UPDATE Please validate me, dealing with problem neighbors
Mar 20, 2016 22:39:40 GMT
freecharlie, gar, and 1 more like this
Post by chaosisapony on Mar 20, 2016 22:39:40 GMT
It's gonna be long....
I own my ground floor condo, the condo above me gets rented out. Last summer the condo above me got new tenants: a husband, wife and 1 year old baby. In the almost 9 years I have been here I have never had trouble with tenants like I have with this group. It started off with just general noise. Music played loudly in the morning, loud talking, etc. The building is really old and I thought perhaps they just didn't realize how sound carried. I complained to management about the noise as well as the subject matter (drugs, their sex life, lots of cursing). It's written into our bylaws that there isn't to be any vulgar language that can be heard in the common areas so I was within my rights to complain.
Fast forward a couple of months and every time I open my windows I smell pot smoke. I hate that smell as much as I hate the smell of cigarettes. Right around this time they start to have friends over and they all sit out on their balcony and smoke pot constantly. I can't escape the smell so I make another complaint to the HOA and their landlord.
They start having friends over frequently and are super loud and annoying every time. They would watch football games and I could hear the game and every word they spoke in my unit over my tv. Most of the time they and their friends are out on their balcony drinking and smoking pot and just generally being very belligerent. By this point I have verbally asked the tenants to please quiet down on a couple of occasions with no success. I complain again and am told there isn't anything they (the landlord) can do and to call the police if it continues to happen. I don't think this is the correct way to handle things for several reasons, the first of which being we have rules and bylaws that are point blank being violated. Why have these rules if they aren't going to be enforced?
So that brings us to the beginning of March. The wife goes to jail for a failure to appear on DUI charges, this is her fourth DUI in ten years and third FTA. It's blissfully quiet while she is gone and I have high hopes that things will calm down. Nope! The second day she is home they throw a big house party. There is music, screaming, jumping around, and general ridiculous drunken behavior until almost 1am. I called the cops at 11:30, it was a weeknight and I really felt like I had no other options since their landlord refuses to do anything.
I informed our HOA board and the landlord of what went on and filed another formal noise nuisance complaint on Monday of last week. Friday I was home all day and the husband and wife were having another screaming match that went from 3:30-8 pm. At 8 I was outside watering my plants when the husband storms out, sees me, gets right up in my face and yells "Go ahead, call the cops again!!". I didn't respond and went inside.
I live alone and at this point I'm nervous to be around them. I don't feel safe walking to and from my car. Neither the husband or wife works so they are always home outside on their balcony and they watch me walk to and from my car every day. I had planned on calling our property manager again on Monday to inform her of what happened because I want it documented.
Well today I come home and the wife's mother is walking to her car. She stops me and very nicely apologizes for everything that I've had to put up with. She explained that they used to be homeless and have a history of drug and alcohol problems and if they get kicked out of here they will wind up back on the streets with their baby. I explained to her that I didn't feel safe after what happened with the husband and she told me she understood and he realizes he screwed up. She wanted to assure me that he would never do anything to me and that he's actually a nice person. Her daughter is starting anger management classes on Monday.
So if you've made it this far I commend you. Here's the question: Do I still call and report to the property manager what happened with the husband? I truly don't feel safe here when they are home. I'm constantly on edge about the drinking and drug use with them and their guests as well as the screaming and noise problems and the recent confrontation. However, I know the mom told me all of these things in an attempt to get me not to report the behavior and to make me feel guilty because they "won't have anywhere else to go". Am I a terrible person if I call on Monday? I really don't want to escalate the situation any further but I don't feel like I have much choice. I pay my HOA dues and deserve to have peace and quiet in my living situation. I should be able to check my mail without fearing some confrontation.
Any advice and validation is appreciated.
Friday 3/25 Update:
I did call and complain on Monday and had a long chat with the property manager. She completely understands my frustrations but since no one else in the complex is complaining there is not much that can be done about it. It's an owner/tenant issue not a "global" issue.
The wife from upstairs came down and talked to me today and I think it went pretty well. She apologized for their behavior and said they are really trying to get their life together. We exchanged phone numbers and she told me to text her anytime if there is too much noise. I give her a lot of credit for coming down and having a mature conversation and I really hope things improve in this situation now.
I own my ground floor condo, the condo above me gets rented out. Last summer the condo above me got new tenants: a husband, wife and 1 year old baby. In the almost 9 years I have been here I have never had trouble with tenants like I have with this group. It started off with just general noise. Music played loudly in the morning, loud talking, etc. The building is really old and I thought perhaps they just didn't realize how sound carried. I complained to management about the noise as well as the subject matter (drugs, their sex life, lots of cursing). It's written into our bylaws that there isn't to be any vulgar language that can be heard in the common areas so I was within my rights to complain.
Fast forward a couple of months and every time I open my windows I smell pot smoke. I hate that smell as much as I hate the smell of cigarettes. Right around this time they start to have friends over and they all sit out on their balcony and smoke pot constantly. I can't escape the smell so I make another complaint to the HOA and their landlord.
They start having friends over frequently and are super loud and annoying every time. They would watch football games and I could hear the game and every word they spoke in my unit over my tv. Most of the time they and their friends are out on their balcony drinking and smoking pot and just generally being very belligerent. By this point I have verbally asked the tenants to please quiet down on a couple of occasions with no success. I complain again and am told there isn't anything they (the landlord) can do and to call the police if it continues to happen. I don't think this is the correct way to handle things for several reasons, the first of which being we have rules and bylaws that are point blank being violated. Why have these rules if they aren't going to be enforced?
So that brings us to the beginning of March. The wife goes to jail for a failure to appear on DUI charges, this is her fourth DUI in ten years and third FTA. It's blissfully quiet while she is gone and I have high hopes that things will calm down. Nope! The second day she is home they throw a big house party. There is music, screaming, jumping around, and general ridiculous drunken behavior until almost 1am. I called the cops at 11:30, it was a weeknight and I really felt like I had no other options since their landlord refuses to do anything.
I informed our HOA board and the landlord of what went on and filed another formal noise nuisance complaint on Monday of last week. Friday I was home all day and the husband and wife were having another screaming match that went from 3:30-8 pm. At 8 I was outside watering my plants when the husband storms out, sees me, gets right up in my face and yells "Go ahead, call the cops again!!". I didn't respond and went inside.
I live alone and at this point I'm nervous to be around them. I don't feel safe walking to and from my car. Neither the husband or wife works so they are always home outside on their balcony and they watch me walk to and from my car every day. I had planned on calling our property manager again on Monday to inform her of what happened because I want it documented.
Well today I come home and the wife's mother is walking to her car. She stops me and very nicely apologizes for everything that I've had to put up with. She explained that they used to be homeless and have a history of drug and alcohol problems and if they get kicked out of here they will wind up back on the streets with their baby. I explained to her that I didn't feel safe after what happened with the husband and she told me she understood and he realizes he screwed up. She wanted to assure me that he would never do anything to me and that he's actually a nice person. Her daughter is starting anger management classes on Monday.
So if you've made it this far I commend you. Here's the question: Do I still call and report to the property manager what happened with the husband? I truly don't feel safe here when they are home. I'm constantly on edge about the drinking and drug use with them and their guests as well as the screaming and noise problems and the recent confrontation. However, I know the mom told me all of these things in an attempt to get me not to report the behavior and to make me feel guilty because they "won't have anywhere else to go". Am I a terrible person if I call on Monday? I really don't want to escalate the situation any further but I don't feel like I have much choice. I pay my HOA dues and deserve to have peace and quiet in my living situation. I should be able to check my mail without fearing some confrontation.
Any advice and validation is appreciated.
Friday 3/25 Update:
I did call and complain on Monday and had a long chat with the property manager. She completely understands my frustrations but since no one else in the complex is complaining there is not much that can be done about it. It's an owner/tenant issue not a "global" issue.
The wife from upstairs came down and talked to me today and I think it went pretty well. She apologized for their behavior and said they are really trying to get their life together. We exchanged phone numbers and she told me to text her anytime if there is too much noise. I give her a lot of credit for coming down and having a mature conversation and I really hope things improve in this situation now.
