Noisy Neighbors (Updated)

Discussion in 'Quackenbush's' started by msdw24, Mar 10, 2009.

  1. msdw24

    msdw24 1,000+ Posts

    So I've got a Noisy Neighbor problem. I made a move a few months ago into a new condo in the new Mueller development. It's a fantastic location, great overall neighborhood, etc. etc...with one major exception.....my next door neighbor.

    At first I did not think much of it, as I was moving my stuff out of an apartment on weekends and not yet living in the condo full time. There was some music playing but not that loud, and I wasn't staying the night so no big deal. Fast forward to Jan.....

    I'm fully moved in and it's 11:30PM on a monday night. I'm trying to go to sleep and all of a sudden there is loud boombabooming with very DEEP base coming from next door. After 30min of this I decide to go next door and ask for them to turn it down. A lady comes to the door and apologizes for it being too loud and turns it down. About 45min later it's back up and LOUDER than the last time. I go back over there and ring the bell, no one answers...I hear a guy laughing and turning on a vacuum cleaner, so I knock on the door for about 5 min. NOTHING...nobody came to the door....so I called the Police. Music finally gets turned down after2AM.

    Mid Feb rolls around and again durning the week loud music at 12AM starts playing, I'm too tired to walk downstairs and outside so I just call the police. Music goes down after 45min.

    Last Wednesday it's 12AM and the music wakes up me, my dog, and the GF. I call the cops again, and 10min later they are there and I can hear them pounding on the guys door. Police come over and talk to me, and say that they could hear the music when they got out of their car, but no-one came to the door, but the music went down when they said APD. I ask the cops what I can do and they say just to keep calling them.

    Yesterday, get off work home at 7 and the people are listening to what sounded like the LION KING soundtrack at full blast...I go over there knock on the door so loud the whole neighborhood can hear it. There is a lady who lives in the next building, who was outside and she could hear it and she isn't even attached to the building!!! I called the cops again and they came by, but not sure if they talked to the people...when I was pounding on the door the music was still way up.

    I'm so fed up with this BS that I called the homeowners association today. Read my homeowners restrictive covenants last night as well. What course of action do I have now?? If the association doesn't do anything what do I do then? Should I take him to court? I can't sleep cause he always listens to music or movies or games so damn loud. I am pretty cool about these things too, but it's ALL the time.
    Any help/ideas would be great....cause right now I'm just [​IMG]

    Thanks in advance [​IMG]
     
  2. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    Cut the power to his unit.
     
  3. orangesuedeshoes

    orangesuedeshoes 250+ Posts

    Some people only understand one language. Do you have any friends that can make them an offer they can't refuse?
     
  4. SyracuseHorn

    SyracuseHorn 500+ Posts

    Find out when he sleeps. Offer your condo as free space for music rehearsal. Problem solved.
     
  5. Ramathorn

    Ramathorn 1,000+ Posts

    Just reading that makes me mad. Inconsiderate focks. Normal in an apt (though I've been blessed to have quiet neighbors). They may not own the condo though, I'll bet they're renting it out.


    Is this a family? Young couple?
     
  6. JonathanMardukas

    JonathanMardukas 100+ Posts

    I've got the solution. When you wake up in the morning to go to work blast your music and you'll wake them up.
     
  7. msdw24

    msdw24 1,000+ Posts


     
  8. zzzz

    zzzz 2,500+ Posts

    Offer to buy him some nice headphones?

    Is it possible she's a screamer and they turn the music up to cover the noise she makes?
     
  9. pulque

    pulque 1,000+ Posts


     
  10. wolfman

    wolfman 1,000+ Posts

    If they are playing loud music late when you are trying to sleep, odds are they are trying to sleep when you get up in the morning. Face your speakers to the common wall/floor and blast them back early in the morning. In fact, do that on the weekends and leave for the morning with the music turned up.
     
  11. accuratehorn

    accuratehorn 10,000+ Posts

    Yes, a low bass speaker facing his wall, a 6 a.m. burst of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" on a continuous loop cassette should work wonders, or maybe the dogs barking "Jingle Bells" or some similarly soothing melody.
    Really, if you have a HMA, they should be the ones to say something about the situation. They have power to enforce rules.
     
  12. runner

    runner 100+ Posts

    Oh man, this would drive me crazy. You might want to go over there while there is not music blaring and try and reason with him. After that, I would lean hard on the HOA to get them to act. That's their job.

    If none of those things work, you could always retaliate, but I would not expect things to get better, other than make you feel good.
     
  13. BA93

    BA93 1,000+ Posts

    Going after the guy with 6am music will give you short time satisfaction but won’t help the problem long term. After all, this is a guy who didn’t care that the cops came over. Blasting the music at 6am will obviously take him to another level of music volume at 10pm. The next time he gets drunk/high, he will take the volume up to 11.

    Keep following up with the HOA but realize that they may have less effect than the police. I like the idea of catching him or his wife/girlfriend during a time when the music isn’t on. Do you not ever see them during the weekend afternoons?

    But if you are going to mess back with him, be more creative than 6am music.
     
  14. Smurfette

    Smurfette 500+ Posts

    Maybe try asking the guy to come to your place when the music is on and see how loud it is?

    It sucks, but I think the only solution is repeative police calls and going through the HOA. Keep a journal that notes all of the times you have issues w/ their music.

    I thought condos were required to have sound barriers between apartments?
     
  15. Bevo Incognito

    Bevo Incognito 5,000+ Posts


     
  16. Steel Shank

    Steel Shank 1,000+ Posts

    C) It shall be unlawful for any person, between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following morning, in either a public or private place or house in the city, to create, make or cause to be made upon musical instruments, horns or bugles, or by any other means, any loud noise which is reasonably calculated to disturb others in the vicinity of any such public or private place or house.

    Can't they be issue a citation by now?
     
  17. HornMafia

    HornMafia 100+ Posts

    Yeah if you play loud music yourself then he's going to say you're doing the same thing, even if you are doing it in retaliation.

    Just keep going to the HOA and the police. Eventually he'll get fined, and money talks.

    It sucks. We had a very loud upstairs neighbor and ended up moving apartments because of it. It would be much worse to own it.
     
  18. alxhorns

    alxhorns 100+ Posts

    kick his ***
     
  19. CanaTigers

    CanaTigers 2,500+ Posts

    Move to April and Billy's neighborhood. It seems to be really quiet.
     
  20. hook_em_jesus

    hook_em_jesus 25+ Posts

    i hate noisy neighbors...
     
  21. Ramathorn

    Ramathorn 1,000+ Posts


     
  22. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts


     
  23. 6th&Congress

    6th&Congress 25+ Posts

    I feel for you. I can't stand inconsiderate d-bags. Right now I'm dealing with a neighbor who slams the door at 4:15 A.M. during the work week. The doors close automatically, there is no need to slam the damn thing! [​IMG]
     
  24. kmac30

    kmac30 500+ Posts

    oh man, in my building in nyc, ppl slamed the doors at all hours. it shook the whole floor (new building, terrible cheap construction).

    i was probably the ******* with my tv turned up too loud.
     
  25. working in the leasing office of an apartment community i'm lucky not to get a lot of noise complaints. i do have one big problem with a resident and its the neighbors UPSTAIRS that are unhappy with the chick. i know she is in the bar industry (i wanna think she is a stripper because she is hot)..

    i wish APD would start issuing citations for noise violations after receiving complaints on numerous occasions.

    talk to the HOA and ask APD when they start issuing those. the city of Austin has a noise ordinance during the overnight hours starting at 10PM
     
  26. bradford702

    bradford702 100+ Posts

    Call the cops and tell them you want to issue a citation to the noisy neighbor. It will be just like a traffic ticket. You will have to go sign a formal complaint at the court and then the suspect will plead guilty(receive fine), no contest (receive fine) or not guilty (trial time). Make an open records request for your and his address to show how many times the police have been called due to loud music. You could also make a video recording of your apartment showing how loud it gets. At least that is how it would work at my department.
     
  27. fly524

    fly524 25+ Posts

    APD should have a decible meter. Have them come inside your place and record the reading. He's violating the law. Have them issue a citation, follow through with it.

    Not an instant answer to your issue but long term. Don't fight fire with fire, although tempting. Long term success is the goal.
     
  28. achooloco

    achooloco 100+ Posts

    i know that you definitely get fines for noise violations, and it doesnt take that much either. my roommate got a 200 fine for christmas lights and noise violations when we had a party at my house here on the eastside. i thought the blinking lights complaint was bs since they were christmas lights but i dont doubt that he was making a lot of noise late at night. anyway, it doesnt take repeat offenders, just one time. i'm surprised your neighbor isn't lighter in the wallet already. or they're rich and just dont mind paying 200 bucks to blast music.
     
  29. Summerof79

    Summerof79 2,500+ Posts

    HOA. I would try to talk to them first of course but if they are ******** what can you do except let the HOA do it's job. You can also run for the board... ;-)

    Ask for a summary of the calls from APD for the next board meeting and see what action they will take. Explain that this is the sort of thing that will devalue the property.
     
  30. Vol Horn 4 Life

    Vol Horn 4 Life Good Bye To All The Rest!

    Hang a picture on the wall adjacent to them........at 4am.......every morning for two weeks.
     

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