Neighbours children driving me mad!

[drummerdimitri]

Lots of great advice coming from you guys thanks a lot!

I will talk to them next time I see them face to face since calling them or ringing their door is a bit too forward.

All the apartments are sold so they will probably be my neighbors for as long as they don't decide to sell their house...

They are a high profile young couple (political party leaders) and for that reason they might have an air of superiority and I doubt they will take it seriously but if they don't take it well the first time I will be more firm the next time and suggest soundproofing solutions even if I have to pay for them.

Lets see what happens...
 

[CharlieEcho]

Probably what's going on is that these parents are tired too, and they're the ones sleeping in because it's less noisy to be in their apartment than yours.

The kids wake up, get bored and entertain themselves. I'd approach it that way -- "look, I want to sleep in too. Please get your kids to play quietly until you wake up."

Other suggestions like a carpet over a mat in their playroom (if it has hard floors) are good. Even kids whose parents are trying to teach them courtesy are going to forget not to thump around once or twice on your average Saturday morning.

[Delta]

Definitely speak to them, be overly polite and understanding, but also firm about the distress they are causing you.

If that fails, go with plan B as already suggested. I would recommend "Can't stand still" on repeat, due to its pulsing bass-line. Rock on!

[Ampera]

There are too many songs that could be played at full tilt for comedic (at least to you) effect.

My personal choice would be Elvis Costello's 'Accidents will happen'. Not a necessarily basey track, but turn the base up, and hilarity ensues.

Another idea, is since they are kids, you could be a real ass and try to freak the shit out of them by playing some sort of freaky sounds, like ghost tracks or boo's or something.

On a more serious note, there are laws and limits about how much sound a neighbor can make. While getting shit done may involve being an ass, I'd start on a track from asking, to getting angry towards them, to filing a police/building owner report, to then taking it to more drastic, comedic measures.

[Howardlong]

Definitely talk with them, in the cold light of day and in a polite manner, because very likely they aren't even aware.

Be careful not to go in all guns blazing, that can be counter productive.

Hopefully they will be understanding and will do something about it, either with carpeting or banning the kids from a particular room until a reasonable time. Invite them in to hear it.

I make a particular effort to get on with my neighbours, by introducing myself when I move in to start with, making it clear that if there's any problem they need to talk to me about, please let me know. There is little worse than having a neighbour dispute, and like it or not you're far better off in the longer term compromising and making an effort than you are making your life miserable with constant anxiety.

Sometimes you can't win, a couple of years ago one of the old pipes behind some stud walling broke and caused damage to the neighbour below. As well as turning off my own water, I did my best to get an emergency plumber around ASAP but she had already gone into hysterics, as if I was responsible for WW3. Thankfully her hubby turned up shortly afterwards and realised there was nothing more I could do. In the end, it was a couple of hundred quid for my repairs and a couple of hundred quid for her redecorations. I made a couple of visits directly afterwards to show my concern too. A month later and it was as if nothing had happened, I am sure that my concern helped in that circumstance.

Occasionally you'll get ignorant arsehole parents such as I have opposite, whose under age teenage kids have parties every few months, which spill over into the street into the early hours, drinking and smoking, and vomiting in the neighbours' front porches. Despite attempting to appeal to her finer side, their mother says that once they're out on the street it's not her problem anymore. Nice. You can imagine what the neighbours think to that.

[SeanB]

The kids across the street in the UK sounds like a good reason to have a bit of a chat with the council, and an ASBO  for them, forcing the parents to accept that they are responsible for what the kids get up to, and not to think that what they do outdoors does not reflect on them directly.

[Cyberdragon]

Wait a minute...we're going about it wrong. In the event that politely asking them fails. You must declare war with sound. Bass and loud music isn't what you want, that'll just sound like more annoying neighbor crap. No...you must teach them a lesson. How old are the parents? You see where this is going...?

High frequency!

It might be possible to hit a frequency that only the kids can hear (if not, oh well, blast the parents too). Attach the speaker to the ceiling as suggested and pulse it in short bursts every time the kids are loud. (Just be careful not to actually damage their hearing)

Voltamort out!

[HackedFridgeMagnet]

Children Playing.

Must be the best sound in the world.

Enjoy.
 

[Ampera]

Children Playing.

Must be the best sound in the world.

Enjoy.
 

As a person who hates kids

no

it's not

and idc if that makes me a horrible person, if it does then I am a horrible person and will live with what I am anyways.

[HackedFridgeMagnet]

Your not a horrible person, but from my point of view your missing out.

People like what they like, those things are hard to change.

[Electro Detective]

Short of moving out    or cutting a good package deal for the entire family with some slave traders    

you may as well play some music you like listening to at that hour, while they are banging away

You may nod off to it and not get disturbed by their random intermittent racket as much

They may get interested or extra bored listening to it, and meld with their iDiot pads


Are they tile or wood floor banging sounds, or carpet thud? 

[Brumby]

I think that all the suggestions so far are missing out on an epic opportunity that fits this forum....

Noise cancelling ceilings!

[james_s]

Try talking to them first, they may not realize how loud it is downstairs. If that doesn't work talk to the management, virtually all apartment complexes have noise rules and designated quiet hours.

[Brumby]

Try talking to them first, they may not realize how loud it is downstairs.

That is quite possible.

If that doesn't work talk to the management,

That's going to depend on exactly where you are in the world.  Small unit blocks in Australia don't have on-site management to complain to ... and most occupants wouldn't know whom to contact.

virtually all apartment complexes have noise rules and designated quiet hours.

Not in NSW that I know of.  We have noise laws that apply to the community as a whole.  But those laws would apply in this situation.

[mtdoc]

Talk to them.

But know this: no parent chooses to have their kids awake at 6:20AM...

This is exactly right. If the kids are very young (say under 7 or so), the parents really have no reasonable way to prevent them from getting up early and playing. Anyone who says otherwise either has never had kids or is one of the few blessed parents whose young kids slept late and/or were always quiet little angels. That is not something you can force on kids short of inhumane and likely illegal methods.

Many good suggestions about asking them to mitigate the noise with padding/carpet,etc. Retribution and antagonist action are the actions of the immature or antisocial. It might be different if it was adults making the noise who refused to change after being asked nicely.

If you are someone who is very sensitive to noise, then my guess is that nothing they can do will satisfy you. But it’s worth approaching them in a friendly way to problem solve and see if there’s a way to work with them to find a solution.

[Brumby]

That's going to depend on exactly where you are in the world.  Small unit blocks in Australia don't have on-site management to complain to ... and most occupants wouldn't know whom to contact.

Who do you write checks or wire transfer your HOA fee to.

Renters would never see that - and there would be many owner-occupiers that simply pay it as a bill and not realise the full function of the strata manager.  Besides, for noise issues, the strata manager would probably tell them to contact the police.

[james_s]

Well if it's an ongoing problem and the residents refuse to make efforts to reduce the noise, then I suppose you could try contacting the police. I find it hard to believe that any developed nation would not have *some* sort of process to deal with unruly residents who cannot take reasonable steps to not be a burden to their neighbors.

[Electro Detective]

Well, you could speak with the parents to bribe the kids with a weekly reward paid by you, but only if they don't stuff up.
But that's a no go if the noisy ankle biting nappy loaders are too young 


People should wake up and realize it's a no win scenario when you shack up in shoe box housing occupied with shift workers mixed in next to stifled bored young kids
who should be in real HOMES with back yards to go ballistic,
not imprisoned in easy profit developers dog box housing that dumbass parents got themselves herded into

Trailer park is a better option if money is tight,
any drama call the live in supervisor/site owner to sort it out,
he/she will tell the kids and their freakin dog to turn it down or relocate their activities elsewhere

and prestige can go to hell, along with snob family members and so called friends backstabbing tards  that may not comprehend your -affordable housing- choices
and desire to reduce debt, and put good food and Shiraz/Chardonnay casks on the table


Asking P0lice here in Australia is a no go, they are too busy revenue raising on Jill and Joe Citizen for exceeding speed limits by 3 or 4 kilometres in big wide quiet SAFE streets littered with changing speed signs

Anyone on top of that situation gives their money instead to the local panel shop for tail gating accidents, due to observing the ever changing speed signs and mobile phone and not paying attention to the actual road

[james_s]

At least out here, urban apartments are the last place you'd want to go if money is tight. I've never understood why but dense downtown apartments typically have about the highest cost per square foot around.

[Brumby]

Asking P0lice here in Australia is a no go, they are too busy revenue raising on Jill and Joe Citizen for exceeding speed limits by 3 or 4 kilometres in big wide quiet SAFE streets littered with changing speed signs

Unfair and inappropriate.

Certainly, noise complaints would be lower on their priority list.  Things like armed robbery, motor vehicle accidents and having to inform a relative that such-and-such a person is dead because they sped and lost control would, I imagine, be higher up the list.

I'm not a cop - but I have taken a moment to reflect on some of the crap they have to deal with.  Remember, they don't carry all that stuff on their utility belt just to look cool.

[Beamin]

Claymores around corners and bouncing betty's in the couch cushions.

[Electro Detective]

Asking P0lice here in Australia is a no go, they are too busy revenue raising on Jill and Joe Citizen for exceeding speed limits by 3 or 4 kilometres in big wide quiet SAFE streets littered with changing speed signs

Unfair and inappropriate.

Certainly, noise complaints would be lower on their priority list.  Things like armed robbery, motor vehicle accidents and having to inform a relative that such-and-such a person is dead because they sped and lost control would, I imagine, be higher up the list.

I'm not a cop - but I have taken a moment to reflect on some of the crap they have to deal with.  Remember, they don't carry all that stuff on their utility belt just to look cool.

Fair enough statement, but here in Australia only the p0lice and the crims have the guns, and a few licensed hobby hunters MUST have them locked away in gun safes
anything weird and twisted with that picture?
I'll bet our counterparts in the US don't have to stress too much about armed crims coming to their door 

My point is don't hold your breath waiting for the 'busy' p0lice coming to ask the neighbors to tone down their kids play noise in a hurry.
Won't happen, it loses money to whoever really pockets the fines,
and no one really gas about minor non violent domestic BS. 

 

 

[Brumby]

.. but here in Australia only the p0lice and the crims have the guns, and a few licensed hobby hunters have them stashed in gun safes
anything weird and twisted with that picture?

Only that criminals will get weapons anyway.  I'm happy to limit the access to firearms.  I'll bet even criminals have a better control on access to their illegal firearms than some law-abiding citizens do with their legal ones.  But that's the last I will say on that subject.

Won't happen, it loses money to whoever really pockets the fines

You can't get off that hobby horse, can you?

[Electro Detective]

ok, so WHERE does all that revenue raising dough go to?

redirected to the local council, community groups, victims of crime rehab, 

or p0lice beer n maccas disco fund? 

[Cerebus]

I think that :

...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED IN UPPERCASE.

may have to become my new motto.