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recording noisy neighbors?

DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,632 Posts
edited February 2008 in Strut Central
So I have some asshole Frickin' drunk neighbors that live above me. They wake me up almost every other day late at night. Screaming, stomping around like elephants and on Monday they were riding a Frickin' SKATEBOARD in the hallway above my room. It's been an issue for about a year but the last few weeks have been unbearable.I tried speaking with them about it but they claim that was an isolated incident when, in fact, they Frickin' wake me all the time. Usually at about 2:30am when they stumble home from the bars.I want to record their noise from my room but need to know what equipment or mic I need which can record these noises and replay them in an accurate volume. Basically, I want to be able to replay exactly what I'm hearing. I'm gathering evidence now because I think it's going to come to a point where I'll have to take them to court.Any recommendations? Anyone dealt with similar neighbors and have any advice? It's SF so complaining to the landlord (which I'm doing) probably won't go anywhere as renter rights are solid here. This, I guess, is the dark side to those renter rights.
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  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    dont bother, you will lose. tell them to buy rugs. "quiet enjoyment" language in your lease is meaningless in the context of noisy neigbors. Im not an attorney, but I think the most you can hope for is that they buy some rugs and grow up.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    I was under the impression that three or more noise complaints filed with the police is just cause for eviction. Maybe you should start snitching.

    I had a similar problem at my last apartment, and after several efforts to talk to them about it, I started taking their clothes from the communal laundry room a little bit at a time and donating them to Goodwill. I probably took two full trash bags by the time all was said and done. I know it sounds petty, but it's better than resorting to violence.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    I feel for you. We lived below a bunch of assholes (that happened to be skaters) in our last place and on top of the noise, they also began smoking in the house which seeped through the vents - it was disgusting. Not to sound discouraging, but we ended up moving. All the calm conversations we had with them and the landlord did nothing - but it's worth mentioning that the landlord was one of their uncles and he lives in Panama, so I think that had a lot to do with how little he did for us.
    I felt terrible for the older lady next door who had to listen to them and she owned the house, not like she could get up and leave. Her sons tried to talk to them and get them to cool out, but nothing.

    In this place, the new people below us had a few late and noisy week-night parties that we just rode out to see how frequent they would be and after the fifth one, Man had to go down three times til they quieted down - they were so trashed I guess reaction time was slow. They left an apologetic note on our door the next day which we repsonded to saying no hurts feelings, here's our number, let us know if we ever get too loud - and it's been fine since.

    I think it really depends on how you approach them and even more so, them and how cool they are or choose to be.

    Keeping a record of dates, times and exchanges around asking them to quiet down is a good idea and speak to your neighbours to see if they feel the same.

    oh yea, I went back a few months later for mail and they had a f*cking mini ramp on the front lawn.
  • bass_feverbass_fever 974 Posts
    PZM or Boundary microphones would be best, if not make sure you get an omin-directional condensor mic.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    One night I was hanging out with a few friends and my lady, when we heard a resounding thud from what sounded like our kitchen. We went to check it out, but there was nothing happening there. So I opened the back door to find one of the ladies from upstairs unconscious on the floor of the landing with her head leaning against our door. She was so drunk, she had passed out on her feet and fell down a full flight of stairs face first.

    After ascertaining that she was still alive and apparently not seriously injured, we hefted her 160 pound ass back up the stairs, and got her into her bed. Her roommate said she was routinely that drunk. We found an apology note taped to our door the next day.

  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    I used to have a bitter-ex-party boy- super-ghey (but not in the artistic sensitive mold, rather the dirty overly agressive predetor type mold sorry if that comes across as homophobic, cause i know there are all types of people regardless of culture, race, and preference). He was a "party" promoter and, we found out later, cooking crack in the kitchen and dealing out of the apartment. He was awake at all hours of the day and insisted on talking in his loud exageratedly ghey voice (like Rip Torn or that guy from the Captain and Mrs. Muir) on speaker phone constantly and was rude to everyone in the building. He wouldnt even hold the door open for the old widows that lived there. When the Feds finally came and took him away, it was like a cloud had been lifted. Now I have a nice quiet aspiring actor and his Indian girlfriend living next door to me, a single mom and her now giant son living downstairs from me (some of the domestic fights are hysterical - I hate you, I hate you, I hate you type of stuff). In fact everyone in my building keeps fairly normal hours and respects their neigbors. We have plants on the windowsills of the stairwell, keep our shoes and litte recycle bins outside in the hallway, periodically get together to clean off the roof and of course get together to complain about the landlord. I love my neigbors.

    But it took me about 15 years to find them.
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    I don't know the rules in the US, but in my first house at college we got a letter from our local Council, saying that we had to keep the noise down or we could face eviction. They have officers who's job it is to deal with just noise complaints, you must have something similar?
  • djkingottodjkingotto 1,704 Posts
    that shit is very frustrating! we used to live ABOVE some assholes and they were noisy as hell! i would get woken up at like 4, 5, 6 in the morning because they talked so damn loud. who knows what drugs they were doing. anyway, i used to pound on the floor to no avail and one day at like 5:30am, i pounded and they pounded back even harder. i was pissed. turns out it was a dude who was staying with the gal that lived there, he wasn't on the lease and was on all kinds of shit. a few days after the pounding we saw him outside kicking the door of a cab in. he had a big knive that he left on the ground when the cops came and took him away. things were much quieter after that night.

    maybe you could record it on video? that way the time of the awakening will also be part of the proof.... good luck man.
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,391 Posts
    Mic sensitivity will obviously affect how loud it sounds on the tape but isn't an indicator of actual volume. In the UK you need to monitor/log noise levels in decibels with a sound meter and also keep track of incidents to have a legal footing. If they are tenants, try complaining to their landlord or the building management about what a pain they are.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Sayin'???if asking nicely and complaining to your landlord and the cops doesn't work (in that order, with multiple efforts), step your vengeance game up. You'll sleep better know you've fucked them over somehow. And buy some of these:

  • DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,632 Posts
    Sayin'???if asking nicely and complaining to your landlord and the cops doesn't work (in that order, with multiple efforts), step your vengeance game up. You'll sleep better know you've fucked them over somehow. And buy some of these:


    I've used those. They don't work. When I'm asleep they always fall out and they really don't block out sound anyways.
  • DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,632 Posts

    maybe you could record it on video? that way the time of the awakening will also be part of the proof.... good luck man.

    Hmmm, good idea.
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    vengence is a difficult game to play when you are in the lower apartment. in the upper apartment all you need to do is put on boots, or bounce a basketball. as i told my asshole downstairs neigbors many times during our frequent run-ins. "when one guy is on the top, and one guy is on the bottom, who is usually the one getting fucked?"
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    just get a hand held microcassette recorder. The kind you tape lectures with. They pick up distant noises well. It's not like you have to get CSI on them and be all scientific. You're not taking them to court. Just tape the sounds and play it for them like "see, you sound like a bunch of assholes. Get it?"

    I doubt they will say "The microphone on that is innacurate. The decibel reading is not true." If they are not 100% idiots they will be like "oh shit, it sounds like that? Sorry, we'll try to keep it down."

    Maybe they are complete dickheads though.

    This is part of living in apartments. I made a post a year or two ago about being woken up by your neighbors having loud sex. You have to move to a single unit place to avoid all of this. Either your neighbors are too loud or they are so quiet that you feel like you need to be quiet.

    Donating their clothes to goodwill had me laughing. That's funny.


    Oh yeah, the other thing to do, which is a real eye opener is to ask them if you can go up there while they go in your apartment (with someone else watching them of course) and walk around and stomp and do whatever they do so that they get an idea.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    here's what you do, you find out their phone number. then place an ad on craigslist or in the local paper that goes something like

    "brand new 52" LCD flat screen tv $150, please call after 3 am only"
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    just get a hand held microcassette recorder. The kind you tape lectures with. They pick up distant noises well. It's not like you have to get CSI on them and be all scientific. You're not taking them to court. Just tape the sounds and play it for them like "see, you sound like a bunch of assholes. Get it?"

    I doubt they will say "The microphone on that is innacurate. The decibel reading is not true." If they are not 100% idiots they will be like "oh shit, it sounds like that? Sorry, we'll try to keep it down."

    Then they will close the door, imitate you in a highpitched whiney voice and laugh at you behind your back over a few beers
  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    best way to make them stop: scare them. i freak out regularly. some students in my house used to have crazy parties at their place. i decided to go upstairs and freak out. i went to their switching box, turned off the power and yelled at them. i threatened to beat them up too.

    they are now scared of me and don't say hi anymore, but hey... it worked out fine. and if your neighbors are not big folks looking for trouble, then it's the most peaceful solution. they did not take anyone else serious. the other neighbors called the police and it didn't stop them...
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    best way to make them stop: scare them. i freak out regularly. some students in my house used to have crazy parties at their place. i decided to go upstairs and freak out. i went to their switching box, turned off the power and yelled at them. i threatened to beat them up too.

    they are now scared of me and don't say hi anymore, but hey... it worked out fine. and if your neighbors are not big folks looking for trouble, then it's the most peaceful solution. they did not take anyone else serious. the other neighbors called the police and it didn't stop them...

    very similar to my views on foreign policy.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    what is this shit?

    Go down there and tell them what for (not some meek-ass "I'm really sorry, but you see, we're um, we're just trying to, you know, sleep..."), tell them you will call the police next time. Then speak to the landlord, and call the police.

    Enough bitching to the cops and the landlord you will solve your problem. I don't know why you'd ever go out and spend money on recording equipment for assholes.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    a paintball gun might come in handy too.

    for like when they leave the house and shit like that. stealth sniper style.

    you can even get ones filled with dust. they use em in the movies for old west gun fight scenes, I think they have ones that make sparks too. that could be hilarious. I'm all for revenge.
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts

    Then they will close the door, imitate you in a highpitched whiney voice and laugh at you behind your back over a few beers

    too true. There's really no win in this situation.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yes there is - sac the fuck up and handle your shit like a man.

    Or, if you are a puny wimp, call in some muscle!
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    ha ha. I guess my fear in those situtations was of starting some sort of battle that made things worse. I've never had it that bad, but I'll admit I am non-confrontational and not a head crusher.

    Paycheck don't take no mess.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    oh I just thought of another good one...

    record a cd of some annoying ass noises, like babies crying and shit like that, and put your speakers on something high up and point them straight at the ceiling. turn that shit up, put it on loop and put in some ear plugs and go to sleep.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    put some of this on their windowsills

    http://www.liquidass.com/
  • djkingottodjkingotto 1,704 Posts
    my buddy used to take the toilet plunger to the cieling to annoy his loud upstairs neighbors. not affective but it was Frickin' hilarious!
  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    I DEALT WITH SOME RIGHT CUNTS IN MY TIME.

    WHILST I DO AGREE WITH pAYCHECK, PICK YOUR BATTLES.

    Oh shit Capslock...

    Anyway... if all else fails, take a piss, pour your piss onto a dinner plate, put it in the freezer.

    Next day take out the frozen piss frisbee and slide it under their door.

    (tuna oil works too).
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    I DEALT WITH SOME RIGHT CUNTS IN MY TIME.

    WHILST I DO AGREE WITH pAYCHECK, PICK YOUR BATTLES.

    Oh shit Capslock...

    Anyway... if all else fails, take a piss, pour your piss onto a dinner plate, put it in the freezer.

    Next day take out the frozen piss frisbee and slide it under their door.

    (tuna oil works too).

    oh my god I LOVE that one, that's new to me. keeping that in the revenge book fo SHO

    another good one, if you can get something into an open window. Get some foam shaving cream, freeze the cans overnight, and then cut em in half with a hacksaw, toss said halves into an open window and let em thaw, fun stuff.

    that one works better in a car, if you use a few the whole car fills up. it's great.
  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    Get some foam shaving cream, freeze the cans overnight, and then cut em in half with a hacksaw, toss said halves into an open window and let em thaw, fun stuff.

    that one works better in a car, if you use a few the whole car fills up. it's great.

    YEAHHHHHH!
  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    Not so helpful for noisy neighbors but the autocorrect prank is worth sharing:

    get on a workmates PC, open word, go to autocorrect and start having fun.


    I have watched dudes absolutely melt down as a result of changing the word 'thank' to 'fuck'

    As in 'thank You'

    the only limit is your imagination.

    i do recommend these replacement words:

    cockboy
    philistine
    throatfuck
    jizzbomb
    sycophant
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