Is homicide justifiable...

[ny biker]

I can't believe I haven't posted to this thread yet. I live in a second floor condo in an old 3-story building. The women who owns the place upstairs is an out-of-state landlord. After living there for a couple of years, she moved away to get married but would lose money if she sold it so she rents it out.

The first tenant was great. Very quiet. Even her dog was quiet. Then she moved out of state to live with her boyfriend.

The one who moved in a few months ago is a nightmare. She's a petite little thing, but she walks like an elephant. Stomp stomp stomp all over my ceiling. I hate her.

When she first moved in, she also played music too loud. The first and only time I met her was when I had to go upstairs at 8 am on a Saturday to ask her to turn it down. Even with a white noise machine and a pillow over my head, I could still hear the damn stereo.

She doesn't play the stereo much anymore -- if she does, I'm prepared to retaliate with Led Zeppelin. Physical Graffiti, baby. But the stomping continues to drive me crazy. And she keeps weird hours, too. I hate her.

She has a boyfriend so I'm hoping she leaves to move in with him when her lease is up.

BTW this is not the first time I've had a petite elephant-walker living upstairs. Before the current owner moved in, the woman who had the place was tiny and skinnny but walked like a sumo wrestler. I swear she did laps around the bedroom every morning at 5 am. And it's not a large room, so I can't imagine why she was stomping around so much.

The white noise machine masks a lot of noises and I would get no sleep without it. I got it back when I rented a condo near here, and I had downstairs neighbors who liked to sit up talking all night long in the room below my bedroom. It was like living with Charlie Brown's teacher -- wah wah wah, wah wah wah wah wah. I had a co-worker who was a light sleeper and he recommended the white noise machine. It was a life-saver -- it even masks the helicopters that fly low overhead sometimes. Sadly it does not let me tune out everything, and it doesn't help when I'm just trying to have a quiet evening hanging out in front of the TV.

[jessmarimba]

Oooh we had one of those once. A petite elephant walker - turned out this girl lived in stilettos and hooker boots. (We were pretty close to a college campus). She would stay out til all hours on Saturday night, then get up to go to church with her family at 6am on Sunday.

One Sunday morning, after hearing her stomp around for about an hour, we hear STOMP STOMP Thudthudthudthudthuthud, followed by a tirade that would've had her pastor in tears. Guess stilettos aren't good for stomping down stairs!

[bmccasland]

Y'all are making me think twice about getting a condo or a townhouse. But then I currently live adjacent to a freeway.

I have decided that I don't want a yard to take care of, which is why I've been thinking condo or townhouse.

[Jolt]

All the stories about loud upstairs neighbors remind me of when, in the place I lived before moving here to Maine, my roommate and I had guys upstairs who stomped around so loudly that we started referring to them as "the hungry hippos"!

[Jolt]

For those who like the accordion, these ladies are quite talented!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H19Z-3mtzQ0

The break-dancing guy is pretty cool too.

[owlice]

Jolt, thanks for that. I enjoyed that and followed related links until I came upon this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvFuouS7QgY

Remarkably good, and they are all students!

[owlice]

Saturday, I did call the police, once before dark, and again just past 11. The later call, I was queued to talk to someone for 30 minutes (! non-emergency number), and while I waited, I typed the beginning of an email to the county executive, and finished it after I talked to the dispatcher.

I then walked up the street and let the neighbors know I'd called the police. They were not happy about that.

Probably less happy today. I had three phone calls yesterday from the police sargeant who handles public nuisances, an email from someone else in authority before that, and today, a call from an officer who talked to someone at the property today; this officer says he's going back, too, to talk to them again later today or tomorrow.

The power of email!

[Crankin]

Before I moved to MA, we sold our house 6 months before we left and rented an apartment, maybe a mile from our old house. After about 2 months, everyday when I came home from work and picking up my kids, I started hearing loud music. I really didn't know anyone who lived in the place, but then I started seeing a teenage girl and her boyfriend going directly upstairs from me. Of course, it stopped when her mom got home, and everyday I forgot about it until the next. It got so bad that I started throwing balls on the ceiling and pounding the ceiling with a broom. Even my 5 and 7 year old were helping me. Then, one day, the mom came home early and heard what was going on. She came down and knocked on my door and apologized profusely.
I learned that next time, go and say something immediately!

[owlice]

I fear I made the neighbors unhappy (again). There they were, having fun racing up and down the street on a very noisy unlicensed/untagged motorcycle, no helmets in sight (required in Maryland), all happy on a Sunday afternoon, some of the guys awaiting their turn. I guess they didn't like me (pretending to) video record(ing) their little jaunts at well over the speed limit, because they stopped after they saw me.

[bmccasland]

I fear I made the neighbors unhappy (again). There they were, having fun racing up and down the street on an very noisy unlicensed/untagged motorcycle, no helmets in sight (required in Maryland), all happy on a Sunday afternoon, some of the guys awaiting their turn. I guess they didn't like me (pretending to) video record(ing) their little jaunts at well over the speed limit, because they stopped after they saw me.

Be careful! Why didn't you call the police?

[owlice]

All I was doing was (not really) documenting their fun; why should they be the only ones to enjoy the afternoon?

[deeaimond]

Owlice, Like my mum always told me 'They now know where you live.' You never know when stupid people do stupid things that can hurt us.

[ny biker]

Okay, new problem. Well, not new, but it's gotten worse lately. The elephant walker upstairs slams her door every time she goes in or out of the condo. Really loud. It shakes the whole building. It actually wakes me up out of a deep sleep. I can't take it anymore.

I really don't want to talk to her. I'm thinking of putting this note on her door while she's not home:

Hi. Could you please stop slamming your door so much? It shakes the whole building. Thanks!!!

I will sign it, it won't be anonymous. I just want something to-the-point but friendly (well, as friendly as a noise complaint can be).

Then if she keeps slamming, I will contact the condo management and lodge an official complaint.

(Right now here parents are visiting, so I will wait until they leave. Hopefully they will not be here long. They've already cooked one meal that smelled like garbage. Why do I always have neighbors who cook food that smells like garbage? Why can't I have neighbors who cook food that smells like food??)

[jessmarimba]

I'm so thankful I don't share a building with people.

Several of my neighbors have regular guests who show up and lean on the horn (either to drop off kids, or to pick up the neighbors). It's obnoxious (and also against city ordinance). One of the across-the-street neighbors just had someone show up who beeped possibly 15 times as the neighbors slowly walked across the yard. I finally screamed STOP out the window

Normally if it's after 7 am I just try to ignore it, but that was ridiculous. Though she surprisingly stopped beeping after I yelled!

[jessmarimba]

I can't hear my tv over the music playing at the house diagonally behind me.

I'll be nice and give them until 10, but I'm exhausted. And I don't have a/c so I can't close the windows (same as pretty much everyone else in this neighborhood).