Hey Sam!
We are in the Heights on New York between Congress and South, and we love it. We now have a young son (3) and don't ever plan on leaving. There are lots of great blocks around us, parks, and very active community groups. Also, if you want restaurants/other nightlife options, hoboken is a five minute walk away.... Send me a private message and tell me what you're looking for, and I can offer advice!

Hey Captn John - which block do you live on? Any houses for sale? Sounds like you're the kind of neighbor we've been looking for. We went through similar struggles on our block but still have some strong partiers.
Peace!

When we first moved to the Heights from Downtown 8 years ago, our street was pretty bad - drug dealers, gangs, filthy homes, illegal apartments.

We had the cops on speed dial - general issues and noise complaints, and they were always awesome. We haven't had to call them in years and years.

With the illegal houses, and the people selling drugs, and the filthy homes, the cops said that they couldn't really do anything about that but encouraged us to call the city - Quality of Life, and Housing Code - repeatedly. We did so, as did all the lifelong residents of the street who were, at the time, scared and frustrated at what the street had become.

The city aggressively went after the illegal apartments (one two family home had about 10 individual rooms for rent)., and the slobs (one had a pool full of muck that released swarms of mosquitos all summer - yuck!).

Fast forward a couple of years - the street now has no drug dealers (that we know of!), no illegal apartments, filthy homes have been cleaned up, and new ones built and sold at pretty impressive prices... And now families who have been there forever can once again sit on their stoops when the weather is nice, and let their kids play on the sidewalks....

So please, call the city. Much of the administration can be frustrating, but the folks we all dealt with really took their jobs seriously.

Now if we could only get more trees planted on our block and speed bumps put it...

Quote:

You can't force them to install a check valve or sump pumps. They can get fined for trash and sued in small claims court if their gutter has caused damage that you can document.

don't the courts have arbitration?

Personally, I would call the Health Dept., MUA (Sewage) & maybe throw in Housing Code Enforcement &/or Quality of Life Task Force for good luck.

What are you waiting for? These aren't just quality of life issues! What you describe are issues that could affect what is likely your biggest financial investment, your health, and possibly your safety. Some people can not be reasoned with. Don't be a victim, or passive. Contact the city and maybe even an attorney.

Quote:

Then it's time to get a lawyer at this point. A lawsuit will attract their attention.

If it is raw sewage, do not hesitate any further. Contact with the city should be made immediately. This poses a health threat to the occupants of their building as well as yours.

It is their basement dumping water into ours (they have an un-checked sewer line that just dumps the sewer water into their place which then leaks into ours), they have no sump pumps on a street that floods badly (we have 4 with a battery backup and can control it until they start overflowing) and just recently their gutter is so backed up it pours water into our external wall. They also have trash strewn everywhere (including food thrown on their roof) and large puddles of standing water that become mosquito breeding grounds.

I am all for always trying to resolve disputes and concerns with neighbors in the most amicable way possible, but sometimes some people can not be reasoned with, as they refuse to acknowledge a problem, or address it. In those instances, remove yourself from the situation, don't let it escalate to the point of it becoming violent or highly confrontational, and simply put to use the resources available to you: the HOA, the City, etc.

And, seriously, don't let things get out of hand before reporting them. That will only embolden them. You didn't provide details about the issue, so it is hard for anyone to suggest who to call. If it is noise, call the non-emergency police line. If it is trash strewn on their yard/patio, I think you call the City Department of Health. if it is unruly dogs, call Animal Control.

I am often surprised at what people will endure unnecessarily.

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately we have given up on resolving with them, numerous letters have gotten us nowhere.

Quote:

Determine which if any ordinances are being violated, then take it from there. Check out the Jersey City municipal code:

link

There's also state law, but the local ordinances should cover it. Don't give up on resolving it with your neighbor. Send a friendly letter by US Mail, and if no response, follow up with a certified letter stating that you will take legal action if the problem is not remediated.

Does anyone know the best course of action to take when dealing with a neighbor whose property negligence is constantly resulting in damage to our property? We have spoken with them many times and they refuse to do anything about it, we have no choice but to involve an external party. Is there a department in the city we can report this to, in the hopes of generating fines or something like that?