Harrassment towards children

[geordiegirl]

I live in 24 unit apartment building with common balaconies around each side. I have a neighbor that keeps complaining to the landlord about the children walking back and forth from one apartment to the other. the landlord is trying to stop us from visiting other tenants. What can I do, these balconies are common walkways, and my children and myself are not the only ones who use it. Please advise, they are starting to harrasse me on a regular basis. I try to keep them quite, they are only small children, they do not make a lot of noise by walking across the walkway. I have lived in the same apartment for 13 years.

 

[LL]

In trying to imagine what's going on here, I suppose that the complaining neighbor doesn't like the children walking on the balcony in front of her apartment.

This is hardly a dispute that needs law or courts.

Why don't you (and the children, too) try to make friends with the complaining neighbor, maybe do something nice for her once in a while, basically find some way for her to enjoy having the children around.

Even small children can make a lot of noise. Consider the landlord as being caught in the middle between a complaining tenant and parents who complain back. I wonder if what the landlord is doing is really harassment.

If you can't make the children a pleasure to have around for the complaining neighbor, don't insist that the children have a right to play on the balcony. It will only make the situation worse. Keep in mind that it is easy for a landlord to want to avoid all of the problems of children.