Dealing with HOA Noise Complaints Cutting the Chatter

Dealing with HOA Noise Complaints

A community association's board has multiple duties—among them deciding when to make repairs, improvements, and additions, and establishing rules and regulations to control aesthetics and unwelcome behavior. Nine times out of ten, repair projects go off without a hitch, and rules are followed. Unfortunately however, those rules and reason sometimes collide, pitting neighbor against neighbor.

One Man's Noise…

One such situation that commonly reaches a fever pitch is that of noise. What control does an association have over regulating noise, and do the house rules and governing documents established by an HOA supercede regulations or ordinances that may be in place in a certain municipality or township? What happens if a resident is revving their motorcycle or car engine on a weekend or cutting the lawn really early in the morning when most homeowners are asleep? How about the newest America's Got Talentband member waking up the dead at 5 a.m. rehearsing in his dad's garage? What happens if the municipality itself is the noise culprit? Is there a formal process to handle a noise complaint?

Unfortunately, noise is something that is somewhat difficult to define, and even harder to prove. "One person's loud television is another person's 'I can barely hear it,'" says David Byrne, an attorney with Stark and Stark, a law firm in New Jersey that specializes in condominium association law. "How do you prove that it is noisy - install a decibel meter in the hallway?"

In a related article, Steve Orfield, writing for Orfield Labs agrees: "All condos are noisier than private housing, partly because in private housing, one is listening to one's own family or friends and this is not noise—which is technically known as undesirable sound."

According to the County Environmental Health Act (CEHA), "Noise means any sounds of such level and duration as to be or tend to be injurious to human health or welfare, or which would unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life or property throughout the state."

The most common noise complaints vary by community type, says Byrne. "In high-rise buildings, the most common complaints are TVs, parties, and conversation. Some of the units are not insulated properly, and that adds to the noise level in condominiums. In suburban areas, the most common noise complaints are usually animals."

What Are the Regulations?

The federal government set guidelines through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Noise Control Act of 1971. In 1983, the federal government decided that noise control was largely a local matter and should be left up to the state and local municipalities. The act did leave in place the guidelines set forth by the 1971 laws, which largely pertained to transportation noise such as aircraft, interstate traffic and railroads, motorcycles, and workplace activities.

The Office of Local Environmental Management (OLEM) exists to provide assistance to county and municipal governing bodies in the development and adoption of a local noise ordinance, to ensure that all local noise control ordinances are consistent with the Noise Control Act and comply with its requirements.

At the state level, New Jersey tends to pass the noise issue down to local authorities: "The way it works here in New Jersey is that some matters are delegated to local authorities under a program called CEHA, including noise complaints. We delegate enforcement authority, so that it is usually somebody from the county who investigates those kinds of complaints," says Karen Hershey, of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The reason for this is that noise is largely considered a "regional" issue by state and federal authorities and so the local authorities would be better able to handle these complaints.

So it would seem that finding an absolute authority on noise regulation is difficult to do. Even community associations are likely to have in place the hours and specifics of the kind and duration of noise that are tolerated in a certain area. In general, quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., but hours may vary. The best way to find out what noise ordinances are in your area is to call the county or municipal office, or ask someone on your cooperative or community board.

Dangerous, or Just Annoying?

The lawn mower revving up at 7 a.m. is certainly annoying, and may prevent some much-needed sleep, and the garage singer who works the evening shift until 11 p.m. and then decides to practice at full volume may dance on your last frayed nerve, but at what level do sounds actually become dangerous?

According to a 2000 report on noise abatement and control by David M. Beardon for the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, exposure is responsible for hearing impairment in approximately 10 million of the nearly 30 million people with hearing loss in the United States. An additional 30 million people are exposed to dangerous noise levels.

Demystifying the Decibel

Sound is measured in units of decibels (dBA), and an increase of 10 dBA represents sounds that are perceived to be twice as loud. While sound levels of 65 dBA are annoying to most individuals, constant or repeated exposure to levels of 90 dBA or higher can lead to hearing loss. The following tables provide examples of various sound levels.

Resolving the Problem

So what can be done if there is a noise issue in your community? Do you turn to the board of your co-op or condo? Call the police or the Department of Environmental Protection? What if you need to press charges or file a criminal complaint?

"I tend to tell clients that noise complaints are not really things that community associations are set up to handle," says Byrne. "They are very subjective, and if the government, through the police, is not interested in doing anything when they are called to a site, then it is almost impossible to expect the association to be able to do anything about it."

So what's to be done? According to the professionals, the first step is to politely request that your neighbor reduce his or her sonic output. If that approach fails to obtain results, the next step would be to call the police, so that an official complaint is filed. From there, you might have the option of pursuing other, possibly less neighborly avenues, such as a civil lawsuit, if you chose to do so—though that course of action very often ends in frustration.

Byrne cites the lack of provable evidence in such a case, and stresses the importance of New Jersey's alternative dispute resolution (ADR) rules, which state that disagreeing parties must meet and explore other means of resolving their differences before launching full-blown legal action. This type of forum is recognized in New Jersey as an alternative to a civil lawsuit, and can save both parties involved a substantial amount of time and money.

Community associations are required by the DEP to provide forums like ADR to its members. This type of resolution is a voluntary agreement among parties to agree to terms that are hopefully mutually beneficial—or at least tolerable. There are two types of ADR hearings available: mediation and arbitration. The DEP defines them as follows:

Mediation involves the affected parties developing a joint resolution of the problem and agreeing on a future course of action. The Office of Dispute Resolution acts as an impartial third party to help the parties explore options for resolution that may not previously have been considered. The majority of mediations handled by the Office of Dispute Resolution are matters that have already been contested and are scheduled for either an administrative hearing or a trial.

Arbitration is a formal fact-finding process in which the arbiter can render a judgment on the issues. This judgment can be binding or non-binding. The Office of Dispute Resolution does not engage in arbitration, but can help select qualified arbiters should the parties choose this course.

As far as noise-related conflicts are concerned, "There is no independent determination as to whether or not it is actually noisy," says Bynre, "so the ADR mediation option exists for people to get together to see if they can work out an arrangement that will make their lives easier. For example, I may not agree that my TV is too loud, but I may agree not to watch it after 11 o' clock; I may not agree that my dog is too loud, but I will agree to keep him upstairs at night - that sort of thing."

Often, the arbiter or mediator in an ADR hearing is a volunteer - possibly someone from the community or building. If no one volunteers, then someone would have to be hired. Byrne also stresses that community associations are not required to resolve disputes, or to go to court on either party's behalf. "All the association has to do is to provide a forum in which people can come together to try to work things out. If it doesn't work out," he says. "People are free to go to court to try to settle it."

In the event that the municipality itself is the culprit, the appropriate action would again be to call the police. The town or county certainly must obey its own noise ordinances. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has little authority over noise regulation.

"The DCA has the power to force the association to provide ADR, but they do not have the power to go after a noisy neighbor," says Byrne. "If regular people can't live with each other, DCA doesn't have the power to keep people quiet."

Denton Tarver is a freelance writer living in New York City.

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56 Comments

  • HOA's can be abusive and homeowners can be simply annoying and troublemakers. Look, if you are rude and not considerate of your neighbors you are wrong, a dog barking at everything and everybody walking on the a sidwalk or barking to come in and out of the house is annoying and it should stop, mowing your lawn at 7 am is simply not appropriate, blasting a stero or radio while washing your car, who the hell wants to listen to it, some things are not an issue with HOA's but common sense, not everyone likes your dog, musice, noisey motorcycle, think, that is all, you are infringing upon other's rights to peace and quiet, geeze, is it that difficult to understand
  • very well written. I am thinking about getting a condo and this was helpful so i know I'm free to enjoy my own place at a volume i find appropriate but will likely also have to deal with a possible noisy neighbor.
  • I understand about lawn mowers, but out neighbors filed a complaint that somebody in our place went to a bathroom at night. The HOA took it! They send us a letter "your floor was squeaking"... If there is a structural problem in the building that makes walking too loud, then HOA should fix it. Otherwise, they sound like idiots.
  • I live in a condo unit in NJ. The best way I can put this is we fit together like lego's because we all are duplex's. My master bedroom wall butts the living room wall of the unit on top of me. We have written in the by laws the 10PM to 8AM rule about noise but it also states that any noise no matter what time of day that is interfering with everyday life of people around them is unacceptable. It quotes such things as loud TV's, radios, washing machines, dishwashers, etc. The person on top of me and to the side just ignores this. She comes home after 10 and starts a load of laundry, her TV in the living room is loud as hell and she falls asleep on her couch, never goes to her bedroom, and that TV is right up against my bedroom wall. I sleep with ear plugs every night. She took up her rugs to put hard wood floors down and you can hear all day long chairs dragging back and forth on the floor. I have told her but she does not give a damn. What can I do. She won't even look at me. She is just so inconsiderate I feel like I paid just as much for my unit why should I have to put up with this. Help
  • noise in condos is subjective.I live in a place with subwoofers going all night until 3am,I complained,nothing ever done,instead began to get repeated complaints about my guitar playing,it was ''an electric guitar''when it was acoustic,it was played late at night,it was etc etc,all complaints coming from noisy subwoofer 3am types up all night.I do not make excessive noise,have to use earplugs at night with sound machine to sleep,yet get complaints concerning my music.
  • I own a condo where the lady below us has been complaining about a "constant" noise but refuses to help us identify the noise. It could be our fridge clicking on or our cadet heaters, we don't know. She has even complained when we weren't home and our HOA has taken the complaints and started sending us fines. I feel really helpless that we are being extorted for money on a basis that doesn't even need to be proven. We are going to have to go to court to dispute it.
  • Just thank god you don't own any thing in Sleezeside Heights sorry that's Seaside Heights. In June it is just pure hell there.
  • I bought a condo 9 years ago and unfortunately have had transient renters come and go next door to me. They reve up and idle their Harley cycles for 20 minutes coming and going-at all hours, banging on my wall every day because of my music that I listen to while on the computer. I dont even listen to it THAT loud, and if I do it's btwn the hours of 11 AM to 5 or 6 PM. I've already spoken to the President of our condos. Nothing was done. "A Harley Davidson HAS to be revved up and idled before using," the owner said. Nothing the President could 'do for me'. Was wondering if someone out there could give me advice as to what to do. This isnt the best of times to sell the condo, and even if I did chances are the situation would present itself once again. These are the times we live in, right? At 4 PM I should be able to listen to music or tv at a reasonable level without being harassed. Noise ordinance laws are 11 PM to 7 AM here where I live. Thanks for listening.
  • My neighbor upstairs is on the HOA board and her husband told us they will make sure we move out cuz he doesn't like us. Since that day, their tv or stereo is up so loud we can't hear our own tv. We don't make a peep at all. How can we get a board member to stop?
  • I live in a Condominium Building I am owner of a unit and since II know the maintence man make alot of irregulators of this Building he hates me and now I am suffering because he damage my unit since more then two months I have full of DUST in my all apartment and differents strongs odors all day and night I been complaining to the City Hall, to the Health Department, to the Association and nobody help me, and the Association hates me too because they put this man here and my Association fees are up to date since I bought this unit...what can I do with this problem? this is a nightmare!
  • I have noisy neighbors who have refused to help me identify what I know are their kids running around and screaming.
  • you could live in a mobile home park w/ an annoying neighbor that has a carpet cleaning business that is loud as all hell, running his compressors to clean his personal vehicles, a sign entering galaxy manor says no loud music but not noise..the management is unprofessional they tell neighbors to work out their problems w/ each other even where the land line is between properties..recently there was that big 5 county drug bust here as well. getting back to noise it gets ridiculous here, high volume sounds like i'm at a machine shop, i kid you not,,,
  • Will not buy into condo again on Saturday, April 27, 2013 2:55 PM
    I live in California and bought a condo. The HOA in the complex don't seem interested. I suggest for anyone buying into a condo that they have the walls checked to see if they have sound reduction. Whether you are the one making the noise or your neighbor. Once you buy you can't just move out. If you have money to sound proof or noise reduce the walls, don't buy a condo. Eventually will have someone who doesn't care that will move inl
  • i rent an apart in a single home,the washing machine,and dryer is next to my apart,the people who own the home use the machines every day,more than once,which is driving me up the wall because of constant banging of the machine doors.can you you give me some advise on how to approch them,there is only one person living there,
  • To just a dude: your neighbor who is running a business out of his mobile home is breaking rules about home operated businesses. He cannot make a lot of noise, nor bring a lot of traffic into the mobile home park. Check with your city's business licensing division.
  • I live in a Town home residence and work from home. My neighbor is a nurse and has a teenage son. While she's at work, he ha parties music BEYOND loud. I have contacted the HOA and they have sent letters to appear to the fining committee and a fine is assessed but the fining committee waives the fine. I am on the HOA Board of directors and I cannot attend the fining meetings. I called the Sheriffs Dept they have came out twice now but the kid will not answer the door. they said if he doesn't answer there is nothing they can do--mean while my job is in jeopardy s my clients can hear this....HELP!!!
  • CAN U BE FIND FOR NOISE? IN A CONDO
  • hard wood floors Is there any insullation that would prevent noise downstairs
  • How about neighbors that complain about closing car doors, or bedroom doors, or simply walking up carpeted stairs? There is a limit to how much noise you can make, but there is also a limit on what you can/cant complain about. Certain neighbors are just utterly ridiculous with their complaints of noise.
  • I own a 3rd floor condo in a nice complex and have been an owner 10 yrs but in the same building for 20. As I sit here typing this, I am enduring yet again a inconsiderately rude neighbor on the ground floor hosting another party on his outdoor deck (4ft x 10ft maybe) but tonight he's actually set up tables and chairs in the courtyard again with a nice spread for his guests, has tiki torches and bbq going, a hookah, alcohol and about 10-12 people sitting out there being loud and yelling. He does this every summer as football begins. The association has fined him repeatedly but he ignores it as he rents from a relative. Last weekend he kept me up til 230 AM with his noise. I should have called the police then but didn't hoping he'd get it out of his system. Apparently, it just adds fuel to his brazen ego! But as I saw him setting up, I went downstairs to confront him and told him in no uncertain terms that I will be calling the police at 11:01 if he doesn't take it inside! He didn't seem to care...
  • I live in a town house and been here for 27 years no problems until the family next door moved in. they have parties and drink but then they start screaming obscenities at my house, throw trash in my yard ,mark up my car and yell in my windows 2am what can I do?
  • I leave for work at 6am in the morning on my motorcycle....omg I do not revv the bike or anything. i get on and leave .my neighbors have no understanding for my way to work and the hoa want to fine me
  • retiredon social security on Sunday, January 5, 2014 10:17 AM
    yikes-thought buying a condo was the answer to my old-age prayers but not even close! renters below have hardwood floors and woofers and tweeters and there is at least 2 of them-young, dumb and drunk-maybe drugs-whatever-after reading these-guess i'm not alone-sad for all of us! not many options especially for old people-all $ invested in this place-geez-why doesn't some young lawyer see these and take us all on!
  • I rented a duplex several years ago that motivated me to get my own home. The duplex was a '50s era ranch style that was clean but nothing was remodeled. This was back in 1990. All seemed in check until I was jolted awake from a midday Saturday nap ( I had just worked a 60 hour shift and was burned out big time!) from what sounded like a cathedral organ. Well, I wasn't too far off range with what I predicted. The wall that I shared with my neighbor (he was an old guy in his late '60s) had a humungous church organ behind it. I wasn't aware that my elderly neighbor had this giant organ in his living room and he needed to practice daily because he played the organ at his unitarian church. His living room is right off of my bedroom, and when he played his organ I could see the mirror above my dresser shaking! I talked to him and asked if he could play much quieter. He said that he needs "to feel the music" to get into it. I made numerous attempts to contact the property owner via letters and phone messages, but the property owner in the end said I should call the police if noise if an issue! I said that I wish I would've been told that this old guy I share a wall with practices his church organ nearly everyday. The property owner wouldn't terminate my lease. I threatened to sue, and he finally gave in and ended my lease. I've had my own home since 1998. My nearest neighbors are 200 feet from me. It's been pure serenity for 16 years:)
  • We have new neighbor that has this extremely loud music system right next to our bedroom wall. Every day he is playing music so loud you can hear it from everywhere, even our bedroom walls are vibrating from noise. I wake up at 5:30am and when I come home I just want to relax and sleep - not to listen some concert! We talked to our neighbour but he has no common sense! He just thinks it's his unit he can do whatever he wants. We are planning to take an action against him because building rules states "No loud music, TV or other noices at any time if it disturbs others".
  • This is not a one-sided issue. Don't people who enjoy music have any rights? If I have a neighbor on one side who works the day shift and my other neighbor works the night shift and I ever allowed to vacuum the floor or do my laundry. If you want complete quiet you should not be living in a Condo..that is known up front. Any extreme is offensive...a condo owner who insists on complete quiet is just as obnoxious as the condo owner playing excessively loud music.
  • I own my own home but my neighbor puts her big speaker outside and will blast her music for the entire block to hear it and I don't want to hear the music I can't even watch tv with my windows open on a nice day so I called the Environment Office in the borough and was told if the music disturbs my piece of living it has to be turned off and to call police I've been doing that and I called today and was told basically that the environment director doesn't know what he's talking about and gave me wrong information so now I'm going to get an attorney and sue the renter who is renting out the home across from me - i got to the point that I hate music
  • I own my condo. The people upstairs are renters. They get up at 4am for work. I am awaken by their alarm and the squeaky floor boards. I have asked the tenants to lower the alarm and they refused. The owner of condo is awRe of the squeaky board issue and put a "bandage" that problem, but now it is getting bad again. Now this is all affect me health wise. It is stressing me out and I am not getting. Good nights sleep. Is there are help,out there? I live in Nj
  • annoyed beyond annoyed on Monday, November 10, 2014 5:21 PM
    I live in a subdivision and never had any issues until the punk across the street moved in. It started with his car stereo system so loud that it actually/literally rattled our Windows. I went across the street and confronted him and a couple days later his g/f decides to wash her car with the stereo blasting so I called the law. Now he own 3 vehicles that don't sound like they have a muffler at all and he revvs them as loud and in as annoying a fashion as possible. Confronted him again, called the law again. The man is like a defiant two year old who won't quieten down as he also has to get out in the yard and whoop and hollar every chance he gets. I don't like continually having to confront him and he does dabble in drugs and I don't want to jepordize my family or my safety or constantly worry about his possibility of vengeance. I can't take the constant noise...I just don't know what in the world to do!!
  • I live in a single family home in a decent enough neighborhood but the home across the street from me has been rental property for the last 5 years. The people living there are pure sleaze. They are a middle aged couple with their 24 year old son living with them who's in a rock band. These people think nothing of allowing their loser of a son to have lengthy jam sessions 3 or 5 days a week, and late at night on weekends. The "music" is so loud that my alarm clock on my nightstand was vibrating to the bass from their garage. After a week I decided to go over and talk to the "kid's" mother. She answers me at her front door with her eyes half open reeking from booze and cigarettes. I asked her politely if she could ask her son to please lower the volume on his band speakers. The mother looks at me in disgust, says nothing, and slams the door in my face. I rarely ever saw the husband. I was told that he was part of the underworld by another neighbor. These people's son was usually home all day. He never spoke to me. He looked like a druggie; long dirty hair, skinny, always wore dirty ripped blue jeans and drove a tatty old Toyota pick up truck with a bad muffler. If I ever glanced at this "kid" he'd give the dirtiest look but never say anything. Kinda scary. Anyway, on a Sunday night he and his band mates were jamming so loud i thought I was going to heave. I had to settle and call the police. The police get there an hour after I made the complaint. And the police were at the house for like 20 minutes. Low and behold I see this stupid "kid" and two of his band mates handcuffed and put into a squad car! I thought this was so awesome! The next morning the mother comes over to my home pounding on my front door. She demanded to know if I had called the cops on her son. I said I had to. She says to me, "You don't know who you're dealing with, you'll be sorry you ruined my son's life." She stormed off my property and I was feeling very threatened. I called the police and an officer came out and he then went to my crazy neighbor's house. I could hear her yelling at the cop. The cop told me that she claimed that I was trying to destroy her son! The cop also said that this "kid" was busted on drug charges of meth possession and two warrants! The best I could do is file a restraining order against her and her son to "protect me." I knew the "kid" would be in the klink for awhile, but it was the mother who scarred me. Thankfully these degenerates moved shortly after. Now I've got a very nice, young family living in the home now. I hope they'll buy the home.
  • First check if the municipality you live in has a noise ordinance in effect. Locally here it is 10 pm to 7 am. My issue was the condo complex dumpster and recycle bins located 100 ft. from my unit. I have asked the Condo Association to place signs limiting the hours of operation and pick up. If that fails then I will have to call the police on the offending individuals to enforce the city wide noise ordinance.
  • really dissapointed on Sunday, March 15, 2015 12:44 PM
    I had to live in apartments for over 20 years listening to everyone else's music. I finally get into a house of my own and guess what, have one neighbor that will sit in their driveway and blast their boom car. another next door to me has a band and a loud boom stereo in the house! has played their stereo at every hour of the morning, night and day! do not and will not understand why anyone is able to possess and stereo that can be heard over a mile away. i have called the police multiple times and have begged them to do something. i have even made terroristic threats towards them to the cops telling them that i am being harassed every single day! nothing will be done until the day i have had enough and i will be the one that goes to jail even though i had made complaints against them for YEARS!
  • I am sick at heart to hear all these terrible experiences (I have no doubt they are even worse than related). I, too, have a neighbor who sorely tries the "love your neighbor" ideal. Where DO these horrid people come from? My grandparents nor my parents ever had this kind of abuse to put up with. I can guarantee if anyone with governmental authority had to contend with this kind of stress---it would be taken care of in no time. My hope is that the major of my town/ governor of my state, etc. is forced to endure what the average Tax Payer encounters in our everyday life from these low-life spoiled brats. God help America!
  • Apartments are notoriously annoying so if you live there then deal with it. We had what seemed to be boot dancers above us but it ended before the towns noise bylaw came into effect. Now I am living in a new and developing area and my neighbors complain about construction noise. If noise bothers one so much then perhaps move to an old neighborhood before moving to bare land. Just because your construction is done, does not mean another's is. As long as no laws are being broken then it is up to the complainer to deal with it or move. You do what you want in your box and I will do what I want in mine.
  • Condo has rules limiting when noisy activities can be done yet they Jackhammer during the quiet hours. Is this allowed?
  • I live in a subdivision, the houses fairly close together, a neighbor two houses down, decided to buy a motorcycle. Every evening between 6 and 830, she sits and revs that motor at least 10 to 15 minutes, drives around the block (really?Mom won't let you leave the neighborhood?) probably goes down to the main road, which is 500 ft. or so, turns around and comes back, sits in the driveway, or goes around the corner to line up her bike with the driveway. Not to mention one evening about 7, she had the bike parked at the end of her driveway running for about 10, 15 minutes while she goes inside. Her 80 year old mother had a stroke a few years ago, and I know for a fact, she leaves that woman alone while she rides out. Would it be ok if I got one of those big air horns and blow it at her house for awhile after she comes back?? its sooooo aggravating to listen to that, I don't know if any other homeowner has complained about it, nothing on the website, I know the HOA won't do anything. No one listens, and I know if I confront her, she will probably tell me where to go. What happened to decency, common sense, and a little consideration for others. Already had to put a restraining order out on the neighborhood drunk who harassed me for about a year. Just a little peace and quiet is all I ask for, not much.......grrrrrrrrrr, thanks for letting me rant..
  • I own my condo and have for 30 yrs. A 36 yr old man rents next to me. He is a sex addict having sex three times a night going into the early morn. It vibrates my bed. He denied his activities and the Board believed him, even though something has hit my wall a few times. He says he has no headboard. I can't prove vibration. I can't record it. I am a senior w/health issues and don't know how too fight this. It has caused my blood pressure to go up as I am not getting sleep. They won't even take a doctor's letter. Can you advise?
  • I'm experiencing some tenant issues with an older lady upstairs. She claims her whole shakes when my children run downstairs. I have a special needs 6yr. Old son who uses a special walker to assist him with my help by pushing him around and my other 2 yr. Old boy uses special leg braces for a leg condition he has, but he is able to walk/run independently. We live in a pretty old home us on the 1st floor, her upstairs. She's never spoken to us but she does stomp all over her house whenever she thinks it's to loud. My children are now scared every time they hear loud stomps. I make sure to not let them make noise after 8 pm or before 9 am. Am I wrong here? I don't know what to do anymore and my childrens therapists said this can be harmful to my 6 yr Olds physical progress because he's scared to make noise now.
  • are "Sexy Pool Parties" legal in a residential neighborhood. Thay are serving Sangria, and charging between $15. to almost $200. to attend , and the music (if you want to call it music, ) is too out of control.... The amount of cars and people are way too much for this residential neighborhood.... So ,,, What to do???? need your help
  • loves classical music on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 2:52 PM
    When someone else's loud music became too much for me, I would put on my own classical tapes in my boom box. I faced it toward me, not them, but made it loud enough to cover the noise of their rock, or whatever. They got the point and kept their volume in check.
  • Can one call the cops on neighbors playing music out loud at 9 PM in New Jersey? I got some neighbors that blast the music of their car at late hours.
  • There are a lot of people who like to listen to their music loud. You cannot enjoy listening or playing music quietly. I earn my bacon as a bass player in a rock/jazz band. I need to practice regularly and I DO NOT need to be hassled by wussy neighbors who whine about me rattling their dining room table for a four hours everyday. If people would just live and let live and realize that some people work very hard to earn good money as musicians, and that means we need to practice and practice so that we can feel the music not just hear it.
  • I live in a condo and have a neighbor who denies his tv is too loud and any sound is coming from anothe neighbor. However, the sound started when he(this couple) moved in. The previous tenants have been here since I have been here and there has been no noise from them. I understand people have a right to do what they want to in their box, but have decency, use headphones if you like your tv loud. Sound proof your box if you play loud instruments, put in bamboo if have inappropriate public behavior going on. Be coonsiderate of your fellow human being. Parties should be few and far between if you enjoy entertaining so at least you are not taking advantage of others who could be your next employer, your next sitter, or ride if you ever needed one. It's so ridicuous that people think they own their space. Yeah you may own it, but be polite, don't be jerks. My advice, if you have a situation on your hands who are inconsiderate, document everything, video record everything, with smartphones you can even record sound. I wish I was an attorney because I would represent all of you. I think people who like to be loud should take responsibility for themselves and not act like parentless children. However, that could be because maybe nobpdy ever cared about them to begin with.
  • I am currently making efforts to sell. Condo owner for 16 years now. Had perfect neighbors on either side of me. Neighbor to my right lost his job and decided to rent out his home. Now I have neighbors that flood my home with bass, especially in the master bedroom. Little cherry on top, they have 4 cars they play musical chairs with along the road almost daily and one of the cars has a loud muffler so idling and revving in the early AM and night also happens. Even their guests are rude, consistently pulling up at 9,10,11pm laying on the horn so someone would come out of the house. I am a self employed graphic designer so I may be up all night hitting deadlines and need to sleep during the day or having conf. calls/production meetings and when the bass/music/movies start I get so shitty. Neighbor is rude and avoids people at every chance. HOA has been killing rain forests with the number of letters sent that are obviously not working. I was told once, call the police. I considered it but the noisy neighbor pulls stunts like blasting the radio for 10 min then going quiet, then repeat. Going through the selling process is a pain in the ass, but it looks like that's the only option to get final resolution other than suffering through it and hoping they move.
  • I have a neighbor who is testing my patience on what is reasonable and not reasonable noise levels. I live on an L shaped lot and the back of their house is pretty close to the front of my house. I have a hobby fixing cars, my cars, friends cars and family cars, who nearly always stay to watch or help. I usually only fix cars on Saturdays but sometimes during the week, always during the daytime hours. She complained once a couple years back when I was working on cars with the garage door open. Since then I insulated the garage door and always keep it closed. Well, now she is complaining about "constant banging" of hammers and air tools, and the "vibrations" of people coming to visit my driveway and maybe once every 2-3 months someone will have a bigger issue and need to bring their car on a tow truck. So she complains about the tow truck noise also. As for 'constant banging', if I am spending 6 hours working on a vehicle, I am making noise that would be audible outside my garage for a total of maybe 3 minutes. Our HOA bylaws say nothing about home auto repair other than stating that vehicles stored outside must be in working order, and no auto repair outside of the garage. I comply with all of that. County laws prohibit auto repair businesses in residential zoned areas, but this is not a business, just a hobby. What are your thoughts? How far should I go to accommodate? Oh, by the way, she has complained before for my kids playing basketball in our driveway.
  • Omg. I wouldn't know where to start if you only knew what I had to listen to every single day and every single night. The expression that comes to mind for me is.... cruel and unusual punishment. Because it's torturous it really is it's been injurious, intentional...and it's just overall..HARMFUL, behaving irresponsibly to others, and i find it insulting. I mean what can I do I'm an old disabled lady I can't hardly move around there's no way I cld move myself out of here. It's gonna take some Extra time and hands. I mean I'm stuck literally all because I got hit by drunk driver. Now I'm disabled. This is not living. I'm existing, and barely. I'm shaking my head cuz I feel like I'm in prison. It is not normal to be looking so forward our own death . But I am . Least I won't have to listen to all this nonsense and I'll finally have some PEACE. Many thanks to the CRY staff That stands for Chapel Ridge Yukon. Where i exist. Barely. If someone to happen to tell me I was in hell I'd be inclined to believe that because this crap around here I mean it's just not even normal it's nothing ever heard about or had nightmares about I just want some peace and quiet. That's not asking too much I don't ask anybody for anything I just want some peace that's all. I don't need to be beat up I don't need to be annoyed with my walls rattling from a loud car stereo Around the Clock I don't need all that b*******. Don't make me a target just coz u Wanna hate on someone. No pity party..i have had many great exp lots of fine moments in my life. If i had to sum up this previous decade in a single word, the choice would be... VIOLATED. Ya it sucks. And of course, i couldn't finish this before they cranked it up again. I use ear plugs too these days. Doesn't go well when I'm in the middle of a movie Omg i guess I'll go beat my head against the wall now. Being in this poverty level ghetto of far west Oklahoma city has been nothing but ABSOLUTELY AWFUL FOR ME. The people they aren't good ones. In my exp g here, well icould count on noone around me if there was a dire emergency . How to do people are like a lot of other elderly or bad health .. go figure. like me. So ya get all the sick, old. And disabled ppl together and KILL EM ALL What my government's doing anyway. But ya ya... pick me .CAN I GO FIRST? I'm ready for some PEACE AND KINDNESS. That's all.
  • When I was in college, my upstairs neighbor would practice her tap dancing routines on her tile floor. No, I'm not kidding. When I asked her to stop, she sputtered, "But I have to practice!" She was furious at me. It never seemed to enter her mind that she didn't have to practice in a <em>residence</em>, where other people sleep and study. The best part was that the college arts building, with dance studios she could reserve, was just a couple of blocks away. If you have to practice your instrument because it's your livelihood or fix cars because it's your hobby, you can do somewhere where it won't bother your neighbors. Rent, barter, borrow space--whatever. That's your problem, not theirs. They bought or rented their place as a residence, not as a music venue or repair shop--or bar, beer garden, party room, etc. If you choose to live somewhere with shared walls, you have to accept that you need to keep intrusive, unwanted noise to a minimum.
  • We do not play music loud ..no party..no loud television..but our neighbours complain when we use the bathroom at night hearing footsteps..we hear neighbours opening cabinets..showers,,walking..not a single word from us..
  • You would think that noise would not be a problem in condos designated over 55 years old. You would be wrong. Yes, I hear the cabinet doors from upstairs and sometimes next door (though not as much). I can hear the lady upstairs walking because the floor creaks so I can tell where she is. I can hear people walking up and down the stairs. I can hear when the newspaper person throws the newspaper against the wall, door or cement landing at 4am. My bedroom is right next to it. I can hear the water rushing through the pipes and this is not a muted sound - it sounds like niagara falls. I sleep with earplugs and the bathroom door closed and the bedroom door closed and I can still hear all of this and most of it wakes me up at night. Maybe I was extraordinary lucky, but I never heard hardly anything when I lived in apartments, even underneath someone. It's like living in a cheap motel and I regret buying this condo. Now I have to figure out some solution/place to move before I drop dead of sleep deprivation.
  • Property is in planned community allows pet, no breed or size restriction. a neighbor moved in next door "NO PETS", annoyed at every noise she hear. Would she living in a retirement community where it is nice and quiet? Pet was not excessive, constant, chronic, or habitual barker. He barked of course when there are strangers around property. This neighbor brought people/strangers on her property which of course alert pet he barked. She turns around complain to the HOA which of course she herself the HOA. For years she done that, now pet is dead, poisoned.
  • Yeah, the upstairs noise makers should be forced to live downstairs for awhile and hear the noise they make. The one above me is horrible. Every day I hear banging doors, slamming cabinets and drawers, a kind of tappy squeak sound wherever she walks on her obviously wood floors. Plus the plumbing is horrible and it sounds like niagara falls every time she turns on the shower or flushes the toilet and there is nowhere to escape the loud sound - I can hear it very loudly even in the living room.
  • My downstairs neighbor complains about noise coming from my apt. My kids are in bed by 8:30PM, in school 180 days a year, and away every other weekend. Noise during the day shouldn't be an issue for anyone, period! To all those complaining, move to the sticks. Like someone else said on here, complaining about noise makes you just as obnoxious.
  • I have a neighbor in a condominium set that refuses to not show or run the washer at 12-2 am. This wakes me and forces me to stay up until at least a couple of hours later. I then have to be up at 6. I have already tried talking to the neighbor and being polite. It has caused me to fall asleep during other activities. The neighbor refuses to stop since he gets home from work at that time. My landlord says that she doesn't think sound proofing would work. Please advise.
  • I live in a condo where there are quiet hours after 9PM, and all disturbing noise no matter the time can result in a fine. Two months after I moved in, the downstairs neighbor moved in. It's been a nightmare ever since. Banging, screaming, fights, rude guests who loiter and scream in front of the building. Three months after he moved in, I finally complained to the association. Upon receiving his notice, he came directly to me tried to smooth things over. It was shocking. He flat out admitted to being a drug dealer and offered illicit substances as an olive branch. I didn't have my phone to record the convo, and wasn't sure a reocrd of the conversation could be used anyway given he did permit me to record it. At any rate, that topic has not come up again, and the noise level has gotten worse and worse. His live-in girlfriend screams frequently, and I'm told (by him) that she's hard to control when she's drunk; they have extremely loud sex at 1AM while I'm trying to sleep; just today while on a work call, the noise from downstairs erupted from what could only be a psychotic episode from drug use, babbling sounds like speaking in tongues, thrashing, banging. I recorded the noise and sent it to management. Management have told me over and over again to contact the police, and the police have told me they can only intervene if the resident is disturbing the peace or if there is a domestic disturbance. This is one for the books. Is anyone able to impart any advice?
  • Having a subwoofer in one bedroom is a nuisance even with a low volume the vibrations will be enormous as sound travels and will bounce back from their walls piercing through the sheet rock. So saying install a decibal meter in a hallway is totally non sensible. Ban subwoofers in the apartments and condos it is unhealthy and can cause hypersensitivity to the person tolerating this kinda sound everyday. About time the noise regulations in NJ is changed. I repeat it’s not the volume it’s the vibrations it causes . Hope that makes sense.
  • Is there a law 80/20 for condos iam on the bottom floor, kids all day rocking a rocking chair, my pictures are always crooked, or off the wall. I am not a complainer, but this is all day! Oh yes at 6:30am the exercise equipment starts. Help