Noise Annoys, Rugrat Edition
The most frequent noise complaint real estate lawyer Stuart Saft hears nowadays concerns kids. “Fifteen years ago or so, it used to be that the noise complaints were all about loud stereo and TV equipment,” Saft is quoted as saying in a Times story about the pitter patter of tiny feet driving neighbors crazy. “Now…
The most frequent noise complaint real estate lawyer Stuart Saft hears nowadays concerns kids. “Fifteen years ago or so, it used to be that the noise complaints were all about loud stereo and TV equipment,” Saft is quoted as saying in a Times story about the pitter patter of tiny feet driving neighbors crazy. “Now it’s kid noise more than anything else, and I think it demonstrates the changing demographic of the city. You have more kids living in the apartment buildings, and parents who feel their children have the right to be children.” The story focuses on people like a Slope couple with two kids who try to keep their children from running around before 8 a.m. because their downstairs neighbor finds the tots’ noise “exhausting. Even my boyfriend doesn’t ever want to come over — it’s so horrible.” Another Slope mom says she “probably tried a little too hard” to keep her kids quiet and not upset neighbors when, at the end of the day, “They were not doing anything outrageous. They were just doing normal kid things. But small children, especially toddlers, have this clumsy flatfooted walk. It’s impossible to control.” The article says noise carries in a lot of prewar construction, especially in smaller buildings, and when apartments are renovated or combined, the end result is often the loss of some insulation. Some co-op boards install sound meters in apartments to determine if neighbors’ complaints are warranted, though the most frequent solution appears to also the most time-trusted when it comes to New Yorkers and their tight quarters: Compromise. “We do indeed walk on eggshells, and I find myself on tiptoes if I have high heels on, even when I’m not home,” says another Brooklyn parent.“I’m a trained monkey. But my 19-month-old is not.”
The Noise Children Make [NY Times]
Photo by Joey Harrison.
I find constant music far more annoying than intermittent kid noise.
I agree with much of what 10:28 said. I try very hard to teach my kids to be considerate of our landlord who lives below us. I don’t feel “put upon”, I just think it’s what should be common decency. But let’s not forget that covering 80% of a floor costs money. I moved in and had to purchase several rugs, which are not cheap, for my landlord’s benefit. This on top of the unbelievably high rent I’m paying. I doubt anyone would refuse to cover wood floors to prevent noise if their complaining landlord or neighbor was willing to cover some of the cost of the rugs since they are for the neighbor’s benefit.
Thanks to two toddlers and their less than accommodating parents I was woken up at 6:30 am, seven days a week, for almost 2 years. Running and screaming at the crack of dawn every day, and even the occasional indoor soccer game were commonplace. After a year I got them to put down carpet in some places but I had to threaten to sue first. The baby would still wake everyone up (everyone) several times a night by throwing its toys onto the parents bedroom’s wooden floor – 9 feet above my head.
Bottom line – kids don’t get special treatment and parents need to be reminded that they and their precious offspring need to abide by building rules, quiet hours and other inconveniences. Kids will be kids. But child birth isn’t a license for inconsiderate behavior.
Unfortunately for us 10:28 – probably so.
I have two cats and the guy below me could hear them pretty clearly. Kids would be a nightmare.
I have a toddler and yes he does make noise, but I agree with the posters that advocate parental control. I was raised to be respectful of others and my mom did not put up with temper tantrums, etc. I don’t want to hear my child yelling, stomping and banging in the morning, so I certainly understand that others don’t want to either. He can yell at the playground!
LP
I’ll always be indebted to my high school history teacher, who, about two weeks prior to graduation, implored us to never consider renting anything other than a top-floor apartment. It’s advice I have always tried to follow.
But for about five years I played that mantra in my head non-stop, as I lived underneath an enigmatic soul who seemed to love to rearrange furniture, often between midnight and 3 a.m.
I began by politely knocking on the door but she would never answer. I would ring the doorbell but she would not answer, even though I knew she was home. I was seriously miffed.
I finally left a sensitively written letter taped to her door, and she stopped smiling and saying hi to me when we would see each other at the mailbox. For a few years I couldn’t understand why she was angry with me for letting her know that she was disturbing us. After she finally moved out, I found out why from the landlord.
She was almost deaf! (That also explained why she was always yelling on the phone and yelling at her visitors, and sometimes engaged in extremely personal/sensitive converstaions that we really would have preferred not to hear.)
But I also didn’t feel guilty: She had broken the tile counters in both the kitchen and bath, smashed the glass shower door, broken the built-in mirrors, and somehow put giant holes in the plaster walls! Maybe it was anger management therapy.
As a parent of a 2-year-old, I can tell you that not all of us are not considerate and we do our very best to keep our little guy’s noise under control. So do most of our friends. Our downstair’s neighbors complained about noise; we do our best to address it; they understand we are doing our best, and there are no more complaints/issues.
10:16. Woo-hoo, I’m going to live to be 95!!!