I found this thread while looking for an alternative to HUD apartments in New York State which, according to code have spring loaded front doors for all the apartments which open into the halls. This is the third HUD building I've lived in with these doors which sound like a small bomb when they slam full force. Of course there are options. Fortunately I qualify for senior housing and seniors tend to be quieter. One option is to hopefully find an affordable senior building that is well managed and not more than one or two storeys where the apartment front doors open directly to the outdoors [the 2nd floor apartments also open to the outdoors and have exterior staircases for descending. I have seen such complexes but have not yet found one in upstate New York or Sayre, Pennsylvania were I prefer to live. It will be interesting to find out if HUD regulations for spring loaded apartment doors are the same in all states. How to find this out? It will also be interesting to find out if HUD allows weathering stripping, bumpers, or hydraulic brakes on the spring loaded apartment doors. I note that the doors of our laundry rooms and TV rooms at the floor ends have brakes as do apparently all spring loaded doors on the ground floor where staff spends most of their time. I hate moving and I tend to agree with at least one commentator here that oftentimes when you move it will just be some new issue--but that's not always the case, especially if you do your research: Go to the prospective new apartment in person and hang out and question tenants, neighbors, police and check online comments. After reading the many horrible accounts in this thread I feel realize that my housing situation is about "as good as it gets" for HUD. I've lived here for about three months, an although there is some room for improvement[primarily finding a way to silence the spring loaded slamming doors] and I would like to share it We DO have smoke alarms which are quite loud and go off for about 10 minutes a few times a week. If you are able to relocate to Ithaca, New York my complex, Titus Towers I & II is probably one of the best HUD senior complexes in the country. All applicants are fingerprinted and vetted via the FBI. I'm serious. Most of the tenants are very considerate and friendly. There's a large community room, a busy activity room with pool table, desktop computer for tenants, aerobic exercise equipment. There's a large kitchen downstairs which serves hot lunches during the week. There's a large lot in back which is forested and has two gazebos and a community garden. The site is landscaped and frequented by many cute squirrels, ducks and deer. Mail parcels are delivered to you apartment door. Nearly all the tenants try to be respectful and get along with one another. There's great covered seating outside to wait for the bus. There are many activities and even a hair salon on the first floor. One of the best features is shopping. Barnes & Noble , Tops supermarkets, and the world class upscale Wegman's market are within two blocks. Many other upscale shops, fast food restaurants, Hobby Lobby, Staples, T.J. Max, Walmart, Dollar Tree and much more are within three blocks--all beautifully landscaped and handicap accessible. During the week there are two full time nurses and a social working in their offices on the site. The management here seems to be a very caring and concerned about the tenants' well being. There's a tenant council office on site. There's also a chapel in the building. Waiting list is approximately 6 months. If you want to consider moving here I highly recommend that you come to the building and chat with tenants who are out and about on the grounds such as waiting for buses. Ithaca is a great community. It has often been rated in the top 10 for retiring. It tends to be a little to liberal for my taste but this has it's advantageous as there is much activism for the poor. There is so much food available for free from Ithaca food pantries that I cannot eat it fast enough. Ithaca is also a great community for gay friendly living. Also, if you are into Buddhism Ithaca is the North American home of the Dalai Lama and home of his Namgyal Institute for Buddhist Studies. There are also other Buddhist organizations with a presence here. Being Buddhist in Ithaca is regarded as quite normal, if not laudable. Our building appears to be hosting a number of Asian Buddhist refugees. If you are a Buddhist looking for a supportive community to live in I urge you to relocate to Ithaca. If you are a Buddhist senior 55+, a low income Buddhist looking for an affordable Buddhist community alternative I urge you to check into Ithaca for Buddhist living and Titus Towers. NOTE: I do NOT recommend any other subsidized housing in Ithaca because I am a new resident here and I am unfamiliar with the other complexes and I have heard some bad reviews and read bad reviews online about them. Ithaca is one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S. with one of the lowest vacancy rates but you tend to get what you pay for and part of the reason for the high cost is the plethora of services available here and the highest employment rate of any small city in New York State.

Hello all, I want to weigh in on this whole debate about "who's Right to peaceful living conditions are worth more". My wife and I live in a fully furnished first floor apartment below a 20-something Guy, his 20-something girlfriend, and his 3 year old child also living in a furnished apartment. The building is older, but the units are in GREAT shape overall, and the rent isn't too bad considering either! My wife and I moved in about 4-5 weeks before the upstairs tenants and had lived in peace before they came to move in. Over the past 8+ months there has been an ever evolving increase in noise from the child as he grows and becomes more active as kids do.We are in year 2 of our lease after having resigned it due to having been so busy planning and preparing for our wedding (by ourselves for a 300+ person wedding list of guests) which took place in May of this year. It is now mid-October, and we re-signed in June. I should also note that my wife was diagnosed over 10 years ago with General Anxiety Disorder which can cause Panic Attacks, Raised Blood Pressure, Insomnia, Seizures, and other physical problems in some people. My wife only has been affected by some of the less severe symptoms, but we also don't wish to push our luck in the matter. In the early stages, my wife and I were very friendly with the new neighbors, having written them a kindly worded letter about the noise. We included our phone numbers and and invited all 3 of them over for pizza in our apartment to get to know each other. This friendly cooperation worked well for a while, but the noise began to become louder and more frequent. We proceeded, via text messages, by asking them on infrequent occasions to quiet down when things didn't burn out on their own in a tolerable amount of time. Again, this worked for a short while, but things progressed again over time. This is when we began involving our Landlord. She did make a few "Courtesy Calls" on our behalf, again effective for a brief amount of time but again the efforts dwindled in effectiveness over time. Several months ago, our Landlord purchased area rugs for the 2nd floor to be put down. The intention was to lower the noise in high traffic area's as well as to provide a baffled play surface for the child. Again it worked for a short time, but evolved into little more than a "soft Landing" for the kid to jump or run and dive onto. The use of the carpeted area has also become less frequent as the wood floors seem to be "fair Game" again as well. Let me overview the noise itself for clarity before I move on. There is regular running from one room to another. Toys are constantly thrown, dropped, dragged, and otherwise in contact with the wood floors. There is frequent "playful Yelling" from the child. The parents often toss shoes and other things onto the landing in the middle of the front stairs which is directly above my bedroom. They also allow the child to play with toys on the stairs and run up and down them to collect the toys. The parents are not innocent either. They often like to have guests over until late at night, slam doors and windows, and slam the washer/dryer doors. Now let me address those who will say "This is reasonable and normal day to day noise caused by living." To that I say.... Yep.... you're RIGHT.... ish. I agree, kids will play, noise will be heard from walking, televisions, use of the stairs, and use of the furnishings and appliances. That is all fine and well. It is also not the grounds for our complaint. So anyone who is going to dispute me on those grounds should move on as I won't give refute of that type a seconds worth of my time. Now for the real consequences and guidelines of real life here. THE REMEDY: Our Landlord has since stopped helping to resolve this issue saying "She is frustrated with them and does not know what to do." At that point my wife and I had already been documenting excessive noise for some case, and contacted an attorney for advice. This is what we have been instructed to do. 1) KEEP A PAPER TRAIL OF PROOF! This includes a "Noise Log or Diary" which should include the Date, Time, Location, Duration, and description of each event in reasonable detail. You should also record any conversations, text messages, or other communications between yourself, the noisy party or parties, your Landlord or Property Management, as well as the Police. All of these documents may be needed if you seek further legal action or protection should you (A) receive an eviction notice or (B) choose to attempt breaking your lease to leave. You should continue keeping records throughout the whole process until an agreement has been reached, the problem has been resolved, or legal actions become necessary. It also may be necessary to call the police if the noise is exceptionally aggressive, your personal property or apartment has been damaged in any way (IE: A cracked Ceiling or picture which has fallen off the wall due to the actions from the other tenants), you have been retaliated against because of a complaint, or have been threatened in any way. Be sure to Note any responding officers Name and Badge Number and get a copy of the complaint form or at least get the complaint number for the report if it can not be provided at that time. 2)KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR LANDLORD OR PROPERTY MANAGERS Keeping the person or company with whom you signed a legal contract with is important. If your complaints are legitimate, they have an obligation to uphold the terms of your lease which may mean penalising the "Noisy Neighbors" as it is often a clear violation of the lease agreement they have likely signed as well. 3)SEND A CERTIFIED LETTER OF COMPLAINT Although sometimes notes slid under a door, a letter left in the mailbox, or even a letter sent via normal mail are effective ways to deal with a loud neighbor without a face to face confrontation, a Certified Letter is best. The reason is because it can be traced. Make sure you send a Restricted Certified letter which guarantees that ONLY a named Person or Persons can receive the letter and MUST Sign to accept the letter. This obviously doesn't mean they will open, read, or otherwise acknowledge the letter and it's contents, but it proves you have made every reasonable effort to inform them. In my case, I was instructed to Send a letter to the Landlord AND the Upstairs Tenants. The Upstairs Neighbors because they could be taken to claims court for damages and it helps to prove they have been made aware of the situation in a formal way, and the landlord because they may be in breach of contract for not upholding the terms and conditions of the lease A note about what to include in your letter(s): - Make sure you ARE Professional and are NOT Confrontational. - State the problem at hand NOT using Opinions or Personal Statement but with FACTS as well as a short but concise description of your complaints. - Make sure to state that "Although reasonable efforts have been made to resolve the problem(which your documentation MUST legitimately support), no resolution has been made." Also State: "If the problem is not resolved, the Local Authorities will be contacted and legal actions may be taken against them due to the ongoing nuisance." - Lastly it may be good to include your postal address or an email address which the other party or parties may contact you at if they wish to negotiate a remedy without involving the authorities. You may leave a telephone or cell phone number, but it is recommended that you either Record the Call (you must inform the person being recorded you are doing so at the very onset of the call) or state only text messages will be accepted. 4) GIVE REASONABLE TIME FOR DELIVERY AND ACTION You must be patient, as hard as it may be at this point. Time must be given to process and deliver the certified letter as well as to receive the receipt of delivery to you. You also must give the other Party or Parties reasonable time to stop doing whatever it is they are doing and or do make any necessary physical changes needed to accommodate that. Physical changes may mean moving a shoe rack, purchasing and installing carpeting, or rearranging bedrooms . Although it varies from area to area, 30 days seems to be the rule of thumb on this matter. Some area's are as short as 10 days from the receipt of the Certified letter of complaint. 5)DECIDE WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: At some point when you have exhausted all of your time, effort, and energy you have to decide where to go from here. You should talk to your Landlord or Management Company and see if they will let you out of your lease and find out for sure what, if any, penalties they will actually impose on you for doing so. You probably have provisions in your lease stating this, but sometimes sympathy may be given if the situation warrants it and you have a reasonable person to deal with. On the other hand, you may have to take the proverbial hammer in hand and stand up for your rights. This may mean giving notice and terminating the lease yourself. If you do this, be sure your are prepared to defend yourself if the Landlord or Management decides to take you to court. You could also go to a District Court and file a Criminal Complaint against the Loud Neighbors or a Civil Suit against them as well as the Landlord for damages or breach of contract. This is something you really need to speak to an attorney about. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by being unprepared or misinformed. Keep in mind the court system is often slow and almost always expensive even if you decide to represent yourself. It may be less expensive to pay the early termination fee's to break your lease and wash your hands of everything once and for all. Lastly I want to briefly describe your rights as they have been described to me" "Quiet Enjoyment" VS "Peaceful Possession" My understanding is that Quiet Enjoyment refers to the noise and comfort reasonably entitled to any person or persons living in a paid for unit. Peaceful Possession refers more to the provisions for and against access by your landlord/Management or any others recruited by them. An example would be: "A water line bursting" would not warrant notice of entry as it is deemed an "emergency" whereas an Unannounced visit to "inspect the condition of your refrigerator" is not an emergency and in most cases requires at least 24 hours notice being given. "Noise Ordinances" Every town and City will have some regulations in regards to how much, what kind, and what time certain noises are OK and when they are not OK. Generally these prohibit loud music or shouting, and state that the noise levels should decrease during certain hours. Check with your Code Office for specific details in your area. "Noise Pollution" Is any noise that is deemed unlawful by local ordinances OR harmful to Human Well-Being. For example an Air Horn being blasted outside your bedroom window next to your head could damage your hearing or send you into shock. This is harmful to your health and well-being. "Nuisance" This is the grounds on which I have the best shot for results in my situation. It is well documented that reasonable efforts have been made to resolve an ongoing problem on my part without results. It is also so documented that it is an ongoing problem which has been, at times, a direct retaliation to a complaint. This falls under the legal term "Nuisance." Also in my case, I can prove that my wife has been put through a hardship in regards to her G.A.D., and that my sleep and stress levels have been negatively affected as well. Both of these things are grounds for "Pain and Suffering" claims in a Civil Lawsuit as they are related to the Nuisance. "Breach of Contract" Your lease is a legally binding contract for both the Landlord/Management Company and the Tenants that Sign them. If either party does not abide by the terms in that signed contract, they may be in breach of contract. This may mean a tenant removes the owners property, such as anyobject, furnishing, or appliance which is included in your apartment at the time the lease is signed. A refrigerator or stove would be a good example of this. It may also apply if a Landlord or Property Manager fails to make necessary repairs or to enforce the rules and conditions of the lease. This could include such things as replacing a broken water heater or making reasonable attempts to resolve noise disputes between tenants which are outlined in the lease. All in all, My wife and I are very easy people to get along with and consider ourselves generally aware and respectful to those around us. That is, until our good nature has been insulted. Now we are standing up for our rights and will seek whatever remedy works out best for us. So far we have sent the Certified Letters and are waiting on the results and return receipts from them. We have also filled out the civil suit forms and criminal complaint forms so they are ready to hand to the District Courts if no resolution is found in the next month or so. I will close with this comment: "Yes it is true that kids will be kids, but parents.... you must still be parents so someone else doesn't have to take on that role in your place."

I'm pretty sure she knows that it's way too loud. She doesn't actually believe the maintenance guy is racist, if she does then she needs her head examined. I think she's stalling because she doesn't want to kick out paying tenants. I've actually tried to arrange something with the manager, because my neighbors usually start up around 6:30pm, half-an-hour after the office closes and all-day on Sundays when the office isn't open at all. The problem is, the office is usually closed by the time I get home from work. Tuesdays are the only days I'm home before 6pm and I think they've caught onto my pattern because she's always busy now when I show up and she's off on Saturdays. I've left messages with her assistants but she's totally dodging me. I sent an email to the regional manager last night, I don't have their phone number and can't find it for the life of me. It'll probably be a week or so before I hear anything back. As for my neighbors, they're friends with the people who live next door to them. The guy who lives above them is deaf (I'm not joking he's actually deaf). The woman who lives directly across from them works evenings and doesn't get home until midnight, but she actually told me that she can sometimes hear their television in her living room during the day, but she doesn't want to get involved. I think I can work on her and she might be willing to talk to the manager, if I can ever get a hold of her, but I still don't think my manager will do anything. If the regional manager won't get involved, can I break my lease without shelling out the subsequent fine?

Ugh, this is not a fun situation to be in--where you are making a normal amount of noise, but have a fussy neighbor who complains about it. Before you meet with your landlord, come up with a list of things you are willing to do to reduce the impact of your daily living activities as much as possible for your neighbor. Wait, you say, we're not doing anything wrong? Why should we have to change? Because you want to show your landlord that while you know you aren't making too much noise, you are at the same time willing to work with the landlord to calm down the sensitive neighbor. You want to be pro-active with your landlord, showing that you are trying to be good neighbors, instead of being re-active, and only changing your behavior after the neighbor complains to the landlord. Things that might go on your list: Trying to sort the cars out before 10 pm. I live in a neighborhood where nearly everyone has a small driveway and multiple cars and frankly, it's annoying to hear car doors shutting and all the beeps of car alarms being reset late at night. Do your best to get this done as early in the evening as possible. And sometimes you might have to sort some of the cars out in the morning, if someone comes home really late. Midnight really does seem a bit late to be doing this, and you are probably bothering other neighbors as well. And keep your voices down as much as possible when moving cars late at night--sound seems to travel more in the dark. Move the "noise" of the gatherings and board games. If your duplex is one that is side-by-side, move the action away from the shared wall. If the duplex is one-over-the-other, see if you can't move to a different room, where the noise will bother the neighbor less. There are things you can do to help keep any sound generated in your space in your space. Area rugs, curtains and upholstered furniture--the fabric absorbs some of the sound. Bookcases filled with books also work as a sound barrier--if you have a shared wall, put the bookcases there. Or hang a large fabric wall hanging, like a geometric quilt. Move speakers for your TV or music away from any shared walls. Make sure that the bass is turned down, and if you live over the neighbor, isolate the speakers from the floor and walls so that vibrations don't carry as well. Establish "quiet hours." There, that probably makes you feel like you are right back in your college dorm, doesn't it? But make them reasonable, like, Sunday through Thursday, you will do your best to keep noise down after 10 or 11 pm. Friday and Saturday, move the time to 11 pm or midnight. This does not mean that all noise stops. It means that you do your best to be quiet, but you are still going to have game night. Maybe the neighbor could tell you which room he's in most often on Thursday nights, and you could move the games to a different area of the house. Then you can approach your landlord with the list of things you are willing to do. And you point out that the neighbor is getting upset by people just sitting and talking, which you think is a little unreasonable. After all, you have the right to use your apartment for normal, daily living activities--like having a conversation with your roommates and friends. So, while the four of you are willing to do some things to keep the peace, you'd like to know what the neighbor is willing to do. Earplugs? A white noise machine? Keeping his windows closed? It's a two-way street. You give a little to get a little peace from the neighbor. The neighbor puts up with a little more noise than he wants, but gets a reasonable amount of quiet time.