Loud upstairs neighbors and stupid landlord!

[Possegal]

Or not even a law school but a legal aide to help students.

My junior year in college 7 of us rented a house. Landlord kept the entire security deposit (which amounted to about $2000) for a bunch of bogus reasons and lies. The university had people to help students and for no cost to us we had an attorney that helped us. Took many months (several of us had graduated by then) but we ended up in arbitration over it and we got all our money back and some penalties! And it didn't cost us anything for the lawyer.

It was a long time ago that I was in college, so I can't really say how we went about it all, but it's an option to look into.

[Kiwi Stoker]

We rent in a three house complex.Nice letter in my box yesterday stating the "rules" about cleaning up outside. There was a bit in bold that the residents of house one were responsible for the garden outside the front fence along the footpath.

Umm it's a total jungle of dead prickly vines, trees and bushes and was like that when we moved in. And the body corporate wants ME to clean it up. Thanks. You'd be better off talking to the landlord guys, expecially when the body corporate is actually the owner of the third unit and actually breaks the "rules" themselves.

I hate renting and how powerless you become in this situation. I have passed the letter onto my landlord to deal with. And I am going to stop bringing in the other houses bins after rubbish collection also.

[WindingRoad]

We don't have a law school we are primarily medical but I had not thought of asking the school to intervene. I will check in the administrative offices today to see if they can help me. Thanks for the ideas.

[Becky]

I'm sorry that you have to deal with this

I would check the tenant code in your jurisdiction. There may be something in there that will help you break your lease without penalty, or beef up your letter to the landlord.

[Catrin]

I feel your pain, my last apartment building was like that. It wasn't so much the neighbors themselves were that loud (though a few were), but the building wasn't constructed well and there was little soundproofing. I've no constructive advice I am afraid, but sending you good wishes that this is resolved soon.

Does the landlord have a boss you can go to?

[ny biker]

I'm currently living below the noisiest neighbor I have had in 30 years of living in apartments and condos. So I sympathize. But I'm not sure the landlord can evict anyone based on what you describe.

I would start by looking carefully at the lease, to see if there is anything about noise, right to peaceful use of the apartment, carpet requirements, "quiet hours," stuff like that. If they're violating the lease, then the landlord should take steps to remedy the situation.

I need to show proof to the condo management where I live in order for them to take action. I've been using the video camera on my smartphone to record the noise. I haven't sent anything to the condo management, though, because the primary problem is the dog running back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth across my ceiling, and a couple of noise complaints to the nighttime security guard have been somewhat successful in stopping that problem. And she's a renter with a long-term boyfriend, so I'm hoping she'll just decide to move out so she can live with him. (And when she does, I plan to sit on the front steps drinking champagne while they pack the moving truck...)