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Neighbor, noise and going insane

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hitc206

Junior Member
What is the name of your state - Colorado

I am in a predicament I’ve not been in previously and am not quite sure what to do! I’ve lived in my current apartment for 4 years with no problems. Suddenly, we have a downstairs neighbor quite unlike any I’ve encountered before. She has a dog which she allows to bark for 2-4 hours non-stop. One would think this is my problem – while the barking is pretty darned annoying so far I’ve just put up with it. It’s during the day and I do try to be tolerable – I understand we do not live in a monastery and there will be noise from time to time.

My problem stems from her expectations upon us (My 14 year old son and I). The other day I was vacuuming at around 1pm. Two minutes in she started pounding on the ceiling; she then came to the door stating I had disturbed her peace. My son dropped something the other night resulting in a thud. We don’t stomp around the apartment, and he dropped the object once on accident. Again she started beating the ceiling. Every time she pounds on the ceiling or comes to the door it’s been for things of this nature. Our walls are thin so we can hear people talking at a normal tone. She will pound on the ceiling for this as well! It’s almost as though she is waiting for noise as the pounding is immediate for anything she considers a noise infraction.

I know that some other neighbors are upset regarding the barking. They have come to her door cursing, screaming and threatening to phone the police. I thought perhaps someone turned her in and she thought it was us – so she decided to make our lives hell. However, when I called the apartment office I was told no one had made any complaints regarding her dog. The manager told me that she would speak with this woman as she could understand our situation. Heretofore she is still pounding away – her dog is still barking and I am going mad! I’m pretty non-confrontational, and don’t want to disturb my neighbors…in this case I don’t know what to do. I feel I have to walk on eggshells, I’m almost afraid to vacuum, or talk above a whisper. I’m cursing myself for signing a new 12 month lease (signed just days before she started coming to my door).

Do I have any recourse? I don’t play music loud (we use headphones); don’t own a TV or any other such noisemakers. I keep vacuuming or any noisy activities like it to the hours of 10am-7pm – we have nothing in our lease regarding quiet hours…or noise at all to be honest. I just do this out of respect. I am starting to feel threatened and feel I cannot enjoy my apartment – with her banging, her dog, and her coming to my door to complain. I have tried to be civil, but am tired of walking on eggshells to appease this woman.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
 


What is the name of your state - Colorado

I am in a predicament I’ve not been in previously and am not quite sure what to do! I’ve lived in my current apartment for 4 years with no problems. Suddenly, we have a downstairs neighbor quite unlike any I’ve encountered before. She has a dog which she allows to bark for 2-4 hours non-stop. One would think this is my problem – while the barking is pretty darned annoying so far I’ve just put up with it. It’s during the day and I do try to be tolerable – I understand we do not live in a monastery and there will be noise from time to time.

My problem stems from her expectations upon us (My 14 year old son and I). The other day I was vacuuming at around 1pm. Two minutes in she started pounding on the ceiling; she then came to the door stating I had disturbed her peace. My son dropped something the other night resulting in a thud. We don’t stomp around the apartment, and he dropped the object once on accident. Again she started beating the ceiling. Every time she pounds on the ceiling or comes to the door it’s been for things of this nature. Our walls are thin so we can hear people talking at a normal tone. She will pound on the ceiling for this as well! It’s almost as though she is waiting for noise as the pounding is immediate for anything she considers a noise infraction.

I know that some other neighbors are upset regarding the barking. They have come to her door cursing, screaming and threatening to phone the police. I thought perhaps someone turned her in and she thought it was us – so she decided to make our lives hell. However, when I called the apartment office I was told no one had made any complaints regarding her dog. The manager told me that she would speak with this woman as she could understand our situation. Heretofore she is still pounding away – her dog is still barking and I am going mad! I’m pretty non-confrontational, and don’t want to disturb my neighbors…in this case I don’t know what to do. I feel I have to walk on eggshells, I’m almost afraid to vacuum, or talk above a whisper. I’m cursing myself for signing a new 12 month lease (signed just days before she started coming to my door).

Do I have any recourse? I don’t play music loud (we use headphones); don’t own a TV or any other such noisemakers. I keep vacuuming or any noisy activities like it to the hours of 10am-7pm – we have nothing in our lease regarding quiet hours…or noise at all to be honest. I just do this out of respect. I am starting to feel threatened and feel I cannot enjoy my apartment – with her banging, her dog, and her coming to my door to complain. I have tried to be civil, but am tired of walking on eggshells to appease this woman.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
Go about your business as you normally would and don't answer your door when she comes. If you completely ignore her she will eventually tire or complain to the management. That will be your opportunity to ask them to have a chat with her about her dog.
 

davidmcbeth3

Senior Member
Go about your business as you normally would and don't answer your door when she comes. If you completely ignore her she will eventually tire or complain to the management. That will be your opportunity to ask them to have a chat with her about her dog.
I would tell her to quit killing the moths on her ceiling.
 

ENASNI

Senior Member
Go about your business as you normally would and don't answer your door when she comes. If you completely ignore her she will eventually tire or complain to the management. That will be your opportunity to ask them to have a chat with her about her dog.
Not bad advice there. I do think perhaps once opening the door and tell her that she is harrassing you, it will stop, because you will not have it anymore.

Sometimes a good calm quiet confrontation when you are in the right, can show her you mean business and you do not have "welcome" stamped on your back and are not a foot rug for her to wipe her shoes on. If she keeps ranting and raving, you can say... ." Sell crazy some place else, we are all stocked up here."*

If it continues, ignore her.

Good Luck.
* (Melvin Udall as played by the great Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets")
 

sally1

Member
I would immediately file a complaint with management over the barking dog.Call animal control,or write a complaint letter to them as well. It would look better to file these BEFORE she complains about you to management.

As for her complaints against you I think they are foolish.She is an obvious NFH.Ignore her.If you feel like answering the door,or she confronts you(or your child) tell her she must direct her complaints to management not you.
 

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