Re: Neighbor complaining about toddler noise - Landlord Forum thread 361164

Re: Neighbor complaining about toddler noise by Anne on March 12, 2021 @14:12

Hi Garry,

1. 30 units in the building

2. My tenants are there for 3 years. The neighbor below them, longer than that but I do not know how long. She lives alone.

3. I do not know of any other complaints but I do not live there. None have come to my attention.

4. According to the neighbor it's often, if the entire family is home like on weekends. Every other week the dad works from home so it's during these weeks also.

5. We have a year's lease. They just signed for another year.

6. My lease with them says they are entitled to quiet enjoyment of the premises. It says they will not use the premises in such a way as to annoy, disturb, inconvenience, or interfere with the quiet enjoyment and peace and quiet of any other tenant or nearby resident.

7. The bedrooms are carpeted. The living/dining room is laminate. They have an area rug in the living room.

8. I do not know that anything of what was said is true as I'm not there. My tenants are a very nice, responsible couple and do not want to disturb their neighbor. They told me they do their best to keep their son quiet and I believe them. During the weeks the dad is not there, I think the child is with his grandmother at her house.

The neighbor below is known to be a complainer. Which is not to say she shouldn't have her peace and quiet but she's complaining about a two-year-old acting his age, in my opinion.

Thanks for your response. I look forward to your insights!

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Re: Neighbor complaining about toddler noise by Anne on March 12, 2021 @14:38	[ Reply ]

Btw, I realize this might be confusing about the dad: this is a couple with one little boy. The mom works outside the home. The dad alternates working at home/ at his office. The weeks he is home, his son is home with him. When both of them are away from home the boy is at his grandma's house. I do not know the neighbor's schedule.

Re: Neighbor complaining about toddler noise by Garry on March 12, 2021 @20:04	[ Reply ]

From reading your story, it looks like the child was born about a year after your tenants move in. And then for the 2nd year, the child was just starting to walk at age 1. Your Ts and their new born caused no noise the first 2 years of their tenancy, so no complaints from the lower T. But now, the child is not only running around, but is caught up in the "terrible twos", meaning probably very noisy, and crying if he doesn't get something he wants. The lower T, living alone, has probably been used to quiet surroundings for several years. Now, that's no longer the case. Unfortunately, there is not really a solution right now. Since you own the building, you may have to try to bring all the tenants together, and try to broker a deal both Ts can live with. One possible solution in the future, would be that when ever you have a vacancy in another part of the building, offer one or both tenants the opportunity to move to that unit. Beyond that, the Ts just need to work things out between themselves.

Re: Neighbor complaining about toddler noise by Anne on March 13, 2021 @09:33	[ Reply ]

Hi Garry, really appreciate your reply. To clarify though, I do not own the building. I only own that one unit. My T's are a lovely couple, hard-working, polite and respectful and always pay their rent on time. During the lockdowns their income dropped for a while; we reduced their rent but when they were able to they paid back all the back rent. You are right about the timeline. The kid is getting bigger and more active every day and yes he is two and acting like it! I know little kids can be annoying but when you live in an apartment building that's what happens. The lower T left this snarky, complaining note on my T's door. She said all their floors are bare which isn't true. She said she has recordings of the noise the kid makes. I don't want my tenants harassed like this and I don't want any legal jeopardy.

Re: Neighbor complaining about toddler noise by Garry on March 13, 2021 @10:49	[ Reply ]

Forgive me if I read your story a little bit wrong. I just assumed you owned the whole building---my bad. I'm guessing that you are a newer landlord, as you probably got a good deal on the condo when you bought it, and these were your first tenants. You seem to have picked good tenants, which is sometimes hard to do as a first time LL. If you want to keep your tenants, and also preserve harmony between upper and lower tenants, you may need to make a difficult decision, and put in new carpeting, with a pad, on all your floors, except the bathroom and kitchen. Anytime someone owns a unit with a lower unit underneath, if the ceilings/floors are not insulated enough, noise can travel between floors, causing problems between tenants. If the noise problem escalates, the police may be called, and you don't want that. I realize you have some good tenants, and you have said a couple of times, you don't want them harassed. But consider the opposite---- the noise the lower T hears, may be considered harassment by your T towards her, even if it is by accident or just normal living. Good luck in figuring out a solution to your problem.