Renting/Landlord Question

[shrader]

For the past three years I've had these ridiculously annoying neighbors downstairs who complain about everything. All they do is complain about noise. The day I moved in, evidentally I was too loud when I put my bed together. I can't walk around after 8PM without them complaining. They've complained about "loud music" an hour after I went to sleep (roommated called it a night at around the same time). They have even phoned in noise complaints two separate times where both of us were out of town.

 

Well anyway, they always call my roommate since they have his phone number. One day they asked for mine, but I told them I didn't have a cell phone. They're so unreasonable and I didn't want to have to deal with these constant phone calls. Well today at around 6 I get a random call while watching tv. It's the neighbors saying my tv is too loud. So how exactly did they get my number? The roommate wouldn't give it away, so that leaves only one other possiblity, they got it from the landlord.

 

Is that legal? Can a landlord just give my phone number away to anyone who asks? It seems like a serious invasion of privacy.

 

 

And just to be clear, I'm about the last person who would ever be getting noise complaints. We never have parties here. I don't even own a stereo. These people seem like the types who need to have total control over everything.

[The Dean]

Shiv the mofo?

[Fezmid]

Shiv the mofo?

 

I visited the Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington DC today, and they had a whole section on prison made weapons.... Guess who I thought of?

 

As for the original question -- the landlord has no right to share that number, but I don't know what recourse you'd have...

[VABills]

I visited the Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington DC today, and they had a whole section on prison made weapons.... Guess who I thought of?

 

As for the original question -- the landlord has no right to share that number, but I don't know what recourse you'd have...

You're in DC area. I thought I felt some ancient presence. I was just think it was nothing, but it turns out it was the ghost of failed technologies.

[shrader]

As for the original question -- the landlord has no right to share that number, but I don't know what recourse you'd have...

 

I'm more curious than anything. I'll be asking the landlord to never do that again though. She seems very reasonable, so I'm surprised she would give the number away like that. It was probably the same constant borderline harassment from the neighbors that we get.

 

Oh well, time to start carving the ultimate shiv out of this old wooden hockey stick that I never use.

[ofiba]

I feel your pain dude. I live above a lady who complains almost daily about me walking around in my apartment. She doesn't have my number, so her method of complaining is stomping around downstairs as loud as she can and then slamming her door really loud. Sometimes she will also yell obscenities at me or my wife as we leave the apartment because she says the sound of our door closing "shakes her whole apartment". The crazy thing about her is that she is a chain smoker and ever since she moved in my whole apartment smells like smoke. If anyone has the right to be upset, it's me.

 

It's kind of comforting to know I'm not the only person who has to put up with these types of psychos.

[Jim in Anchorage]

I feel your pain dude. I live above a lady who complains almost daily about me walking around in my apartment. She doesn't have my number, so her method of complaining is stomping around downstairs as loud as she can and then slamming her door really loud. Sometimes she will also yell obscenities at me or my wife as we leave the apartment because she says the sound of our door closing "shakes her whole apartment". The crazy thing about her is that she is a chain smoker and ever since she moved in my whole apartment smells like smoke. If anyone has the right to be upset, it's me.

 

It's kind of comforting to know I'm not the only person who has to put up with these types of psychos.

This all reminds me of why I like the apartment I live in. I own it. A 30 day eviction notice can calm the most flaky renter.By the way,my upstairs units have a half inch concrete layer on he floor under the carpet to deaden sound.

[ofiba]

This all reminds me of why I like the apartment I live in. I own it. A 30 day eviction notice can calm the most flaky renter.By the way,my upstairs units have a half inch concrete layer on he floor under the carpet to deaden sound.

 

Sounds like a nice place. Remove the half inch concrete and the carpet (all hardwood) and you've got my place. I don't doubt the lady can hear me walking, but there's not really anything I can do about it.

[Jim in Anchorage]

Sounds like a nice place. Remove the half inch concrete and the carpet (all hardwood) and you've got my place. I don't doubt the lady can hear me walking, but there's not really anything I can do about it.

Some people need to be reminded they live in a apartment. The presence of other residents may be detected at times. "yelling obscenity's at me and my wife" is unacceptable. I wound hope any of my renters with a similar problem to yours would come to me immediately. I would fix it, I assure you.

[Stussy109]

For the past three years I've had these ridiculously annoying neighbors downstairs who complain about everything. All they do is complain about noise. The day I moved in, evidentally I was too loud when I put my bed together. I can't walk around after 8PM without them complaining. They've complained about "loud music" an hour after I went to sleep (roommated called it a night at around the same time). They have even phoned in noise complaints two separate times where both of us were out of town.

 

Well anyway, they always call my roommate since they have his phone number. One day they asked for mine, but I told them I didn't have a cell phone. They're so unreasonable and I didn't want to have to deal with these constant phone calls. Well today at around 6 I get a random call while watching tv. It's the neighbors saying my tv is too loud. So how exactly did they get my number? The roommate wouldn't give it away, so that leaves only one other possiblity, they got it from the landlord.

 

Is that legal? Can a landlord just give my phone number away to anyone who asks? It seems like a serious invasion of privacy.

 

 

And just to be clear, I'm about the last person who would ever be getting noise complaints. We never have parties here. I don't even own a stereo. These people seem like the types who need to have total control over everything.

 

Next time they call, tell them if they want peace and quiet, not to rent the bottom floor of a duplex next time (assuming ur doing ur best to not be loud. If they keep annoying you, return the favor.

[Alaska Darin]

If they think you're being loud now, actually be loud for a day.

 

We had the same problem a long time ago with our downstairs neighbors. We went down to their apartment and listened and it was annoying. They went up to our apartment and saw that we weren't doing anything out of the norm. It was simply sh------- construction.

 

We ended up moving and unless there's some reason to stay, you should start looking too. No one needs that hassle.

[Fezmid]

You're in DC area. I thought I felt some ancient presence. I was just think it was nothing, but it turns out it was the ghost of failed technologies.

 

 

Don't worry, I'm driving up to Niagara Falls to visit family today, so you can rest easy now.

 

(this city is pretty awesome though!)

[extrahammer]

Here's a thought: Move!

 

Another thought: Start calling the landlord and complaining to them about the downstairs people being too loud.

[shrader]

Next time they call, tell them if they want peace and quiet, not to rent the bottom floor of a duplex next time (assuming ur doing ur best to not be loud. If they keep annoying you, return the favor.

 

It's a 4 floor, 8 unit building. I'm on the 3rd floor. They're a 50-something oouple living in the middle of a college town. They don't rent to students in this building, but it's still a very young building. There's another older couple (nicest people in the world) on the first floor, but after them, I'd guess that at 27 I'm the next oldest. It really does make you wonder why you'd want to live in an area where you're over twice the average age. If you're looking for peace and quiet, living directly between two very large colleges is not the way to go.

[ricojes]

I do not miss renting at all. My wife and I live in the Raintree apartments years ago and that place was horrible. We specifically asked for a building with no babies. Or at least babies directly above or below us and they did have one. So the first week was great, quiet as can be. But in week 2 the couple who lived above us came home from the maternity ward with their baby! The floors were so thin, we could hear their every move. When the baby woke up crying at all hours of the night, they would sit in a creaky rocking chair. It was brutal, we would sleep with tennis balls and throw them at the ceiling when hearing that damn creaking rocking chair. Technically there were no babies when we moved in, so I didn't fault the owners and they did let me break my lease with no penalty. But that was a miserable couple months.

[tennesseeboy]

For the past three years I've had these ridiculously annoying neighbors downstairs who complain about everything. All they do is complain about noise. The day I moved in, evidentally I was too loud when I put my bed together. I can't walk around after 8PM without them complaining. They've complained about "loud music" an hour after I went to sleep (roommated called it a night at around the same time). They have even phoned in noise complaints two separate times where both of us were out of town.

 

Well anyway, they always call my roommate since they have his phone number. One day they asked for mine, but I told them I didn't have a cell phone. They're so unreasonable and I didn't want to have to deal with these constant phone calls. Well today at around 6 I get a random call while watching tv. It's the neighbors saying my tv is too loud. So how exactly did they get my number? The roommate wouldn't give it away, so that leaves only one other possiblity, they got it from the landlord.

 

Is that legal? Can a landlord just give my phone number away to anyone who asks? It seems like a serious invasion of privacy.

 

 

And just to be clear, I'm about the last person who would ever be getting noise complaints. We never have parties here. I don't even own a stereo. These people seem like the types who need to have total control over everything.

[tennesseeboy]

When they say your tv is too loud...turn up the tv. When they complaining about your walking, stomp around for an hour. Do this WHENEVER they complain. They are like f-ing pigeons. If the response is always and accelleration of what they are complaining about they will stop complaining or go to the landlord, or move. You just have to be consistent. When they call you...answer with fould expletives...when they call you...call them back and complain that their having sex is keeping you up and making you sick to your stomach. You get pushed around because you allow yourself to be pushed around. They are playing a game. You play your own game.

[Chef Jim]

I do not miss renting at all. My wife and I live in the Raintree apartments years ago and that place was horrible. We specifically asked for a building with no babies. Or at least babies directly above or below us and they did have one. So the first week was great, quiet as can be. But in week 2 the couple who lived above us came home from the maternity ward with their baby! The floors were so thin, we could hear their every move. When the baby woke up crying at all hours of the night, they would sit in a creaky rocking chair. It was brutal, we would sleep with tennis balls and throw them at the ceiling when hearing that damn creaking rocking chair. Technically there were no babies when we moved in, so I didn't fault the owners and they did let me break my lease with no penalty. But that was a miserable couple months.

 

I have about as little tolerance for children as anyone but dude expecting no one in your building to ever bring home a baby or asking for a building without babies is a bit much. My wife and I just started renting again for the first time in a long time. We just moved to a new city and are renting until we can figure out where we want to buy. It sure does suck sharing walls, floors and ceilings with others but it's nice not to have to pay for property taxes, water, lawn mantainance, window cleaning, paint, repairs, etc, etc. But we still can't wait to get back into our own place. Just can't decide whether to buy a $1mill condo in the city and still share walls or a $750k home in the suburbs.

[Peevo]

Do a nys.gov or whatever your home state is and search for published tenant rights. The attorney general has it for free pdf download, at least for nys.

 

I'm not sure there's much you can do though, tenants don't have a whole lot of bargaining rights with regards to other tenants. The laws are pretty much written to defend the land owner, not the tenant.

 

But the above is true, too. They chose to live in a downstairs apartment, you're gonna hear noise. For myself, I just turn the speakers up louder for my "system" and try to ignore the upstairs folks. They're nice people, really.

 

And by "system" I mean straight outta '97. 36" JVC Tube tv, (yep) with a '00 Aiwa stereo dual speaker system. No surround sound/HD in my apt haha. We joke all the time, if we were living there in '99 our system would be sweet. Gotta love the destitute 20's. Is everyone poor under 25?

[shrader]

When they say your tv is too loud...turn up the tv. When they complaining about your walking, stomp around for an hour. Do this WHENEVER they complain. They are like f-ing pigeons. If the response is always and accelleration of what they are complaining about they will stop complaining or go to the landlord, or move. You just have to be consistent. When they call you...answer with fould expletives...when they call you...call them back and complain that their having sex is keeping you up and making you sick to your stomach. You get pushed around because you allow yourself to be pushed around. They are playing a game. You play your own game.

 

Actually, the only time I ever respond to them is if they actually walk upstairs and ask. Any time they call, we never answer our phones. Show a little spine and deal with these things face to face and maybe you'll get somewhere. But then again, if they walk upstairs, they'll realize that there is no noise actually coming out of the apartment. We can't have that.

 

It's more of an attempt to push around as opposed to actually being pushed around. The fact that they now have my phone number is what really annoys me. Maybe I'll start complaining to them about the noise my phone makes when they call it.