You just need to get used to the idea that you live in an APARTMENT and you are going to hear noise from your wall-sharing neighbors. If you don't want to hear dogs barking, look for an apartment complex that doesn't allow pets. I'm sure people who own pets have paid a deposit for them to live in the apartment, and unfortunately dogs are going to be dogs.
Well, in our last apartment, that we lived in for 10 1/2 years. the manager made sure all dogs didn't bark almost on a constant basis to disturb other residents. We told the manager about one dog, on the second floor across from our master bedroom, that was kept out on the resident's patio all day and part of the night, that faced our apartment, about how much it barked. The manager told the resident about the complaint and he wound up getting rid of the dog. We didn't know he did, we just didn't hear anymore barking. When I ask the manager about the dog, she said "I gave him a Notice about his dog and he ended up getting rid of it." And, btw, Beth, not all dogs bark, at least as much as our neighbors does. Yes, they pay a pet deposit, but, as I told my wife, any other Senior retiree that would live in our apartment, would have the same complaint. We plan on getting another dog later, but it will be a small pup Shih Tzu. They aren't noted as barkers.
In twelve years of living in apartments in California, and a shorter time in a condominium in Texas, I have never gone to the manager to complain about any of the other residents in these places, and that doesn't mean that there weren't any problems. I just knew that, living in such close proximity to other people, I would not have the same amount of privacy and seclusion that I might have in a house. On the other hand, I have had other people complain about me. I moved into an upstairs condominium apartment in Brownsville, Texas. Being upstairs, I had someone beneath me, and two other apartments alongside mine. I began moving in just after noon, carrying stuff up from the moving truck to the apartment that I had just rented. No one was talking loudly or making any noise other than that which was necessitated by moving furniture and boxes up the stairs. Nevertheless, the following day, I had a notice on my door to call the manager, who told me that she had received a complaint that I was stomping up and down the stairs all afternoon. I asked her how else I was supposed to move in. She had no answer, but neither did she apologize for bothering me with such a stupid complaint. A couple of months later, I found a copy of the page of the condominium rules tacked to my door, with the section about noise highlighted. I called the manager, and she told me that she had received a complaint about my having the television on all night with the volume up too high. I told her that I rarely watched television and I wasn't even home at night because I worked the night shift and no one else lived in my apartment. She insisted that my neighbor had complained that the television was on all night, every night, and I needed to be more considerate. I told her to call the police the next time that someone complained about the television being on in my apartment at night because no one was supposed to be there at night. I was home during the day, and I rarely watched television. A few weeks later, I found another page from the rules tacked to my door. This one highlighted a section about leaving laundry hanging on my balcony. There was no laundry hanging on my balcony, nor had there ever been laundry hanging on my balcony. In fact, I had rarely even been on my balcony. The balcony across the stairs from me had some towels hanging, however. I went to the office to explain to the manager that she, or whoever was calling in the complaints, apparently had the wrong apartment number because I had never hung anything on my balcony, nor had I played my television at a high volume. No, she insisted that she had walked over there herself and saw that I had towels hanging from my balcony railing, and this was the third complaint she had received about me. I gave notice that I was moving, and I rented a house.
For the past year we have been battling with our non English speaking upstairs neighbors and the constant noise. This is not everyday noise. this is two large dogs allowed to run an jump in the apartment, along with what sounds like body slamming. They leave dogs on patio unattended, and the German Shepard literally barks and acts as if he will jump and attack you. This is against policy but they get away with it. Supposedly these are support dogs, which even the manager agrees is being abused. Otherwise these breed and others are not allowed. It is so bad the manager gave me her personal cell nbr, and when banging on the ceiling does not quite them down I text her and she texts them to Stop the noise. We have lived in apartments since 2004-2005 and this is only the second time to complain on anyone. Today I ordered a stop the barking apparatus to try on the dogs upstairs. If it does not work will return it. This is constant all day long, sometimes during the night time. We have called the police non emergency nbr 3-4 times on them in last year. I blame manger to some degree because two large dogs should never have been allowed to live upstairs. She was not going to renew their lease, but lucky us they are leaving 9-30 and moving back to Mexico..excuse me while I jump for joy here.
We know we live in an apartment and that the walls are pretty thin. Compared to surrounding apartment complexes, this complex looks really appealing.........from the outside and it allows large and small dogs, plus a cat. In our master bedroom, we can hear the couple, and their two dogs, next door. Their kitchen and laundry area are right next to our bedroom wall. When we first moved in, we had to do two formal complaints to the manager about how loud they were. She was about to send then an Eviction Notice (from the Court), but we told her not to. Other than their dogs barking, the couple are fairly quiet now. Thank God!! He is sort of a "night owl" and works the swing shift at a Amazon warehouse. His brother was visiting him one night and they were talking/laughing so hard, it sounded like they were right in our bedroom. I finally pounded on the wall with my fist and they quieted down. But, at 1AM, they should know that people are asleep at that time. To this day (today), we can still hear their two dogs bark during the night if someone is walking their dog in the middle of the night. Bottom Line is this.............an apartment isn't a house, so people have to learn to respect neighbors during the day or when neighbors are sleeping. To this day, after two years living here, we have only seen one younger Senior move in. He lives above us, but is extremely quiet. We don't even know he's there! And then, we have the young folks that have the loud "racing" type muffler/exhaust on their vehicle. When they start the vehicle up, the noise is pretty loud.
Some think we are the new Babel and it does look like it. Now we are welcoming the whole world into this naation to come and live free.They miunderstood that meant freeom not dependant of the American people to support the whole worlds citizens.Most of our low income apartments are now going to immigrants instead of Americans who need them. Look what these new immigrrants have given us ,liberal anti American leaders and cartel crime fom all over the world. Soon the American minorities will realize what they have done listening to the white socialist and communist, but it will be too late.
And then, there are those residents, that live on the second or third floor, that think lifting weights is fine. They actually don't care about how doing this sounds below them. Want to lifts weights, fine..........rent a floor apartment and do it! We had a first floor apartment and the man above us, decided to buy a Wii Game for his daughter. He was going thru a divorce and seen her on weekends. They would do bowling and walk/run across the living room floor, which was our ceiling. It was loud, to say the least. However, we did talk to him about the noise and he moved the game into a bedroom. He said "thanks for letting me know" and we thought "you should already know this, because you are living above someone!" IOW, people either don't think or just plainly don't care.
Our manager lied, they are not moving back to Mexico. Plus she is till trying to get us to move! I feel railroaded. Short version, she also said that rent may and can go up $150 in our rent. We know for a fact we are not the only ones to complain. Just ready to scream with this BS
Well, great news, the dog next door has calmed down his barking. We know his name now and, if he does start barking too much, my wife will go up to our wall, that is their wall also, and say, "it's ok Jamison, it's ok" and he will stop barking (99% of the time). My wife is a Dog Whisperer???? LOL Bottom Line is..........we don't want to complain much, if any at all. We want a Lease Renewal in March of next year. It's very hard to look for an apartment when snow is falling in the winter here. There is a very nice apartment complex, only 2-story, not 3-story like here, on the eastern end of here, across from my VA Clinic, but they are some $300 more a month. It's a must that we have a 2-bedroom apartment due to the stuff we have and, if my wife's at-home job continues into next year.
I don't care if my neighbor smokes MJ 24 x 7................but I don't have tu put up with the smell; it lingers on the lobby, halls, several floors and inside the elevator. Her rights end where my start.