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Re: Condo Noise
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Just can't stay away
 
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1 more suggestion for you....write EVERYTHING down. We use to live next to a DJ, which was a nightmare. I too, felt awful calling the cops but after awhile I just didn't care anymore because I was literally loosing sleep. I always found the cops were as helpful when they could be (when, in fact, my neighbor actually opened the door, which most often he didn't).
It got to a point where I pretty much called on a daily basis, and eventually, the DJ moved out. The cops do record when you call and you can obtain the case #'s and police reports if you do end up having to take your neighbor to court. Regardless, if they are keeping you up until 5am because of music, you really shouldn't feel bad, that's ridicilous
Posted on: 2010/12/13 16:05
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Newbie
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the roof rights are deeded to me...and if i had a leaky roof, it would either be the condo insurance that would cover it, me, or my builder considering its new construction and its under warranty. There would be no assessment. Also if it was the law ( which it is not ) how would a post like this even exist? I normally would not take the F&**the neighbor approach but we have had some other issues as well that are not related to this.
Posted on: 2010/12/12 23:25
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Newbie
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If you own, we used the following products and have been VERY happy with them:
Quiet Rock with sound isolation clips, Green Glue, mass-loaded vinyl and acoustic mineral wool insulation. It was a difficult project but we don't hear our neighbors anymore. Good Luck! We know how frustrating it can be.
Posted on: 2010/12/12 22:37
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Home away from home
 
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next time they crank up the music, turn on your video camera and get evidence. talk into the camera so there's a comparison of regular room noise and the nonsense coming from downstairs. keep the camera rolling when you knock on their door to ask them to turn the music down, so you have proof of their thuggish behavior.
Posted on: 2010/12/12 21:02
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Newbie
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Thank you everyone for the links / suggestions. I would have responded sooner had I not been kept up until nearly five this morning from the music. My nerves are shot today. As for other neighbors being bothered, the way the unit is set up there are six of them. I don't think the 2 units on the third floor can hear it, but I will try to check with them regardless. We are on the second floor directly above them. I don't know how much the noise travels to the other apartment on our floor. And for the other unit on their floor, the renter is actually hearing impaired so I don't think he is affected at all. I am really upset about this situation. I appreciate the suggestions very much!
Posted on: 2010/12/12 20:19
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Home away from home
Joined:
2006/11/13 18:42 Last Login : 2022/2/28 7:31 From 280 Grove Street
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Quote:
Get heaps of brochures on carpets (with underlay / insulation), rugs, floating floors, etc. and place them in their post box from time to time. People above you need to understand that the floor boards were there never as a feature, but rather a support for carpets, tiles, lino etc. They can still have their floor board by installing a 'floating' timber floor on top of their structural floor. Then again you could invest in a stick and bang the ceiling to reciprocate the experience for them at all hours !
Posted on: 2010/12/12 19:40
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My humor is for the silent blue collar majority - If my posts offend, slander or you deem inappropriate and seek deletion, contact the webmaster for jurisdiction.
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Home away from home
Joined:
2006/11/13 18:42 Last Login : 2022/2/28 7:31 From 280 Grove Street
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4192
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This is a case of 'f-you Jack, I'm alright'.
mmmm zero empathy in a community that want's zero tolerance ! Quote:
Posted on: 2010/12/12 19:32
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My humor is for the silent blue collar majority - If my posts offend, slander or you deem inappropriate and seek deletion, contact the webmaster for jurisdiction.
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Home away from home
Joined:
2010/5/26 20:32 Last Login : 2023/9/14 15:34 From Hamilton Park
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214
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Great idea, I'm sure your neighbor will be more then willing to authorize an assessment for that leaky roof in a few years. That is something you should have checked out before you bought the place. It has nothing to do with Condo rules about covering your hardwood floors, it is NJ Law.
Posted on: 2010/12/12 18:18
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Home away from home
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That's mighty neighborly of you. I, me-me, mine......
Posted on: 2010/12/12 18:08
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Newbie
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I just bought a place and we ran into the same situation ( although we bought the top floor of a 2 unit condo/brownstone). Our condo rules say nothing about covering 70% of the area with rugs etc. And while we have put carpet in certain areas I am not about the carpet my entire place as one reason I bought it was because we loved the hardwood floors. My downstairs neighbors and I don't get along but oh well. In my opinion, this is something he should have checked out before he bought his place. I believie he has since sound proofed his place.
Posted on: 2010/12/12 17:21
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Not too shy to talk
 
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See this older thread
http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... id=244925#forumpost244925 There is a Jersey City noise ordinance. Call the non-emergency number 201-547-5477 not 911. Usually the officer answering will ask if you want to give your name. This will help you file a complaint in small claims court. Also contact the Division of Tenant Landlord Relations 30 Montgomery Street Room 415 Jersey City, NJ 07302 Tel: (201) 547-4714 Fax: (201) 547-5803 360 Martin Luther King Drive (Satellite Office) (Office is inside Extra Supermarkets) Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tel: (201) 200-0677 Fax: (201) 333-8958 Charles Odei, Director Your landlord is not ensuring that you have "quiet enjoyment of your unit". It may be time to think about moving for the preservation of your health and sanity.
Posted on: 2010/12/12 15:48
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Home away from home
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how are the rest of your neighbors taking this? you can't be the only one who's annoyed. maybe a united front will bring your landlord to his senses?
Posted on: 2010/12/12 8:51
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Newbie
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Thank you so much for that link! The music is still going, my head is pounding and I am ready to scream ... Thanks very much; I appreciate it.
Posted on: 2010/12/12 6:54
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Home away from home
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Posted on: 2010/12/12 6:03
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Newbie
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I am going to keep my question in this thread about noise complaints and neighbors, but my question is more of trying to understand the procedure with the police in Jersey City regarding noise complaints in apartment buildings.
A brief background ? my neighbors on the first floor directly below us play their music very loud. The bass is unbearable in our apartment (my fianc? and I). We moved in during the summer and their noise has become increasingly worse. When either of us would knock on their door and politely ask them to please lower the bass they would seriously go ballistic (so ridiculous and unnecessary) and slam the door and play the music even louder. So once we reached a breaking point, we notified the landlord. He put a letter on the front door of the building about noise and common courtesy and told us to just call the police every time this happens. This is something we really did not want to do. We don?t like drama and just would feel so bad about this. But this evening their music was so loud and we are tired of this. However, they know this so we decided to do what the landlord said and called the police for a noise complaint. The cops showed up and the neighbors immediately turned the music down. So the police then seemed annoyed with us for calling and left. As soon as they left, the music became even louder. A few hours later it was just unbearable, so my fianc? went downstairs to ask them to please lower the music just a little and the lady went all out crazy. She mocked him and said she didn?t care, she didn?t believe that it was loud, she called him every name in the book while he just stood there, still just saying ?can you just please lower the music.? He did not get loud or aggressive. They slammed the door in his face. Further into the night it became so bad that we decided to call the police again for the noise complaint. We hate doing this kind of thing, but really did not know what else to do. The switchboard operator took our information and hung up. The cops came, we heard them knock on their door and ask them if they called about a noise complaint which was wrong, it was us who called. The people were drunk, and told the cops that my fianc? was aggressive and very nasty (very much the opposite) and that they called the cops on us for asking them to lower their music but did not know our apartment number (okay?). So the cops just left. And the music got louder. Near tears, I called the landlord and he said there is not much he can do. So for the last hour or so we have been sitting here by candlelight, the TV volume low (besides, we really can?t compete with the bass), on our laptops. Yet for some reason they called the police on us. However, they still don?t have the foresight to come upstairs so they guessed the apartment number and the police went to the wrong door and then left. I am really upset and frustrated. This is so stressful. When I lived in NYC, a person called 311 and was able to obtain a case number and the police would follow through when they could for noise complaints. So my confusion is, what is the procedure with Jersey City police and noise complaints? We were never given a case number, and they messed up every time they came to the building! The only time they spoke to us they treated us as though they were irritated at us for calling and really were not informative at all. The music is so loud right now, and we feel like we have no options. We are not being taken seriously and we don?t understand how to communicate better with the local police. I suppose we were expecting a much different, more structured outcome from them. I realize apartment life has noise but this is unreasonable. Thank you for any kind of advice or information you can provide! (other than saying to move).
Posted on: 2010/12/12 4:56
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Home away from home
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Yes, go to acoustilog.com. We used their services in a condo and they were great. Just to clarify. Acoustilog will come into your home and analyze the problem and give you a detailed recommendation for remediation. They do not do the actual work, but their recommendations were excellent and they ended our problem.
Posted on: 2010/8/24 13:04
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Just can't stay away
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So, anyone know of any good soundproofing companies? Unfortunately I am sandwiched and would need to potentially soundproof both the ceiling and the floor.
If you have thin floors, do try to refrain from wearing high heeled shoes before 7AM in the morning. 
Posted on: 2010/8/24 7:59
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Newbie
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Rugs do help. When I moved into my building, my downstairs neighbor complained every day that just the simple act of my walking around was a disturbance.
I bought a couple of rugs and now she only complains when I vacuum the rugs when she's trying to sleep.
Posted on: 2010/7/28 16:53
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Just can't stay away
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I lived in an apartment for 7 years. For the first 5 I never heard a peep from upstairs, then the landlord renovated and installed laminate flooring. A young couple moved in with a toddler and all I could hear was the
I brought it up with the management company, there were indeed rules about floor coverings in relation to noise and I was told it would be dealt with. The landlord bought a couple of rugs. I was not happy, I couldn't see that it would solve the problem and I was right. You can't confine a child to one area. The couple left pretty soon after and I saw that realtors were beginning to show the apartment to potential tenants. I printed out some fliers and pasted one to the door of the offending apartment. "Warning. The owner of this apartment has installed cheap laminate flooring without adequate sound insulation. If you move in here you will be the subject of constant noise complaints." The flier was removed. I bought some super strong spray glue and replaced it. The landlord removed it again, the door's paint job took some collateral damage. He came to see me, mid-conniption, threatened me legally and physically. I continued to replace the fliers as quickly as he pulled them down. The door was our battle-zone with the scars to prove it. Eventually he relented and installed carpet. He told me that the guys he had paid to install the flooring had not laid any foam insulation beneath, a saving of about $40. And so, gentle reader, the good guys won that day. Order was restored, my apartment was sold for a not inconsiderable profit and I moved to beautiful downtown Jersey City.
Posted on: 2010/7/28 16:04
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Home away from home
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It wasn?t until I moved out of my parents? home and got my own place that I started changing my shoes when I got home.
I was bringing in sand and grit on my shoes and constantly sweeping the floors. I used to wear high heels too and they would leave these pock-marks in the soft wood. So I stopped being lazy and started wearing a beach-type sandal with a soft wedge that?s easy to kick on or off? and my floors are happy! PS... I think the soft shoe is better than barefoot. Some people walk very hard on their heels.
Posted on: 2010/7/28 15:09
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Home away from home
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Regarding the sanitary issue: think of where your shoes have stepped in all day. I always offer to take off my shoes when I visit someone's home, regardless of their ethnicity. For non-Asians, I take their response at face value. If they insist I can leave them on, I leave them on, especially if the host is already wearing their shoes indoors. Asians, out of politeness, will insist that you can leave your shoes on, but I know that deep down, they'll be horrified if I do. So, I ALWAYS take off my shoes when I visit an Asian home. My mom did make an exception for one acquaintance known to have particularly stinky feet. I laugh to this day when I think about it - having that person track their outside shoes all over her pristine home was preferable to his foot odor! Traditional Asian homes will also have spare slippers for guests (When I travel for work, I always take the slippers from fancy hotels to use as guest slippers). In Scandinavia, taking off the shoes is a given, especially in winter, otherwise, you'll be tracking melting snow all over someone's home.
Posted on: 2010/7/28 12:53
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Home away from home
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I always find it a pain-in-the you know what when visiting my Irish/Italian/ Catholic American J.C home grown friends. When first arriving at their house it's inconvienient to have to remove my molded to my feet shoes especially after a long drive. Yet when I'm invited to their houses with a bunch of guests I don't have to remove them I guess I get a treat that day. I never grew up having to take my shoes off at the house but even to this day I will walk into the house with the shoes on but usually take them off right away and walk around with either socks, slippers or those slip on supple boat shoes on, all for in the house only. It's actually more comfortable. And I also don't require my guest to remove their shoes when visiting. I haven't heard much on the sanitary/guest protocol regarding the shoe issue.
Posted on: 2010/7/28 12:36
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Home away from home
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Wow what big prices to pay to live in tenement apartments. Perhaps it is better to own and own a house at that. Congested apartments didn't work well in the 70's and 80's and it looks like the come back is a haunt as well. By the way how is the toe ? Tokyo has a very tight square footage of real estate space and they always take their shoes off before crossing the threshold of their apartment. I wonder what the broken toe ratio is there ?
Posted on: 2010/7/28 12:11
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Home away from home
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Yes, it's true that many, though not all, European countries have a shoes-off custom. So, if one is moving into a condo, go for upstairs neighbors who are immigrants. Never met your grandmother, but she sounds like an awesome lady and just like my grandmother. A pity more people don't have grandmothers like that - we wouldn't have a condo noise problem to kvetch about on JC List! And a good day to you, too!
Posted on: 2010/7/28 11:22
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Just can't stay away
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I hate to burst your Asians are better than Westerners (in this case Americans from the USA) bubble JadedJC, but my very white, Texas grandmother born to very white Texan parents ALWAYS had everyone who entered her house take off their "outside" shoes at the back door...no exceptions. I've lived and visited counties all over the world, places like Turkey, Mexico, Spain, and pretty much universally folks in those countries take their "outside" shoes off before entering someones home. Not taking our shoes off in this country is an American thing honey and not a "Western thing". Get off your high horse and have a nice day.
Posted on: 2010/7/28 3:36
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Home away from home
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I would talk to the guy right away and ask him if he could get an area rug. You could also offer to pay for a rug pad for underneath it. In terms of resale, I wouldn't worry too much. I think it's to be expected. In our last place, out neighbors complained about us frequently (we have a little one). We put down rugs and pads and it seemed to the trick until one day we were asked to keep our kid out of the room above the downstairs bedroom until 10am. That is when I got pissed and stopped being accommodating. Now we live on the ground floor and our loving it.
Posted on: 2010/7/27 19:26
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Home away from home
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I should clarify because it really does not affect my day to day life that much to the point where I'm ready to move or make a big deal. I think more in terms of re-sale in a situation like this. Also the fact that I was told that sound is really not that much of an issue kinda bugs me. I do think that by simply putting down an area rug most of the sound SHOULD be muffled from the apt above me. I figure since he just moved in about a month ago he just needs time to get the place set up.
Posted on: 2010/7/27 19:16
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Home away from home
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A big problem with apartment/condo noise conflicts is that there ends up being a tyranny of the most sensitive people in the building. You might be living in your place happily for years, and then some super-sensitive person moves in upstairs or downstairs and wants to change the way you live.
In these situations, I feel that both parties need to be willing to change, not just the person creating the offending noise.
Posted on: 2010/7/27 19:08
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Home away from home
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We also have a rule in our building about area rugs covering a certain percentage of the floor. We also had a session in a condo meeting where everyone agreed to take off their shoes when walking around their condos. Of course, shortly afterward, I walked into a chair barefoot and broke my toe, but that's just me.
It's true that having an upstairs neighbor can be annoying. My dog likes to pounce into the rug to "kill" her toys. Living on the top floor now, I have asked my neighbor if he can hear noise, and he claims he can't. I do try to remind myself to be quiet, but I think it's worth talking to your neighbors in case it never occurred to them.
Posted on: 2010/7/27 18:34
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Home away from home
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I should look into this , maybe I have similar rules.
Posted on: 2010/7/27 18:30
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