Alistriwen
New Member
Hi folks, hope this is the right area for this post.
I need some help solving an issue I've been facing for the past several weeks. I have been renting a unit in a condo for 4 years now. During that time, I've generally really enjoyed living here and had a pretty good experience overall. Recently, a new couple bought the unit above me and moved in at the end of April. Since that time they've done some extensive renovations to their unit which have substantially altered the circumstances of my unit. For one thing, they replaced their toilet improperly which resulted in flooding of my unit on two occasions and they've also made some sort of change to their flooring which has increased sound transmission so much that I can now hear footsteps very loudly in my unit where I'd never heard footsteps at all before. Obviously all other noises are now magnified as well and if they're home, I know it. Before I might have heard a really loud object drop with a thud but now it's more of a boom. This is on top of the fact that the renos were carried out at all hours of the day and were themselves extremely loud. I'm a light sleeper and starting in September, a law student, and I need my sleep and my peace and quiet to study and do my work and I can't tolerate this level of noise. I'm also paying way too much in rent to be living as though I'm in a basement apartment.
I've approached my on site property management and have received little help from them. They were not terribly receptive when I informed them of the flood in terms of fixing it promptly and I've had a huge hole in my roof for a week now from when the plumber did eventually come. There is also lots of warping to my roof from the water which the building is sending a contractor to look at an ultimately repair. The noise issue however, which I have approached them about now multiple times over the course of three weeks is not being attended to at all. I've lost sleep from the noise and have been exceptionally stressed out by the fact that I can't enjoy my unit quietly anymore and from all the work I've had to do to try and solve these problems. The property manager has basically ignored me. She hasn't responded to e-mails or phone calls and I've gone to the office directly to speak to her where she basically shrugged her shoulders and blew me off. I tried calling up security so they could hear the noise etc. but because it's footfalls etc. it's not necessarily still going by the time they arrive and I can't expect them to hang around indefinitely to hear it. I asked that the P.M. get permission to enter the unit upstairs in lieu of calling security and have someone walk around and interact with the floor up there while another person was in my unit so they could easily hear the noise and do something about it. Whether this would be replacing the soundproofing which has obviously been removed or putting carpets throughout the unit upstairs, I don't care so long as MY unit is returned to the state it has been in for the past several years. I've spoken to other residents and noise of this sort is NOT normal for our building. I've also incurred personal financial loss as a result of the flooding which so far no one will pick up the tab for.
I have also approached my landlord (Del Rentals) but no one from their office has returned my three calls or my e-mail. My property management company happens to also be Del property management so I'm leery as to whether they will advocate on my behalf if they ever do get back to me. I wrote them a very detailed e-mail and included the log of events which I have kept since things began.
At this point I'm trying to figure out what my options are and how I should go forward about this. Everything seems to be pointing towards seeking legal remedy but I'm not 100% sure which entities to approach or how to go about it. I'd also much prefer to resolve the issue out of court. Lastly, I really do like living here in general, and moving out of the building isn't a particularly attractive option for me now either. Has anyone got any experience with this and any suggestion as to how I should try to remedy it? I would really appreciate any advice anyone can offer as I'm at my wit's end dealing with this for almost a month now.
I need some help solving an issue I've been facing for the past several weeks. I have been renting a unit in a condo for 4 years now. During that time, I've generally really enjoyed living here and had a pretty good experience overall. Recently, a new couple bought the unit above me and moved in at the end of April. Since that time they've done some extensive renovations to their unit which have substantially altered the circumstances of my unit. For one thing, they replaced their toilet improperly which resulted in flooding of my unit on two occasions and they've also made some sort of change to their flooring which has increased sound transmission so much that I can now hear footsteps very loudly in my unit where I'd never heard footsteps at all before. Obviously all other noises are now magnified as well and if they're home, I know it. Before I might have heard a really loud object drop with a thud but now it's more of a boom. This is on top of the fact that the renos were carried out at all hours of the day and were themselves extremely loud. I'm a light sleeper and starting in September, a law student, and I need my sleep and my peace and quiet to study and do my work and I can't tolerate this level of noise. I'm also paying way too much in rent to be living as though I'm in a basement apartment.
I've approached my on site property management and have received little help from them. They were not terribly receptive when I informed them of the flood in terms of fixing it promptly and I've had a huge hole in my roof for a week now from when the plumber did eventually come. There is also lots of warping to my roof from the water which the building is sending a contractor to look at an ultimately repair. The noise issue however, which I have approached them about now multiple times over the course of three weeks is not being attended to at all. I've lost sleep from the noise and have been exceptionally stressed out by the fact that I can't enjoy my unit quietly anymore and from all the work I've had to do to try and solve these problems. The property manager has basically ignored me. She hasn't responded to e-mails or phone calls and I've gone to the office directly to speak to her where she basically shrugged her shoulders and blew me off. I tried calling up security so they could hear the noise etc. but because it's footfalls etc. it's not necessarily still going by the time they arrive and I can't expect them to hang around indefinitely to hear it. I asked that the P.M. get permission to enter the unit upstairs in lieu of calling security and have someone walk around and interact with the floor up there while another person was in my unit so they could easily hear the noise and do something about it. Whether this would be replacing the soundproofing which has obviously been removed or putting carpets throughout the unit upstairs, I don't care so long as MY unit is returned to the state it has been in for the past several years. I've spoken to other residents and noise of this sort is NOT normal for our building. I've also incurred personal financial loss as a result of the flooding which so far no one will pick up the tab for.
I have also approached my landlord (Del Rentals) but no one from their office has returned my three calls or my e-mail. My property management company happens to also be Del property management so I'm leery as to whether they will advocate on my behalf if they ever do get back to me. I wrote them a very detailed e-mail and included the log of events which I have kept since things began.
At this point I'm trying to figure out what my options are and how I should go forward about this. Everything seems to be pointing towards seeking legal remedy but I'm not 100% sure which entities to approach or how to go about it. I'd also much prefer to resolve the issue out of court. Lastly, I really do like living here in general, and moving out of the building isn't a particularly attractive option for me now either. Has anyone got any experience with this and any suggestion as to how I should try to remedy it? I would really appreciate any advice anyone can offer as I'm at my wit's end dealing with this for almost a month now.
Jokes aside, that does sound very infuriating to have that suddenly appear without your knowledge. Are your neighbours similarly affected?