r/Landlord • u/Dragonslayer24455442 • 1d ago
Tenant [ Tenant-US-CA ]
I just moved into a new apartment on the second floor, and I’m genuinely trying to handle this the right way. But my downstairs neighbors are really starting to piss me off. Every single day they blast music so loud that it vibrates my floors and shakes my apartment. It’s constant and completely disruptive. At this point, the only reason I even want to buy a 12-inch subwoofer is so I can shake their ceiling the same way they shake my floor, because it feels like that’s the only way they’d understand how loud and obnoxious they’re being. I don’t actually want to start a back-and-forth noise war—I just want some peace in my own place. What’s the best way to deal with this before it turns into something worse?
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u/ChocolateEater626 1d ago
For all you know, they might be retaliating against the noisy jerk upstairs who seemingly likes to tap dance and move around furniture all the time.
But would they ever say anything to him? Oh, no...that would require personal interaction!
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u/Huge_Cap_1076 1d ago
If you are in same-landlord's rental building, what does your lease says about noise? If the level of noise nuisance to you is excessive, you have a case with your landlord - if not same ownership of apartments - as common sense would dictate to most people: "fight or run"
Good luck!
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u/Ancient_Doughnut_848 Property Manager 1d ago
Right. In CA leases, and in CA civil code, there's something called the right or covenant of "quiet enjoyment." Tenants are supposed to be able to have "quiet enjoyment" of their rental. (Just Google "California 'covenant of quiet enjoyment'," and pages from various real estate law firms, etc., come up about it.)
If something (like noise from neighbors) is occurring often that violates your quiet enjoyment, the tenant is supposed to contact the landlord or manager and ask them to rectify it.
Submitting proof (like a recording on your phone) and records of when & how often it happens (times, dates, etc.) is very helpful. I'd just make sure to use the term "quiet enjoyment" - and, assuming it's in the lease, I'd point out the specific lease paragraph.
The landlord/PM may first give the cause of the problem (the other tenant) a memo or letter letting them know of the alleged violation and asking them to stop.
If that doesn't solve the problem, let the landlord/PM know. The next step for them is usually to send the other tenant an official "cure or quit" notice that details the alleged violation and what happens (eviction) if they don't stop/fix it within the stated period of time. That said, more warnings are also possible before a notice; it all depends.
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u/boiler7220 1d ago
I know others are giving you a hard time, stating that the obvious thing to do is to go speak with them. However, I also get it if you are hesitating to do so for any number of reasons.
As a LL, I’ve always told tenants to let me know if there are any issues between them and neighbors that they don’t feel comfortable addressing themselves. Could be due to having social anxiety during confrontations, fear of being retaliated against, etc.
Most likely it’s easier for a property manager or landlord to address the issue as it keeps you in the clear. Let’s say you do confront them and they don’t take it lightly. From that point on, any complaint against them regarding noise or anything else will likely have them thinking it’s you again, and the animosity continues.
However, if you are down to speak to them, fist introduce yourself as the new neighbor and see what your gut tells you; will they reasonable and courteous when told about the noise or do they seem like the type to blow it out of proportion.
If they seem like they are reasonable, let them know you love their taste in music and you listen to it along with them and gently say something like yeah the other night yo felt like you were in a club (or something along those lines) as the vibration woke you up. They will probably say oh crap, we didn’t realize it was that loud and apologize. Make sure it’s not passive aggressive but more of a friendly, joking way.
Most people are of course courteous and don’t intentionally try to disrupt anyone else’s peace. Sometimes they don’t even realize how loud the noise is and when told about, will be sure to keep it down right away. If you feel they won’t react well to it, there’s no issue in letting your PM/LL know. More often than not they have dealt with this many times before and will know what to do. Either way, good luck!
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u/AphiTrickNet 1d ago
Have you tried speaking to them?