but it was worth the peace of mind we will be getting.
YAY! Glad everything worked out for you even if it did require moving, time and expense. It would be interesting to find out what happens to the next lucky tenant who moves below them
Here's wishing you some long overdue peace, quiet and a good night's sleep
This type of thing is why I do not rent apartments. For the majority of my life, I was fortunate and had somehow avoided it - choosing to rent duplexes, townhouses, etc.
But I'd always wanted to live in an apartment complex (in my 20s, thought it was more social), and so shortly after getting married, we did.
1 year lease. Luckily, dh was military and we got transferred 10 months in, with the military clause, we were released from our lease early. Despite the additional cost, I never even LOOKED at apartments again.
UPDATE:
We have since found a resolution and the Landlord has agreed to move us to a different unit.
My advise to anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation:
1. Know your rights. Every city/town has laws that protects tenants against these occurrences.
2. Start keeping records of the noise.
3. You may approach your noisy neighbors first to try and resolve the issue. This didn't work in our case but it's definitely worth a try.
4. Report to the landlord
5. Repeat number 4 over and over again. Be very persistent, in other words become an irritant to your landlord until they do something to fix the situation.
6. Work with you landlord to find the best compromise. In our case we suggested that the landlord transfer us into a vacant unit on the upper floor.
7. Lastly know that this entire ordeal will cost you time and some extra money. Be prepared for that. We had to pay a little extra to move to an upper unit, but it was worth the peace of mind we will be getting.
I agree that everybody should know their rights and that every city/town has laws that protects tenants.
What I disagree with though is those laws basically telling people they can't make any noise. You said in your OP that the tenant you were complaining about had 4 young children. Children make noise and no matter how hard the parents try, they won't be able to eliminate all noise.
You also said that they sounded like they were running around at 7am. They probably were running around at 7am because they were probably getting ready to go to work and taking the kids to daycare. If they would have been listening to the TV or radio with it turned WAY up, that would have been different, but more than likely, these were the normal sounds of somebody getting their day started.
Let's use this as an example. If you work nights and get home at say 7 and go to bed at 9 and your neighbor is making noise at noon, is that allowed? The answer is yes it is allowed. You can ask them to try to keep it down, but if it's just the noise of them walking across the floor or making lunch, then you can't really expect them to do so. Most people can't control how they walk. If they walk with heavy steps, nothing will change that.
In my town, the cops won't respond to a noise complaint before 11pm so if you were in my town and tried calling the cops on noisy neighbors, good luck with that.
I am happy for you that you got your situation resolved, but what happens when somebody moves next door to you and you hear them through the walls living their life?
No one is saying it is everyday normal noise like just normal walking around and getting breakfast ready, cooking dinner, etc. that bothers them. It is far above and beyond that.
And we realize there are no laws that tell people they can't make that type of noise, hence the reason other solutions, resolutions and compromises are being sought out which are do-able in many cases.
And there really are no reasons to constantly be 'running' around inside a home. Why not walk?
The joys of life, never knowing who your neighbors will be! This applies to houses, apartments, condos, townhomes, etc. Not much you can besides stake the place out and this isn't very easy in apartment buildings.
Glad it all worked out though!
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