This happened a few weeks ago, but I am only getting around to blogging about it now...
A few Friday nights ago, we had invited our friends over for our weekly "Pizza and Sauna" get-together. It's a great time for all because they're on a strict diet - so Friday is their "cheating day".
We also invited another friend who also ordered pizza and she brought her Polish hound-dog (looks like a grey hound).
That's all fine and we're having a grand old time snacking on pizza and have already been to sauna (we split our hour into half, so they get some time for watching our kids while we're in there) and someone rings the door bell at 10:30pm-ish.
Not knowing who that could be, seeing as the front and rear entrances automatically lock at 9pm, I went to look.
A young man was there (probably older than me - in his 30's) and started talking to me in Finnish. I advised him I don't speak Finnish, but one of my guests does and I could get her to translate.
He says that's not necessary but advises me that we are too noisy.
Oh. My first noise complaint - ouch.
Okay, I ask where he lives, and he's directly beneath me (I've never EVER seen him before) - I apologize and ask what he can hear.
"We hear everything. We hear you throwing a ball, screaming..."
(The dogs were recently chomping on dog bones but we removed those by 10pm - so perhaps that's what he meant by a ball? As we don't throw a ball after 9pm and haven't done so in a LONG time. We can't even find them.)
"Oh, I am very sorry to hear this. How long have you been hearing noises from us? Because we have a 2-year old that is teething...and a 4-month old too. And 2 larger dogs..."
At which point all 3 dogs look at my neighbour and he has a mild-heart attack (not really). I smiled and said the 3rd was a guest and is leaving soon.
WELL.
He tells me that him and his room-mate (girlfriend or wife) have not been able to sleep for a year. (The previous renters had children as young as ours and we have never heard anything from them either).
BUT he now understands our situation - that we have a 2-year old who can scream non-stop (regardless of the pain meds we give him) and a couple dogs...(they don't bark by the way).
That's right....a whole year has gone by and he is FINALLY telling me.
I bluntly asked him, "Well, if it's been going on for the past year as you've said, why haven't you said anything? We could have tried to deal with it much sooner instead of you waiting a year. I'm sorry you're not able to sleep but neither are we - he's not screaming for fun, but because he's in pain and there's only so much medicine we can give him."
He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and said again, he understands and hopes we can keep things quiet by 10pm, because that's when the building is supposed to be quiet.
I asked my Finnish friends why in the world he would wait a year to say something, and most said they would NOT wait a year (neither would I) and the others said it's because he's Finnish. "Something must have really pissed him off if it took all of his guts and courage to come upstairs and face you to complain." is what a friend said via email.
Well, I would have left a note or said something MUCH sooner than 12 months later - and told him that he could have done so....
Now, you have to look at your rental agreement or just ask your landlord - but this may not be true for all buildings.
In fact, our building's "quiet hours" are from 11pm-6am. I was pretty sure it was 11pm, but didn't say anything more...that and it was a FRIDAY NIGHT.
We don't have large parties past 4-5pm and they only occur about 3x a year for the kids' birthdays and whatnot...when it's warmer, we take it out in the back yard and again, it's done by 6pm....we don't play loud music or loud movies at all....
So apparently the concrete block between our floors is not very thick and that's why he can hear everything.
Oh and if you get 3 "formal noise complaints" from your landlord or building supervisor - you're evicted.
No excuses - you're gone.
Just an FYI....
A few Friday nights ago, we had invited our friends over for our weekly "Pizza and Sauna" get-together. It's a great time for all because they're on a strict diet - so Friday is their "cheating day".
We also invited another friend who also ordered pizza and she brought her Polish hound-dog (looks like a grey hound).
That's all fine and we're having a grand old time snacking on pizza and have already been to sauna (we split our hour into half, so they get some time for watching our kids while we're in there) and someone rings the door bell at 10:30pm-ish.
Not knowing who that could be, seeing as the front and rear entrances automatically lock at 9pm, I went to look.
A young man was there (probably older than me - in his 30's) and started talking to me in Finnish. I advised him I don't speak Finnish, but one of my guests does and I could get her to translate.
He says that's not necessary but advises me that we are too noisy.
Oh. My first noise complaint - ouch.
Okay, I ask where he lives, and he's directly beneath me (I've never EVER seen him before) - I apologize and ask what he can hear.
"We hear everything. We hear you throwing a ball, screaming..."
(The dogs were recently chomping on dog bones but we removed those by 10pm - so perhaps that's what he meant by a ball? As we don't throw a ball after 9pm and haven't done so in a LONG time. We can't even find them.)
"Oh, I am very sorry to hear this. How long have you been hearing noises from us? Because we have a 2-year old that is teething...and a 4-month old too. And 2 larger dogs..."
At which point all 3 dogs look at my neighbour and he has a mild-heart attack (not really). I smiled and said the 3rd was a guest and is leaving soon.
WELL.
He tells me that him and his room-mate (girlfriend or wife) have not been able to sleep for a year. (The previous renters had children as young as ours and we have never heard anything from them either).
BUT he now understands our situation - that we have a 2-year old who can scream non-stop (regardless of the pain meds we give him) and a couple dogs...(they don't bark by the way).
That's right....a whole year has gone by and he is FINALLY telling me.
I bluntly asked him, "Well, if it's been going on for the past year as you've said, why haven't you said anything? We could have tried to deal with it much sooner instead of you waiting a year. I'm sorry you're not able to sleep but neither are we - he's not screaming for fun, but because he's in pain and there's only so much medicine we can give him."
He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and said again, he understands and hopes we can keep things quiet by 10pm, because that's when the building is supposed to be quiet.
I asked my Finnish friends why in the world he would wait a year to say something, and most said they would NOT wait a year (neither would I) and the others said it's because he's Finnish. "Something must have really pissed him off if it took all of his guts and courage to come upstairs and face you to complain." is what a friend said via email.
Well, I would have left a note or said something MUCH sooner than 12 months later - and told him that he could have done so....
Now, you have to look at your rental agreement or just ask your landlord - but this may not be true for all buildings.
In fact, our building's "quiet hours" are from 11pm-6am. I was pretty sure it was 11pm, but didn't say anything more...that and it was a FRIDAY NIGHT.
We don't have large parties past 4-5pm and they only occur about 3x a year for the kids' birthdays and whatnot...when it's warmer, we take it out in the back yard and again, it's done by 6pm....we don't play loud music or loud movies at all....
So apparently the concrete block between our floors is not very thick and that's why he can hear everything.
Oh and if you get 3 "formal noise complaints" from your landlord or building supervisor - you're evicted.
No excuses - you're gone.
Just an FYI....
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