Backup Generator and Neighbor Complaints
cactuscatie
11 years ago
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mike_kaiser_gw
11 years agoStartle
11 years agoRelated Discussions
neighborhood complaint
Comments (38)Hi everyone, I've been thinking of updating on my plants and the neighborhood, but got caught up with so many things. These days, most of the weekends I will be out in the yard trying to decide where to put each of my plants (I've added so many more ). Many of the plants that went in the ground with pots have found their new place, along with the new ones. When I am out there (before the weather got this hot), some people passing by commented that they like my garden. There is one neighbor lady who shows interest in my plants. But, I think many of them may not agree with my practices - I don't water the lawn until it becomes utmost necessity. I got a shock when I got the water bill the first two months when I had the sprinklers on ( it was around $200 each month). It hasn't rained for almost 10 days now, and it was so hot that the grass has started to dry up. I haven't waterd it, it will come back up with the first rain it gets and I expect it to be any time. One of my neighbors had the sprinklers on for the last 3-4 days almost half of the day! (their sprinklers are on a well, I believe). And I know they might be thinking that if I can spent money on plants and water those, why can't I just have the lawn watered too. But I don't want to spend any resources on the grass that I am not intending to keep in the long run. Everything is in the startup stage, they are going to take time to grow up. If they expect me to be perfect all the time, I can't live up to that. I can't have a landscaping done with all those common plants and then rest for the rest of life (that is how it can be perfect, isn't it?). On the code vilation part, after the visit to the city, months passed by without any incident. So, I thought everyone has gone back to mind their own business. But, I had another visit from the city code enforcement - this time I was home (was about to leave for work), and the complaint is - "the grass is overgrown". I had mowed the lawn a week before (actually on memorial day while I was out planting). The officer started to explain me the code that city allows a height of 6" and she looked at the grass and could not find it to be 6" (and it was raining all that week). So, we talked about the plants and she said "we have to keep our neighbors happy to live here, so just mow it in between the rains". I don't think on the spot, I didn't ask who the complainant is, and I was banging my head for not doing so after that. I don't have a fence yet, I started with the process, everybody told me that the fence contractors will know the perimeter where the fence is allowed. But I found out that is not the case. If it is a regular 4-sided lot everybody knows (even I know where the fence can be, in that case). Finally I called up the city, they said on a corner lot, on the side yard, it is 5' within the property line. But, mine is not a real corner lot, it is a 5 sided lot. I faxed in the survey for him to mark the allowed fence line, what I got back didn't seem like real - only very little of the sideyard could be fenced). The city doesn't allow fencing the front yard. I got the trimming of the trees/shrubs done and also got 2 carrotwoods removed. After the $$$ spent on that I thought I'll wait on the fence (anyway there isn't much I could fence (both my neighbors have fences up). Then I decided to remove another big carrotwood (initially I thought I might need a permit, but then I when I measured the trunk diameter, I found out that I could do it without a permit if I do it right now. So, I went ahead and got it removed. This time I got a few quotes and I realised that the first trimming guys did overcharge me (for removing this one they gave me a price of $525 whereas I got it done for $300). Now I am back thinking about the fence. Now I have a notice from the HOA asking me to "trim & thin shrubbery and replace dead vegetation" - Can it get more generic than that? When I got it, whatever I could find and categorize as shrubbery I just flattened it - there was a ficus hedge (which will be gone once I have a fence) in the back and then some surinam cherry bushes as foundation plants (will get replaced with some flowering plants as time progresses) on one side of the house. Then I called up the HOA asking for details on what they meant. He said he will come down and show it to me. I waited for him 3 days in the morning, he didn't show up and I have given up. Last week, I was so alarmed to see two of my plants destroyed by some lunatic (I don't know who it is/was). One day they made part of the damage and after 2 days they finished it - all branches on my white mussaenda was either broken or pulled apart (still attached barely to the main stem). It was planted parallel to the driveway. There was a jasmine in front of it closer to the sidewalk, that was left alone. And the firebush which is behind the mussaenda lost the biggest two branches. Both those were not big plants, I bought those 3 gal plants (mussaaenda may be little over a month back and firebush 2-3 months) and planted it and they were establishng quite nicely. Could be the work of a bored kid, but why those two plants and why did this person come back to finish it off. I just hate that person whover it is. On a pleasnat note, most of my plants are growing without any problems. Unlike last year, my plants are getting to see the sun and experince the rain and they are growing not affected by many pests/insects (though my vegetables -long beans and bittergourd- are getting more and more stink bugs on them). And I am getting to add many more plants that I wanted all the time. Nicki, you have a great garden. I want mine to be like that one day. Mickey, when you buy the house, check out for the city regulations too. I think old cities are much more relaxed and humane than the new ones. I heard Coconut Creek is going to remove one of the mobile home parks to put up townhouses and condos since that is visually more appropraite. How can a city be so rude? One day they might even decide to ask all those who don't seem visually appropriate for them to leave (there is the new law that allows them to take over the private properties!!) wanna_run_faster, thanks. Martha, I agree with you. These days I feel that I can't trust anyone, even those who acts nice to me when I talk to them. Being "socially impaired" - that is one of my attributes - I don't make friends fast, but most of the time the friends I find are real good freinds. I am hoping I'll find a real friend in the neighborhood. zeldapug, that was a good idea to talk to the city commisioner. But that never crossed my mind....See MoreNoise complaints-
Comments (1)"Do people usually complain to the landlord?" I'm a landlord: yes they do. And yes, I take it seriously. "And if so, do the people making the noise find out who complained?" I don't tell them who complained. I get the tenants to call me when the noise is going on and evaluate the conditions myself. Or I have them call the cops and complain about noise ordinance violations. For one obnoxious group (the original tenant left some immature friends to "take care" of his place while he went on vacation) I showed up when the neighbors called, saw the wild party, and called the cops myself. One cop showed up, called for backup and they arrested a lot of underage drinkers and those who bought them the booze. It cost the oringinal tenant his lease and several hundreds in damages - the judge was not willing to let him blame the fritnds and leave me with the repairs: she told him to pay me and get his "friends" to repay him. "How late is acceptable for noise level?" Depends on the lease, and the town ordinances, but 10PM on a weekinight and midnight on a Friday/Saturday is about my limit. "And what usually happens if you get a noise complaint?" Worst case, repeat offenders ... swift eviction! I make it clear in the lease that renting is not a valid reason for keeping the neighborhood awake, and that repeat calls from neighbors will result in a quick trip to Justice court and them having to look for another apartment (with an eviction on their record)....See MoreCan my downstairs neighbor sue me for walking?
Comments (49)if anyone ever has any sitch similar, you need to move- as soon as you possibly can. I realize it seems unfair, and it is. But when you’re the tenant upstairs, you bear the brunt of the blame. I know, I’ve been that upstairs neighbor and I’ve been through he** bc of it too. It’s been a fluid situation but it all started with a bad downstairs tenant. It just got worse and worse, even though I don’t believe I deserved any of it. The courts somewhat agreed with me too. I’m talking about different counties even. Seriously, with the first bad tenant situation, uhh on a legal website the lawyers didn’t even believe my story. But it’s the truth. I got citations- as in tickets- for getting up too early in the morning. It was 645 am. I didn’t even shower when I woke up. I wasn’t being loud. I had a bad neighbor. Thats bad enough by itself. But again, it got worse. Almost 2 years later I ended up getting “assaulted “ bc a bad property manager unlawfully gave a copy of my key to someone she shouldn’t have bc she got mad at me. During a pandemic lockdown, She morphed criminal. She’ll pay for that for a very long time. I hope for the rest of her life. What happened to me is bad. But when ppl twist off, sometimes innocent ppl pay. I’m still paying. Please, try to make the best of your situation and if you can’t make the best of it, find somewhere you can move and have some peace. At a time like this, it’s of utmost importance. Cut your neighbor some slack. No need to complain about EVERYTHING. There’s literally noise everywhere. Sometimes you just need to deal with it. Good luck all....See MoreShould neighborhood complaints be anonymous?
Comments (91)In my township it can depend on how you make the complaint if it is anoymous or not. If someone phones it in, a message is taken of a complaint but it isn't usually revealed who made it. Or if someone sees an official out and about and speaks with them about a complaint, then it usually isn't revealed either. The complaints are forwarded to the appropiate inspector or officer and usually noted at town hall meetings. When citizens speak at town hall meetings, they give their name and address and then make their statement. So if it's a complaint, then their name and address is revealed along with the publicly made complaint. So say Sally has a complaint about 111 Elm street, ordinance violation of unleashed dog leaving the yard or threating people. If she calls in to the town hall, the complaint gets forwarded to the ordinance officer and it's noted at the next town hall meeting that there was a complaint made on 111 Elm street and it's being attended. Sally's name isn't mentioned. If Sally goes to a town hall meeting to complain- then she would announce herself and address before making the complaint and it's noted in the meeting minutes with her information and complaint. Then the ordinance officer follows up, ect. If a complaint gets registered through the local authorities, like the dog getting called into the sheriff department- then that complaint shows up in the monthly sheriff report with it's code and the offending address, and no record of who called it in to the sheriff office. Monthly sheriff reports are given out at every town hall meeting. If that dog gets called into animal control- there usually isn't any complaint record forwarded to the sheriff or to the town hall....See Morebrickeyee
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