Condo Noise Complaints - Bay Area (lease, buying a house, buying)

[sc322]

Thank you all for the feedback! Glad to hear both sides of the situation. I actually got another noise complaint last night citing that pretty much downstairs neighbor can hear every time a foot touches the floor and questioned if I had carpet flooring (my unit is all carpet with the exception of kitchen and bathroom which is allowed) and saying that she can hear any movement I make in bed... tossing/turning, etc due to the creaking of the bed.

I went back to her stating that it's never my intention to stress her out and I have taken considerable measures including purchasing a sound decibel reader which is actually reading that the outside traffic is louder than the footstep noises in my room ( I'm aware that due to the structure of our building the sound may be completely different for her. For my testing purposes I had my boyfriend who is nearly 6 ft walk around so I could measure the sound of his footsteps both with average footsteps and heavy footsteps). She usually starts her emails with "I do not understand how to make my requests more clear" and I did go back saying that for each complaint she sends I try to come up with solutions to mitigate the noise. In this specific instance I informed her that my entire unit is carpeted and that i'm happy to try out adding area rugs on top of my carpet - but again this seems pretty ridiculous. Not sure how else to stop the noise of foot steps unless I don't walk at all or tip toe around the house. The bed creaking noise will go away once I move out (i've owned this bed since high school so it's probably not as quiet as a new bed), so I don't think it's worth it for me to purchase a new bed for the time being just because she can hear me moving around in bed late at night (mind you while boyfriend stays over there are no "fun" activities going on after 9pm in the bedroom).

I've informed her that I no longer feel comfortable living in my unit and I am planning to change my living situation in the upcoming month and think it's the best resolution for the both of us (aka I listed my place and have pretty much given up on this living situation). I hope that for the remainder amount of time that i'm here she'll just acknowledge that i'm leaving and not send anymore requests because at this point it's been 3 requests in a span of a couple/few weeks.

[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by sc322

Thank you all for the feedback! Glad to hear both sides of the situation. I actually got another noise complaint last night citing that pretty much downstairs neighbor can hear every time a foot touches the floor and questioned if I had carpet flooring (my unit is all carpet with the exception of kitchen and bathroom which is allowed) and saying that she can hear any movement I make in bed... tossing/turning, etc due to the creaking of the bed.

I went back to her stating that it's never my intention to stress her out and I have taken considerable measures including purchasing a sound decibel reader which is actually reading that the outside traffic is louder than the footstep noises in my room ( I'm aware that due to the structure of our building the sound may be completely different for her. For my testing purposes I had my boyfriend who is nearly 6 ft walk around so I could measure the sound of his footsteps both with average footsteps and heavy footsteps). She usually starts her emails with "I do not understand how to make my requests more clear" and I did go back saying that for each complaint she sends I try to come up with solutions to mitigate the noise. In this specific instance I informed her that my entire unit is carpeted and that i'm happy to try out adding area rugs on top of my carpet - but again this seems pretty ridiculous. Not sure how else to stop the noise of foot steps unless I don't walk at all or tip toe around the house. The bed creaking noise will go away once I move out (i've owned this bed since high school so it's probably not as quiet as a new bed), so I don't think it's worth it for me to purchase a new bed for the time being just because she can hear me moving around in bed late at night (mind you while boyfriend stays over there are no "fun" activities going on after 9pm in the bedroom).

I've informed her that I no longer feel comfortable living in my unit and I am planning to change my living situation in the upcoming month and think it's the best resolution for the both of us (aka I listed my place and have pretty much given up on this living situation). I hope that for the remainder amount of time that i'm here she'll just acknowledge that i'm leaving and not send anymore requests because at this point it's been 3 requests in a span of a couple/few weeks.

Sounds like you're letting the crazy one win. But I don't know how you can reverse the situation.

Again, if you move somewhere else, move to a townhouse with no upstairs or downstairs neighbors!

[Matadora]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

Sounds like you're letting the crazy one win. But I don't know how you can reverse the situation.

How is being bothered by noise when your trying to sleep "crazy"?

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

Again, if you move somewhere else, move to a townhouse with no upstairs or downstairs neighbors!

Actually this is not a solution as the vertical walls attached to the other townhouses can be a noise issue. In fact I have experienced this after a loud family moved in next to us. Our walls are separated by our internal stairs and their internal stairs. They have the same carpeted stairs as we do. They stomp and run up and down the everyday and at times it sounded like a stampede of cattle.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Matadora

How is being bothered by noise when your trying to sleep "crazy"?

Actually this is not a solution as the vertical walls attached to the other townhouses can be a noise issue. In fact I have experienced this after a loud family moved in next to us. Our walls are separated by our internal stairs and their internal stairs. They have the same carpeted stairs as we do. They stomp and run up and down the everyday and at times it sounded like a stampede of cattle.

When the complainer is complaining about hearing the resident roll over in bed, complainer is being a little snowflake. When you live in a dense urban environment, you’re going to have noise and you have to deal. People live there. They talk as the walk up the road, they turn on their cars, doors and gates sometimes slam. They cut their grass trim their hedges, remodel, so saws and hammers. They have parties. They watch tv with their door open. Babies cry.

People have the right to live in their homes. They have the right to roll over in their beds. If the complainer can’t handle it, it’s on her. She needs to find a cave high up in the hills where she can yell at the crickets for making a racket. Because — she will. She’s a snowflake.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

When the complainer is complaining about hearing the resident roll over in bed, complainer is being a little snowflake. When you live in a dense urban environment, you’re going to have noise and you have to deal. People live there. They talk as the walk up the road, they turn on their cars, doors and gates sometimes slam. They cut their grass trim their hedges, remodel, so saws and hammers. They have parties. They watch tv with their door open. Babies cry.

People have the right to live in their homes. They have the right to roll over in their beds. If the complainer can’t handle it, it’s on her. She needs to find a cave high up in the hills where she can yell at the crickets for making a racket. Because — she will. She’s a snowflake.

Yup. Because as soon as a new tenant moves in, it will start all over again. Maybe with luck, there will be a child or two involved in the next tenancy.

Most of Europe lives in condos or apartments. How do they manage? Is the construction better quality? I've stayed in apartments there; no neighbor noise whatsoever.

[Matadora]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

When the complainer is complaining about hearing the resident roll over in bed, complainer is being a little snowflake. When you live in a dense urban environment, you’re going to have noise and you have to deal. People live there. They talk as the walk up the road, they turn on their cars, doors and gates sometimes slam. They cut their grass trim their hedges, remodel, so saws and hammers. They have parties. They watch tv with their door open. Babies cry.

People have the right to live in their homes. They have the right to roll over in their beds. If the complainer can’t handle it, it’s on her. She needs to find a cave high up in the hills where she can yell at the crickets for making a racket. Because — she will. She’s a snowflake.

I disagree. People have the right to quite enjoyment of their home. The complainer has not complained about any of this: "talk as the walk up the road, they turn on their cars, doors and gates sometimes slam. They cut their grass trim their hedges, remodel, so saws and hammers. They have parties. They watch tv with their door open. Babies cry".

I simply think the construction in the building is crap if you can hear someone's bed squeaking.

[Matadora]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Yup. Because as soon as a new tenant moves in, it will start all over again. Maybe with luck, there will be a child or two involved in the next tenancy.

Most of Europe lives in condos or apartments. How do they manage? Is the construction better quality? I've stayed in apartments there; no neighbor noise whatsoever.

I second this. Northern CA has such crappy and poor construction. Heck just take a look at the roads here.

This state reminds me of a 3rd world country on many levels...especially the Bay Area.

[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by Matadora

How is being bothered by noise when your trying to sleep "crazy"?

Actually this is not a solution as the vertical walls attached to the other townhouses can be a noise issue. In fact I have experienced this after a loud family moved in next to us. Our walls are separated by our internal stairs and their internal stairs. They have the same carpeted stairs as we do. They stomp and run up and down the everyday and at times it sounded like a stampede of cattle.

In my experience next door noise still beats upstairs or downstairs noise hands down.

[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Yup. Because as soon as a new tenant moves in, it will start all over again. Maybe with luck, there will be a child or two involved in the next tenancy.

Most of Europe lives in condos or apartments. How do they manage? Is the construction better quality? I've stayed in apartments there; no neighbor noise whatsoever.

So in America we're kind of a car culture country that looks down on mass transit. We're also a house culture. As far at the American Dream goes, it's really about living in a house, not a condo or an apartment. As part of that, I wonder if we just opt for cheap materials for condos and apartment because, well, if you want privacy why aren't you saving up to buy a house?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

So in America we're kind of a car culture country that looks down on mass transit. We're also a house culture. As far at the American Dream goes, it's really about living in a house, not a condo or an apartment. As part of that, I wonder if we just opt for cheap materials for condos and apartment because, well, if you want privacy why aren't you saving up to buy a house?

In areas where houses are no longer affordable, they need to build better condos. NYC (Manhattan) has been mostly apartments/condos for generations. Do they have the same problems? This is really lame. And if carpeting is required, in order to make the building livable noise-wise, the builder should provide that. Units should come pre-carpeted.