Need Advice on a Noisy Neighbor

[AlkiMermaid]

Hi folks,

I need some advice on handling a neighbor “situation.” I moved into a new apartment about 2 months ago.

A gentleman in the apartment building next to mine (not the same building as mine) plays his music *very* loud. Now that the weather is nicer, open windows mean that the music is instrusively loud.

I spoke with my downstairs neighbor and she said that this went on all last summer, and she had to keep her windows closed and wear earplugs.

Now I realize I live in the city, in a dense area, and some general noise is to be expected. But his music is so loud that I can still hear it clearly with my windows closed and my own radio on. I’ve taken to turning off my own music because I can’t stand listening to two songs at once.

It’s also not just a Friday night thing, which I could totally understand if they were throwing a party. This is daily noise pollution, Sunday afternoon, Tuesday dinner time, totally disruptive. I can’t have my windows open, or enjoy my beautiful garden.

I see a couple of routes I could take. I have observed the neighbor in question, and he seems aggressive and confrontational. So while my first instinct was to simply go over and speak to him in a kind and diplomatic fashion (okay – that was my *second* instinct), I don’t feel that’s a safe option.

I also don’t want to make the situation worse and have him trying to “get back at me.” I’d prefer not to call the cops, although I checked the city ordinances and he is in violation of the noise laws. (It’s something like being able to hear the sound at 75 ft. from the building.) I thought about going through my landlord to his landlord or similiar. I could also leave a friendly note of concern on his car.

Does anyone have any experience handling this sort of situation? Or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

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[hopey]

I was in the Delridge Neighborhood Office recently to renew my passport, and saw a poster for the King County Dispute Resolution Center. They help handle disputes between neighbors. Maybe they could give you some advice? Here is their website:

http://www.kcdrc.org/

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[flowerpetal]

Because you don’t feel safe approaching this neighbor; I think you should not. I believe it is important to trust your “gut” on that. I would start with the police non-emergency number as you already know that the neighbor is violating city code.

My understanding is that the dispute reolution center is not a “first step” because there is no dispute yet. (I could be wrong about this as I have not heard that first hand) The Dispute Resolution Center is a non-profit, not a govt. agency. They do have training to help people resolve conflicts too. Lastly the DRC is funded partially by King County. I am not sure where that funding stands in light of the county’s dire budget.

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[christopherboffoli]

AlkiMermaid: Your neighbor is being inconsiderate and is creating a nuisance. You are generous in your thinking that you need to be more tolerant of annoyances when you live in an urban environment. But I also ascribe to the theory that when we live in urban environments we must be more considerate about how the things we do (listening to loud music, barking dogs, smoking cigarettes, etc.) will effect those who live around us. While your neighbor has a right to listen to music in his own apartment, you have the right to the quiet enjoyment of yours. In a civil society we have rights and we also have responsibilities.

In New York City, there is a centralized telephone number (311) where citizens can call with any complaint, 24/7. The number one subject of those calls (in a city of more than 7 million people) is noise complaints. So I just don’t buy the “you’re in a city…deal with it” mantra.

Your landlord is responsible for and has a legal obligation to you to provide for the quiet enjoyment of your property. He or she should be the one to let this tenant know that his loud music is disturbing other residents. The noisy neighbor can close his windows or turn the volume down or both. If the problem continues the Seattle Police will respond to noise complaints. The City actually has very good noise ordinances though they are not often enforced until there is a specific complaint. The police will most likely warn the tenant at first. But on subsequent visits the noisy tenant can be fined.

I’m always willing to give my neighbors the benefit of the doubt in these situations. Modern residential construction tends to be done with light materials that don’t mitigate sound. And the mixture of ever-denser living and powerful home theater systems have made a sort of perfect storm for neighbor disputes over noise. It is always better to try to resolve these issues with a quiet, polite conversation and a handshake. But unfortunately too many people these days have a sense of entitlement and a lack of consideration for others which contributes to these situations being very prickly. Best to leave it in the hands of the landlord.

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[beachdrivegirl]

I think i would try to contact the neighbor. If you really feel that unsafe just bring a friend along with you. It is a very drastic measure to involve law officials if you havent attempted to resolve anything on your own.

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[flowerpetal]

If I am reading correctly, the noisy neighbor has a different landlord. Are landlords obligated to negotiate this when the noise is from sources off of their property? I would be surprised if such is so.

Sometimes it is safer to approach a person who is perceived threat with another; and sometimes not. I still would follow my instinct on this one.

A few weeks ago a poster here approached a neighbor with a pooping Great Dane and he had a bottle of wine at hand as a friendly gesture. That approach and the result was positive all around. Not sure if that would work in this situation; but worth remembering.

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[hopey]

This article gives a very concrete example of how the KCDRC can help in a neighbor dispute:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2003159707_homeforum30.html

Note the two options offered:

“One option is to contact your neighbor yourself. The center will help you figure out how.

…

The other option is to have the center contact your neighbor and arrange a mediation session.”

It sounds like AlkiMermaid really does not want to involve the police unless it’s absolutely necessary, so engaging the mediation center — even just for advice on how to proceed — might be a good first step. In my opinion, it’s free and worth a shot.

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[RainyDay1235]

I personally would not want to get involved in a “dispute” situation either. Who has the time? You could always go speak to THEIR landlord as a first option and see if that makes any difference. But really, there is a noise ordinance in place and it is not YOUR JOB to enforce it. The police will take the complaint and mark its priority as necessary…

http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/police/prevention/Neighborhood/noise.htm

“The Seattle Police Department receives hundreds of noise complaints every year. Seattle is a large city with many diverse neighborhoods, both residential and commercial, so a certain level of tolerance is expected. Certain types of noise are permitted and not considered illegal. Only when the noise meets the threshold outlined in the law can police intervene. If you are experiencing noise problems alone and prioritized on the low end of the dispatch scale, this can be frustrating. We suggest that you first try contacting the people responsible for the noise. Often times, they are not aware of the discomfort they are causing. If you feel uneasy about direct contact or the person has been uncooperative or is “under the influence,” you can call 911 for assistance.”

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[AlkiMermaid]

Thanks for all the input folks! I will check out the resources you provided links to.

I say I feel “unsafe” talking directly to this person in part because his choice of music provides very colorful descriptions of women and what they’re good for, while also praising the use of physical violence, guns and drugs.

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[jissy]

AlkiMermaid: I own a duplex that is an old converted house (grandfathered in under code in a different city), so very little soundproofing. As a landlord, I am very conscious about making each unit live-able for both my tenants and would welcome notice from a neighbor such as yourself. I lived in one of these units myself for a year during a remodel and was hyper-conscious about being a quite, respectful person.

I would encourage you to look up the owner on the King County website and write them an anon, very non-threatening letter saying that you are a nearby neighbor and you wanted to give them the opportunity to discuss the situation with their tenant before you involved the police. They may not do anything and/or if they do, the tenant may turn the volume higher b/c they are pissed off, but I think it’s a good place to start…. again, as a landlord, I’d be receptive to it.

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[christopherboffoli]

flowepetal: Thanks for illuminating that point about it being a separate landlord. I read the initial post quickly and missed that.

Washington law holds that landlords can be held responsible for the nuisance of their tenants if they are made aware of the nuisance and take no action to remedy it. I think that most landlords, in the interest of being good neighbors, would care about the situation if you brought it to their attention. But then again, I have personally encountered absentee landlords with rental properties who don’t care at all about the neighbors who live around their houses. Let’s hope you don’t have the latter and can get this amicably resolved.

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[grr]

I agree…let the landlord try and handle it first.

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