Help Please! Noisy Neighbor

The last 4 nights I have been woken up at 1 am by loud, blasting music from a neighbor. The music usually plays for hours and sometimes starts at 5 am. The problem is that this neighbor doesn't live in my building, but in the building next door, connected to mine.

Our windows are diagonal and he/she opens their window, which makes the music even louder. I've tried yelling politely and impolitely, but they don't stop playing or lower the music. Last night, they turned off their light while I was begging them to stop the music. So, I know they were there and they are just ignoring me.

I tried calling 311, but they didn't seem like much help and said they would "try to send someone there one day". I'm at the point where I want to throw something at their window and smash it in.

I don't know what else to do and I'm at my wit's end. How can people be so rude and inconsiderate? Any advice/suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Some of my neighbors have the nasty habit of locking themselves out of the building so they buzz all the buzzers at any hour they feel like til someone lets them in. I don't bother with 311. I call my local precinct and talk to them directly and ask them to send someone out right away.

Enlist some friends to call at the same time either 311 or the local precinct like AB says. You need numbers, they don't have to be in the building, just people who will do you a solid. I had my father call to complain about the heat in my building a couple of winters ago. He lives in Buffalo. They should use their cell phones and get the complaint numbers.

Yes...get the number for the local precinct. Start keeping a log every time you call 311 (they'll give you a reference number- write it down). If nothing else you'll have a long list to back up your story.

Talk to other neighbors. You're probably not the only one upset...have them call 311 also.

Throw a brick through their window.

Call your police precinct

That exact same thing happend to me about 3 years ago.. it was insane.. the dude blasting Middle Eastern music from about 1-7am everynight..

Here's what I did (after speaking to him numerous times, after all the pointless and traditional phone calls to authorities, and after taping his buzzer closed)

I got onto his roof via my roof before I left for work one morning. Climbed down his fire escape with a 2x4 and a cynder block (they were doing some roofing at the time). I banged on his window for about 20 min before he finally appeared. He knew why I was there... by this point we were essentially engaged in trench warfare....

When it was clear he had no intension of dealing with me or being reasonable about the music I threw the cynder block through his kitchen window, climbed back up the fire escape (in a suit mind you) and went to work.

I never heard a peep out of him again.

^^^ Awesome!
But there's always that chance he'll call the cops on you.

Doubtful...

He didn't know me and likely didn't know where I lived (other than being nearby - I had only stopped him on the street). Furthermore, it was quite obvious this man had good reasons not to invite police officers into his home let alone give his name, etc..

When you're dealing with a criminal you have the luxury of acting like one.

Drunken Revival wrote: Doubtful...

When you're dealing with a criminal you have the luxury of acting like one.

Until you find out his cinder block/bat/knife/gun is bigger than yours...

"Our windows are diagonal and he/she opens their window, which makes the music even louder."

Get a powerful hose... or a few large rats.

build an electro-magnet. that will take care of it real quick.

eggcream wrote: Get a powerful hose.

Great idea! Spray the hose into the open window. If he calls the cops, there's probably no real proof of what you did.

"Until you find out his cinder block/bat/knife/gun is bigger than yours.."

I've yet to meet someone who had a bigger "cinder block" than me. You can take my word for it or ask the ladies down on 29th street. Tell the DR sent you.

Don't break any windows, use hose, etc. You don't know how violent these people can be. Call the police. Maybe blast some Barry Manilow, or Arnold Schoenberg.

And if that doesn't work, escalate to Stravinsky. Then Penderecki.

and after that...::shiver:: ABBA

the horror

i hate passive aggressive assholes like this. odds are this person annoys a bunch of people in your two buildings. try making friends with a few other people in your building and in the offenders building. When the music starts playing answer back with a chorus of Shut the F Up and 3 neighbors knocking on his door.

i think we need to give the OP some actual suggestions.

first, document everything.

second, when you call your local police precinct, make sure to ask that the police come to YOUR apartment first so they can hear the noise first hand.

third, you might try leaving a note on their front door, even if you don't know their apt #. lie, say you have a baby and it's keeping her up all night. beg.

camaysar wrote: Don't break any windows, use hose, etc. You don't know how violent these people can be. Call the police.

Maybe blast some Barry Manilow, or Arnold Schoenberg.

was it schoenberg who "composed"/recorded like 10 minutes of silence ?

call the local precinct !

because after breaking their windows youll come home and find that terrible things have been done to your cat with a spork. at which point youll leave dogpoop on their car and they toss molotov rats thru your window, and so on and so on and so on.

cowardly babyshit games will not resolve anything.

as far as practical advice goes if its 2 in the am and your neighbors blasting,
call the cops remind them about the noise ordinanaces

in general call your landlord

for the op - talk to some people in the building next door.
surely the person living beneath him must be annoyed as well.
buy them a coffee, commiserate, call cops, have them call their LL.

gl

Garfunky wrote:
was it schoenberg who "composed"/recorded like 10 minutes of silence?

That was John Cage: 4'33" (may be "played" by any instrument or combination of instruments) YouTube has a funny performance with full orchestra!

camaysar wrote: Don't break any windows, use hose, etc. You don't know how violent these people can be. Call the police. Maybe blast some Barry Manilow, or Arnold Schoenberg.

Awesome! We had a neighbor once who blasted Celine Dion's "I drove all night" AAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL night from her basement apartment up into the alley.

How about that electronic version of Abba?

How loud is too loud? What sounds normal to me sounds loud to my neighbor. So I can't enjoy music. I blame the crappy apt. I've heard them get busy too. No privacy here.

I am most definitely not a lawyer (And didn't read the below link too carefully), but it looks like you need to call the department of environmental protection (Or at least it did 10 years ago when the below doc is dated--maybe it changed). There is a specific form for citizens to submit complaints, and to they need to respond within 30 days (Especially 24-261 Citizen's complaint). It was probably designed more for construction noise, but the definitions near the top describing what it covers seems pretty broad...Maybe you can even get a civil judgment against the guy...

http://www.nonoise.org/lawlib/cities/newyork.htm#sub8

apophis36 wrote: I am most definitely not a lawyer (And didn't read the below link too carefully), but it looks like you need to call the department of environmental protection (Or at least it did 10 years ago when the below doc is dated--maybe it changed). There is a specific form for citizens to submit complaints, and to they need to respond within 30 days (Especially 24-261 Citizen's complaint). It was probably designed more for construction noise, but the definitions near the top describing what it covers seems pretty broad...Maybe you can even get a civil judgment against the guy...

http://www.nonoise.org/lawlib/cities/newyork.htm#sub8

my brother works for DEP; you will never get someone to come out at 3am to measure the sound level.

call the local precinct but better to find out who the owner of the building is and call the owner complaining about the tenants. Also file a complaint with HPD abotu the noise violations

camaysar wrote: [quote=Garfunky]
was it schoenberg who "composed"/recorded like 10 minutes of silence?

That was John Cage: 4'33" (may be "played" by any instrument or combination of instruments) YouTube has a funny performance with full orchestra!

AHH thanks -
i had kinda thought you were making a subtle joke (blasting "silence")
speaking of which
having hugh aitken emphatically insist we do a formal chord reduction
of that piece was pretty funny.

Subject: your local precinct

call 311 to find out your local NYPD precinct phone number. You can call anonymously. and tell them the situation. The law is no noise after 12am. They will make a visit. Just the simple presence of law enforcement will make a difference. I have done this twice it's worth it.

Garfunky wrote:
having hugh aitken emphatically insist we do a formal chord reduction
of that piece was pretty funny.

Funny indeed. The young Hugh Aitken taught theory at Juilliard. I had the nervous, chain-smoking (in class!) Frances Goldstein, who was not funny at all, and very strict and demanding. But I liked her.

Subject: Re: your local precinct

skinna wrote: call 311 to find out your local NYPD precinct phone number. You can call anonymously. and tell them the situation. The law is no noise after 12am. They will make a visit. Just the simple presence of law enforcement will make a difference. I have done this twice it's worth it.

I agree, but I was on the other side of the "law"

I used to work at a place that made a lot of noise (day and night). We did not think we were bothering anybody (we thought our insulation was effective) till one guy called the precinct so often they almost shut us down before we even knew we were bothering anyone.

camaysar wrote: [quote=Garfunky]
having hugh aitken emphatically insist we do a formal chord reduction
of that piece was pretty funny.

Funny indeed. The young Hugh Aitken taught theory at Juilliard. I had the nervous, chain-smoking (in class!) Frances Goldstein, who was not funny at all, and very strict and demanding. But I liked her.

8)

"you didnt listen!!! despite the fact that its only a 2 bar phrase,
that vi chord is a key change to the relative minor
how can you NOT hear that ??? !!"
:shock:
ahhh good times

Garfunky wrote:
for the op - talk to some people in the building next door.
surely the person living beneath him must be annoyed as well.

gl

Form a coalition of people who can't stand the noise.