Sunday, September 28, 2008

Thou Shall Not Sleep



We moved back to our condo (townhome style) that we've owned since 2005 past May. My BFF, Miss K was renting it from us while we were in Hawaii and there were times she had complained about the girl living upstairs time to time about the noise she made. Our condo is apartment conversion which a company decided to buy and sell it to investors and buyers when the real estate market was booming here in Florida. And this complext does not have any sound proof what's so ever.

With that said, I really need your help, my friends.

Ok, here is our situation..

My husband and I are livid right now. We're totally fed up. We have this girl living upstairs. The one my friend Miss K, sometimes complained about. But Miss K never told us about the noise that she's making now. Apparently, she is an exotic dancer, so she works late. No big deal. But the problem is she has no regards towards her neighbor!!

She usually comes home between 2:30am ~ 3:30am after long night of work. About two - three times a week though, she brings bunch of customers or friends home and parties. I'm talking about real loud noise. Loud music, banging the floor with some object or running around the house. If this happened 11pm on weekends, then okay, maybe we wouldn't care too much.

Early this morning, I heard people talking loud by our walk path so I woke up (which is the case most of times). It was 3:30am. It was another night of party time. I was staring at the ceiling. I hear people screaming and laughing. Really. It's not 7pm or 9pm or 11pm, it's 3:30am. My heart was racing because I didn't want my hubby nor daughters to wake up. But then just when the clock turned 4am, I now started to hear LOUD MUSIC playing. I could even here who's singing the song which one of them was "I want it that way" by Backstreet Boys. Really. That's when my hubby woke up. He heard the sound of base..

We moved to living room to wait for things to unfold when we heard some people going up and down the stairs and out the door. So, my husband rushed outside and managed to talk to someone who was about to go back upstairs. JT said, "Guys, keep it down, please? We have little kids sleeping here."

"oh, okay...," was the girl's answer. No sorry, nothing. We waited a bit, no sign of calming down. Now I am pissed.

Me: JT, we have to call Police. It's 4:30am. This is not right. I'm tired of it.
JT: I'm not calling the police. If you want, you go ahead.
Me: Ok, then what are we going to do, we just sit here and wait until they're done partying?
JT: I'll try to find her landlord tomorrow and complain.
Me: No, I can't stand it anymore. It's not fair... We have the right to have peace and quiet.
JT: I know, but there's nothing we can do. Don't want to call police and make things worse...
Me: This is "noise disturbance" - I'll google it and you'll know why it's okay to call police.

So, I googled it and I've found some stuff on there. It clearly says that [one's peace can not be disturbed. Also people have a right to and should be insured an environment free from excessive sound that may jeopardize their health or welfare or safety or degrade the quality of life]. Our peace should have been protected by law, however, I know our quality of life is definitey degraded by the noise from upstairs.

Anyway,

we ended up not calling the police and the noise stopped at 6am!!! Yep, 6am in the morning, my friends. It's unblievable.

Now question is this; what should we do if she starts it again?

We've alrady asked the girl or her friends to be more courteous over and over again. She may be quiet for a week and she begins her bad habit. We are filing a formal complaint, but I know she'll party again. If that would be the case, do you think it's okay for us to call police when the noise starts at 3am? I'm tired of asking them to be quiet, because obviously they don't care.

I'm not complain because she's a dancer. I would have said the same thing if she was a nurse or investment banker or even a lawyer. It's about having a common sense; the desency to respect people live around you. And I don't even know how to be nice about it anymore.

So, please, my friends? Tell me what we should do....

96 comments:

Dorkys Ramos said...

Oh I would most definitely call the cops on her. You guys have already tried to reason with her multiple times and she still doesn't respect that. Do you have other neighbors who feel the same? Maybe they felt they were on their own and didn't want to say anything, but there's always power in numbers. Talking to the landlord and then having him/her break it down for her might help as well - surely there's something about noise disturbances in the lease.

But if it's 5 am and she's still acting like an inconsiderate fool then she has no one but herself to blame when an officer shows up at her door.

Let's just hope she doesn't think it's a stripper.

KatBouska said...

CALL THE POLICE!!! For SURE! And who is her landlord?? It couldn't hurt to call them too. That is beyoond disrespectful, I would have been infuriated!! I really hope it doesn't happen again though!

KatBouska said...

Oh and I forgot to mention...my husband grew up in Hawaii so yes, we all of our kids have Hawaiian names. We live in Washington now and I try to embrace the culture as much as possible. :)

Unknown said...

Yes, it's definitely ok to call hte police. They get calls like that ALL the time (my husband was a police officer before he went to med school, and he still works as a cop part time). They are very familiar with these type of situations and will be able to handle it without saying "Posh mom, her husband, and her kids complained about you."

merc3069 said...

CALL the COPS!
We have neighbors who are swinger rednecks, I swear I am not lying. We've called the police several times, most recently due to gunshots. Scarily, the police were already aware since bozo neighor had put a round through another neighbor's house!

Bayjb said...

I have been going through this exact same issue. It's so frustrating. I would absolutely call the cops and begin keeping a log of what time the noise starts, where you hear it and the date for documentation. Simultaneously I would get a list of the condo board rules and work with them to get this resolved or talk to the landlord. If she doesn't own the unit, there is a way to have her kicked out, but it could take a month or two, but you're right something has to be done.

colbymarshall said...

We had the same situation with the guy upstairs where we used ot live (also known on my blog under tag "enemy number one") and we ended up moving because of him. Definitely if she won't respond when you ask politly, call those cops, girlfriend! That'll drive you insane...I know better than most having lived under similar circumstances for a year!

Maki said...

dorkys: I went outside last night to see if people next to us could hear the noise. But because walk path is in between our place and the next building, I don't think they could hear the noise. I'm sure they hear the voices though. Thanks for your advise!!!

mama's losin' it: I really hope it doesn't happen again, but I know it will happen again:( I will def. call Police if things pursist further. Oh, also I kind of assumed your husband is from Hawaii by reading your blog when you talked about him speaking pidgin:) Gosh I miss Hawaii. You love Sushi too yes? Thanks so much for stopping by:D

tova darling: Thanks so much! I know your darling is a med student,but didn't know that he's a cop too! Can he come over and knock on her house?? Really, we're kind of afraid of her folks because some of them are scary looking.

merk3069: Geez, really?? Yeah, I am so ready to call the cops on them. She smiles when she sees me in the afternoon, but next time I am going to talk to her and it will be her last warning!

Jess: Yes, she's renting it. Hubby is going to call the homeowener association and get the landlord's number. If she doesn't comply, then she's going to be bye-bye. We have such a nice community, but she's ruining it for us!

colby: Thank you for understanding what we're going through!! I haven't had a good night sleep for the past four months because I'm always nervous about her coming home and making noise. It's crazy! I will definitely keep you posted:D

Angela said...

wow that is tough. i would call the police b/c she thinks it is okay for her to do so without any consequences.

Anonymous said...

yes CALL THE POLICE , EXSPECIALLY AFTER YOU HAVE ALREADY TALKED WITH HER AND SHE JUST DOES NOT SEEM TO CARE!? YOU HAVE THE RIGHT i KNOW HERE IN md THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO BE QUITE AFTER 11PM SOOO 2 AND 3 AM IS WAY PAST THAT TIME CALL THE COPS!!

MJ said...

Being personally involved with a cop, call them. It's their job to make sure you guys are safe and not bothered.

If you've told the girl over and over, you have been more than fair. You're much nicer than I am, because after asking them to tone it down the first time I would have called the cops.

Start keeping record of when the noise starts, when you call the cops, etc. And call the cops EVERY time, or else it will just keep happening.

Charlie said...

Thanks so much for leaving me a comment on my new site! I can't wait to see all the advice people have to offer! This post is perfect for my blog (now I see what you meant by your comment!!) and just like everyone else, I would call the cops! She doesn't have to know it was you! You should feel comfortable in your home and she should have to follow the "quite time" rules as well!

Unknown said...

that is tough because if you call the police, your neighbors could make your life even more hellish. But what are your options? Can you talk to the building management? I don't know. Maybe your best bet is the cops.

Lip Smacker said...

Darling, please call the police. Not 911 but the regular police line (you can look that number up in the phone book). You're neighbors will love you for it and it will send a clear signal to the tenet. You should also talk with the landlord as well, they may already be aware of the situation and appreciate further action from you. Don't spend one more sleepless night in that place, it will only make things worse within your own home! Good luck hun! ;)

Rachel said...

Call em baby!
Have you met her personally? I would go up and say hello and say Hey there...we live here now so would you mind keeping it down? And I would say some other stuff...but I would probably not say this out loud to her; nevermind...I'm a scardy cat!
I leave the confrontation to my hubby! He calls the cops!

Brooke Hughes said...

You really need to call the police...thats ridiculous! You have children and if she can not respect that then she can deal with the cops.

Anna Lorraine said...

yes i think you should definitely call the police [or security in your area] someone had called the security on us for being too loud at a friends party...and that usually works lol.

and thanks for stopping by my page and leaving me a comment!

Tracy K said...

Wow, crappy! I've been in similar situations, unfortunately. I'm with everyone who said call the police. They will help - she really seems out of control and inconsiderate. Best of luck. Hope you can get her to stop soon.

Maki said...

savvy: I honestly believe now that's what she thinks since we haven't done much to control the situation:(

klynch: Thank you so much for visiting my blog and leaving me the comment! I get happy when I see new people visiting my blog.. Yes, I will call the cops next time :) Thanks again!

MJ: Your prince is a cop, so I was kind of hoping to hear your opinion. I will keep the log, too, from now on. I will definitely call the cops next time - forget what JT says! (LOL)

charlie: I really think your blog idea is great!! I will be happy to hear other people's advise on your blog as well. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me the comment:D

Maegan: Right? The only thing was that I don't get good vibe from the people she brings over sometimes. I just don't want anything worse to happen. But I think we'll talk to her landlord, then the police.

lipsmacker: Hey hey! Yep, I already start to hate my own house because of it. My hubby and I really need to get our act together and solve this ridiculous situation.

rachel: Yes we have met her personally. The first night we moved in, they had music going at 2:30am, so I knocked and spoke with one of her BF's. I don't know how many she has, but we shook hands and they turned it down. But now, it seems she doesn't even care. LOL. You're cute - yes, I'd let my hubby handle it as well.

brooke: Hello:) Thanks for your words of encouragement. I feel like I can deal with her with strong intention from now on. Ha!

anna lorraine: No, it was my pleasure. Thanks for following my blog. I think we all have been there once in our life time that the police knocks on the door while having a party. This case is just different, she insists on making noise and I sometimes think it's intentional? Thanks for stopping by!

Maki said...

tracy: Thanks! I realize many people have had the same situation which is comforting to me. There are so many inconsiderate people out there, makes me angry! Nice to hear from you!

Alev said...

OMG! :O You have EVERY right to call the police! Don't even hesitate when the noises begin, peace and quite is everything you need and deserve. I think you should contact her landlord as well, this shouldn't go on..

Maki said...

alev: I know! Thank you. It's good to know that it's okay to call police because we feel like we couldn't. I'm relieved:)

Betsy Eves @JavaCupcake said...

I will never live in an apt/townhome ever again just for this reason. I hate neighbors!!!

Hccm said...

I would call the cops, because that is so rude for people to do that.

BTW- Congrats on you saucy blog!

AdriansCrazyLife said...

Hmmm. That's a tough one. I hate confrontation and my experience is that people like this get really nasty when you try to put any pressure on them.

Do you know anyone who is a lawyer? Maybe if you had a lawyer write a letter on your behalf and send it to the landlord, they might take it seriously enough to consider evicting her.

The main thing is to find a way to hit them in the pocket book. After all, they aren't the ones being kept up at night and since they are receiving rent from both of you, there isn't much to motivate them to take action.

Ritch in Love said...

Oh! Police for sure!!!!

jori-o said...

Call the cops!!!

JessicaMarie said...

Call the cops and the landlord. That's ridiculous behavior. She needs to get cited and make sure that the landlord knows in case she ever tries to use him/her as a housing reference.

Tori C. said...

So any news to date on this? How awful for you!

Marie Reed said...

Jeez Louise! What a horrible circus for you! Cops all the way!

mommytoalot said...

Thats pure madness!
I'd of definatley called the police
We've had to do it a few times.
And we live in a single house.

Jeanne Estridge said...

What a drag!

Any chance you could add soundproofing into your ceiling?

Tori said...

Stopping by from SITS! Congratz on featured blog! So its been a few months since this post; have things gotten any better?

wenderful said...

Happy SITs Day. You have a beautiful family Maki. I hope this stops, but if not, most definitely call the police. That's part of their job. And the landlord. Heck, if she doesn't own the condo, it should be pretty easy to gt her evicted.

Anonymous said...

I would start by complaining to the land lord or whoever runs the building. If that doesn't work, then call the cops.

Ali said...

I feel for you. I'm so glad we have our own house! I hope things are better now:)

Heather said...

Our neighbors across the street were like that. It's a bunch of young boys with no adult supervision. One of my other neighbors went over there one night and let them know if they didn't quit that he would call the police. After that, no noise. I would let her know that if she doesn't settle down and respect her neighbors that you will be calling police. I have a feeling that may make her take notice and keep quiet.

said...

I would love to hear an update on this story since this was written back in September - did she settle down or carry on with her bad behavior?

We had our share of idiotic neighbors in the past so I understand the frustration.

I hope you called the police on this woman. She's breaking the law behaving this way.

Thrifty and Chic Mom said...

I would call the police you have sleeping kids and it is an unreasonable hour of the night. Plus you have tried numerous times to reason with her and she ignored you.

Preston said...

I'm hoping that by now the problem has resolved itself but what an inconsiderate person. Happy SITS day!

My First Kitchen said...

When I was in high school, a girl next door had a party (other high school kids) that was loud only until 2am or so. My dad called the cops, and I watched from my window. The cops came to the door, and I saw a couple dozen kids jump out the back window, dump their beer, and run through other people's yards to get away. It was funny. I'm sorry you're dealing with this, but next time when you call the cops (which you should), make sure you watch from a window. Or maybe that's only entertaining for a sixteen year-old. Oh well. :) Congrats on your SITS day!!

Aileigh said...

I wouldn't hesitate for a second to call the cops. That is completely unreasonable and she needs to stop it. No matter what she does for a living! If she feels the need to party on into the night after work, she needs to find another place to do it! We have really bad neighbors too and I have called the cops several times. I mean in the middle of the week at 4 am is rediculous! Been there... Hope it gets better!

Kimmie said...

I think I'd wind up calling the cops if it was continuous

Unknown said...

I would definitely call the cops. No one deserves to be kept up at all hours, and especially in an apartment complex they have to respect their neighbors. I see this post was a while ago, so I hope the situation was resolved. Happy SITS day!

Erika said...

I would call both! I have 2 small children as well and would not stand for something like that.

April said...

Without a doubt...call the POLICE!

Lyssa said...

Can you have a party when it's her turn to sleep? Paybacks are hell, baby!

Anonymous said...

I think i would've called the cops too. Stuff like that is annoying for sure.

Stopping by from SITS. Happy SITS day!

Alicia @ Oh2122 said...

Holy cupcakes! She's lucky I'm not her neighbor. I would have knocked and told her I was calling the cops, just to freak her guests out.

Ok, I'd have Hubby do it. Who am I kidding? I'm 5'5" and he's 6'3".

I would totally start with the fromal complaint to the landlord, and if she does it again, call the cops!

Kelly Deneen Raymond said...

I would definitely call the police. The police will file the complaint with her landlord as well. You have the right to peace at 3:30am!!!

Mommy's Wish List said...

police definitely. we'd all like to see her on the next episode of COPS. babies and mommies need sleep!

Brandy said...

Hopefully this issue has been resolved. If not, definitely call the police.

Or you can be very bad and show her how it feels. Keep her up during the day and see if she feels like shaking her bootay that night.

Ryan Ashley Scott said...

I agree with most everyone else so far - call the cops! It's bad enough when you and your husband are being disturbed, but you've got growing kids who need sleep. You tried to be nice, she didn't cooperate.

Dorkys R. is hilarious - "hope she doesn't think it's a stripper" Ha!

Anonymous said...

Ugh - what an awful situation.

But I agree with most of the above ... call the police.

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

I hated living in an apartment for those reasons. We never had quiet neighbors. And they never kept "normal" hours. And even with living in a house...on a lot of land...we still have rude and obnoxious neighbors.

So...what eventually happened? Did you call the cops? Did she stop her evil ways??

Vickie said...

What happened? Is she still there? Is she better behaved?

We had issues with the people accross the street. We had to move because it got so bad. People just need to follow the law and be courteous and everybody will be happy.

Safire said...

Happy SITS day! Is she any better?

Coffee with Cathy said...

This is such a frustrating problem. Fill us in with the updates, please! Hope things got better.

jubilee said...

Oh, yes, call the cops. And keep calling them.

Heather and Daniel said...

Call the cops and file a formal complaint. Also start documenting everything, every party what time they start and what time it ends. How loud was it, how many people, etc.
She doesn't care and honestly, you have been nice enough. We had neighbors like that grwoing up and....yeah. It was that bad. Parties every weekend, with screaming and curing. We had someone walk into our house once thinking it was the party. My parents did the same talked to them explained their kids rooms was on the side of house next to his amd same thing, promised to keep it down and he never did.
These kind of people don't give a crap about other people.

Anonymous said...

The last time I had neighbors that bad I was 6 mos. pregnant. Just TRY and interrupt a pregnant ladies sleep - they wished I had called the cops! I marched down the stairs at 1 am and gave them a piece! All those hormones make a girl crazazy! Looking back, that wasn't safe and I should have called the cops - let them deal with it, it's our tax dollars at work and they are trained.
My best, Lynn

Lesley said...

Hell yes call the police...especially after you've talked to her many times before...do you all have a home owners Association???...Or a board???...If you do...they can take matters into their hands...i have heard in the past where they will ask someone to sell or move out....I wish you much luck....

Anonymous said...

How awful. Yes, I would have called the cops as well. I hope it has improved by now?!

lifebythehandful said...

Pray they move away!

Courtney said...

Call! Your kids (and You!) need sleep!

Briya said...

Call! Nothing like no sleep to make me mean & unfriendly.

The Queen said...

Happy SITS! So what happened? Did you take everyones advice and call the police? Update please!

Astrid in Bristling Acres said...

How extremely rude of your neighbor. Was there a reason you didn't want to call the cops? Why do people like that exist?

Happy SITS day!

Anonymous said...

I would definitely call the police!

Good luck! I hope it gets sorted out (maybe she'll move!).

BloggessJ said...

If it happends again let her know that if it doesn't stop you will call the police and if it doesn't stop follow through. She's clearly disturbing your peace and she's been doing it for awhile now and it needs to stop. JMHO

Anonymous said...

I hope you found a way to get this resolved. It's so hard to have such noisy, disrespectful neighbors - especially when you have little kids.

Reeni said...

I had a similar problem and called the police and it was so much better after that. But I have heard of people calling them and then it getting worse because know they are mad that you called. There is only so much the police can do. Good luck with the situation.

Anonymous said...

This is a really tough call! I can understand how your hubby doesn't want to make waves... but at the same time, you two deserve peace and quiet in a home that you pay for... Perhaps telling your neighbor "if this happens again then we will call the police" would help? Occasionally, a simple "if...then" can work miracles! Good luck!

Pamela said...

I say call the police that is what they are there for (my hubby used to be one and he agrees). I hope however that it has stopped since this is an older post!!

Ronnica said...

I would say call the police or her landlord (if she doesn't own), because you need to record complaints, but only after you have tried to address her politely yourself (probably before she goes to work).

Oh, and this makes me very thankful that our apartment complex is so quiet!

Malisa said...

Happy SITS Day! Are you still having the problem with your neighbor? Hope it is solved by now! If not, I would call the cops. I think it is safer and wiser to call the police than to confront the partiers themselves!

Malisa

Leanna said...

Oh yea!! Call the police! Think about the type of characters she is bringing just outside your doorway with your beautiful babies inside.

You've gone way beyond doing the 'good neighbor' thing and she should show a little understanding that you have the girls there (even if she doesn't care if she is disturbing you).

That is what that law was designed for........call them.

Kate said...

Happy SITS Day! I'm sorry this is happening to you. I would definitely call the cops!! Hope things get better!

Courtney said...

I hope this worked out, I've had neighbors like that.

Anonymous said...

Oh dear...good luck. We had a neighbor who liked to drop things in the middle of the night. He had something against us, but we never could figure out what it was, so we had to endure dropped bowling balls or something every night. He finally moved, but in his place came some very happy newlyweds. Oy. We finally moved. Good luck!

blognut said...

Great neighbors... NOT.

Sherrie said...

Yep...call the police regardless of the hour. If it's bothering you, then call. Lord knows we've called. We've even seen them bring out the prisoner transport van to haul off teens who were underage drinkers. Luckily, 2-3 calls solved our issues. Here's hoping yours will resolve, too!
Enjoy your SITS day!

Mimi said...

I would call each & every time. You've done all you can & obviously she's not interested in listening.

Sarah J. said...

Yes yes yes, absolutely call the cops. Especially f you already asked her to stop. I would call the cops for a noisy neighbor, and this is more than a neighbor, she's in the same building! Good luck my dear.

Rhea said...

I'd talk to her first, give her a chance to stop on her own. Then move on to contacting the police and/or landlord.

But give her a chance first. Although chances are, she's not very considerate.

Unbelievable. I'd hate to have a neighbor like her.

MaricrisG said...

That's disturbing the peace. You have all the right to report her. Don't they have like a homeowners's right policy that says people like her can be evicted for inconsiderate behavior?ugh.

Tabitha Blue said...

Oh goodness, so sorry about your nights!! You should definitely call!!!

:)
~Tabitha~

freshmommyblog.com

Anonymous said...

No question about it. You should call the police!

Mrsbear said...

That's unacceptable, especially if you've already tried to be nice about it. Call the cops, over and over if you have to, until it stops. Who cares what she does for a living. She's an inconsiderate jerk.

Gretchen said...

That sounds really awful. I hope the situation has gotten better by now.

Happy SITS day and your blog is so pretty!!!

Sandra said...

I have it happening behind and in front of my house.

I SO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH!!!

call the cops. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Live.Love.Eat said...

It seems like you have given her a chance to stop. Easy answer here - call the police and write her a letter too letting her know it must stop.

Michelle said...

It's the police. What's she's doing is against statutes against noise disturbance in any area I've ever heard. It's unacceptable. Don't feel bad for it. She knows what she's doing is wrong and doesn't care.

Ani said...

You have to call the Police. No ifs ands or butts! I was in a similar situation, and I called. even if they continue a few weeks/days later, call again. Eventually she'll get a fine and eventually she'll LEARN.
Tell your landlord too, tell everyone you can, for her to get in trouble.

You have to think about your health and your husbands health. health = stress, anger, sleeplessness etc etc...

Shannon said...

My hubs and I lived in an apartment during our first two years of marriage. Not too long before we moved out and into our first house, I called the police on the new neighbors who had just moved in next door. We'd never met the couple... and there were loud yells and banging going on one early morning...


Yep. You guessed it. They were gettin' a little wild in their *ahem* lovemaking.

I was so embarrased.

Judy Schwartz Haley | CoffeeJitters.Net said...

absolutely call the police and file a complaint with the condo association as well. The condo association can't do anything about it unless you file a complaint and the police reports (more is better) help your case as well.

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