What to do with noisy neighbors, and what to do if they are you - ForumDaily
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What to do with noisy neighbors, and what to do if they are you

New York is called a city that never sleeps. But there are situations in which he does not sleep not by his own will, but because of noisy neighbors. And here is an interesting two-edged sword from the point of view of the former Soviet intellectual: knocking, like, ugly. From the point of view of the American legislation, it is ugly to allow you to disturb your peace and cover possible offenses.

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As soon as we were abroad, it immediately became clear that sound insulation in large residential buildings was a global problem, which spread far beyond the limits of “Khrushchev”. And the sound coming from a neighbor's apartment is a place where mentalities clash.

Someone will just listen carefully and show no signs of life. Someone will make an attempt to contact the troublemaker and "figure it out." Someone will call the "police", on the old memory. And someone mostly appears as a source of sound, that is, it’s noisy and he’s tired already to admonish, apologize, ask in advance to be philosophical about the fact that he has a party, etc.

ForumDaily tells what to do if they complain about the noise in your apartment, and what to do if neighbors are noisy and you want to complain about them.

Noise has its own law

In New York to pass a law on noise, in which stipulated almost all possible sources of loud sound. 113 of 2005 Noise Code Local Law 1 entered into force on July 2007 of the year, and was accepted by the Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

According to the law, you must complain about noisy neighbors to the 311 service. She will not take any operational measures, the dispatcher will only record the complaint. The fact that such a complaint was, you must report to the landlord, who signed the lease agreement with you (lease). If he is not ready to assist in solving your problem, have your phone number at hand NYC Department of Environmental Protection: (718) 337-4537. You can complain in writing, coming to the agency at: 59-17 Junction Boulevard, 10th Floor, Flushing, NY 11373.

If animals create noise and you suspect that the animal is beaten or starved, contact with the organization to combat the cruelty to pets - The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Animals (ASPCA).

If the noise that is bothering you is due to renovations, then the first thing you should do is find out whether your neighbors have received permission from the owner of the house to carry out the renovations. To do this you can go to broker Department of Buildings and there get information.

Personal experience

Even at home, I had a very elderly and incredibly tremulous neighbor about any sounds from below. She appealed to the judiciary when she heard how I turned on the radio at midday on 2. She had been retired for a long time, she had no friends. For many years, it became a problem for me - not because it was necessary to observe silence, but because the scope of the law on the violation of the tranquility of the neighbors was narrowed to complete lawlessness. I tried to find a healthy line between observance of the law and the rules of elementary politeness - and its excessive sensitivity threshold. However, it turned out that I could not make any sounds at all.

One day she broke into my apartment. And if both of us lived in Missouri, I would have the right to shoot a neighbor (according to the law of the State of Missouri, when an owner illegally enters a private territory, its owner has the right to use weapons).

It is believed that if there is a Russian and an American in the neighbors, then an American will say in a noisy Russian. He is more confident in the future and that he knows the laws. Confident that these laws, in which case, will be on his side.

New York resident Oksana was called by her neighbors for making loud noises after midnight. The boyfriend got off easy - with a $50 fine and a court order to stay away from his girlfriend’s apartment for a month. Neighbors called the police. Oksana is still angry with them. Her comment: “If you think you hear some strange sounds, mind your own business. Never".

What are the noise in New York

In New York, according to Statistics, in 2017 there were 135 murders (for the same period in 2016 - 170) and 719 rapes. We do not have a tool that determines from statistical data exactly what percentage of them took place in residential apartments, but some of them were definitely not committed on the street.

For some reason, there are no statistics on the abuse of children - a crime committed mainly in residential apartments - but there is an average annual statistics if you believe that, 700 000 children are annually bullied in America.

These crimes were brought to the final only because one of the neighbors heard strange sounds and was silent. I did not want to go into my own business. Observed someone else's privacy.

Human factor

New Yorker George M. shares his impressions of the new apartment and new neighbors: “We have recently moved in, celebrating, making noise. We are three people in the family. Three adult residents plus guests. Yes, we love to drink, it's no fools. And loud songs poorat. We have an old grandmother downstairs and a family, a 5 man, on the side.

Grandmother, having heard our housewarming, put a letter under the door: “Dear neighbors! Congratulations on your housewarming. However, I humbly ask you to stop making noise after the 11 RM; I'm 93, it's very hard for me to fall asleep. Will you be so kind. With deepest respect, Anna Semenovna, apartment number is such and such. If you need help, please contact us with any questions before 10 RM. ” After reading this, we immediately stopped making noise. Before that, one of the members of a large family came to us from the side. He rang the doorbell, talked quite rudely, shouted, tried to get past the threshold. Then he spat and left, empty-handed. In general, we listened to the grandmother. When it’s polite to us, it’s polite to us. ”

What to do according to the law and conscience

If you hear something suspicious in your apartment, coming from your neighbors' apartment, then you have several options for behavior, and one of them is to go to the super (building superintendentso this person is called officially). He can live several floors below and not hear. However, it is the person who is formally responsible for everything that happens in the house, and who should take action if something is done “wrong”.

So, turning to the super is a completely legitimate thing.

Super can advise you to call or not to call the police, can advise nothing, can go to figure it out himself - the variability is wide. However, calling the super has three major drawbacks:

  1. The source of the noise will find out who you are and what your name is, and may wish to find out whose fault he was fined (or he was jailed).
  2. For example, a relative of the super may make noise. And then the situation will suddenly become ambiguous.
  3. Super has no hacking right. If he tries to enter the premises, he is guilty and convicted of it, in which case, he will be. And maybe you.

The second option is to call a landlord.

This will give the fact of the call: you informed the owner about what is happening near his apartment, and he will remember it. From the point of view of the law - a completely neutral action with extremely low efficiency. But if something happens, your landlord can remember in court that there were “bells”.

The third option is to call the police. To do this, you need to know English well and speak it in such a way that you can still be understood over the phone. For some, the process of calling the police is stressful precisely because of insufficient knowledge of the language.

What advises a lawyer

Matthew Myers, Esq. And Criminal Attorney, believes that I am complicating the issue too much, and recommends that you call 911 right away without exchanging for super and dialogue with neighbors:

“You need to know for sure: if you call 911, your data and phone number are not saved. You can remain anonymous.

If suddenly, when the police arrive, it turns out that an offense is taking place in the apartment, and subsequently a trial of violence begins, the lawyers will not mention who called.”

Matthew Myers, Esq. And Criminal Attorney, recommends calling 911 right away. Photos from the personal archive

As for privacy and fears of disturbing someone, Matthew Myers assures: “The time of 11 PM is a barrier after which you can’t make noise in principle, because people are sleeping. However, sounds similar to the sounds of violence are always violation of privacy, no matter what time you hear these sounds. Therefore, when you want to report to the police and are worried whether you are violating someone’s privacy, analyze whether someone is violating yours.”

If you find yourself in the role of a troublemaker and are panicking about what will happen to you now, Myers explains: “If you don’t break anything, don’t kill anyone, don’t rob anyone, don’t rape, and are just being noisy, it’s not Criminal record, I dare to assure you, but this is quite likely a warning or a fine.”

In New York, there are community organizations that mediate between conflicting neighbors and are trying to find a solution that suits both parties.

Manhattan Mediation Center (212) 577-1740

Washington Heights-Inwood Coalition (212) 781-6722

Brooklyn Mediation Center (718) 834-6671

Bronx Institute for Mediation & Conflict Resolution (718) 585-1190

Queens Mediation Network (718) 523-6868

Staten Island Community Resolution Center (718) 720-9410 x23.

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'New York's worst landlord' faces 20 charges

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How to rent an apartment in New York: instructions for newcomers

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