Neighbor Saga

This is a little different from my normal posts…. I thought I’d document my experience with my leasing office.  In response to some irrational complaints from my downstair neighbor, I’m curious to see what my leasing office plans to do to ameliorate the situation.  <This is exact copy/paste>

Laramar Group;
I am incredibly upset that I live in such a hostile apartment.  Just to re-cap what I’ve been through in the last 6 months:

This is a timeline of events that happened, details are below – titled by date
– March 19, 2010:  I move in
– April 4, 2010:  I get my couch professionally cleaned (#201 is upset because I got it done at 9:30am)
– May 18, 2010:  I receive a complaint note from #201 on my door
– July 12, 2010:  I see #201 on my way to get the mail and have a heart to heart (more details below)
– July 31, 2010:  I receive a notice from SF Dept of Animal Control
– August 16, 2010:  SF Dept of Animal Control “interviews” me and my dog at my house
– September 11, 2010:  I receive another complaint note from #201 on my door
– September 20, 2010:  SF police officer comes to my apartment at 11pm
– September 21, 2010:  I receive a note from Laramar on my door

April 4, 2010
A couple days after I moved in, I had my couch professionally cleaned.  The guy came at 9am and started his work about 9:30am.  The lady downstairs comes running up and knocking on my door (like the police) and says I woke her up.  I apologized profusely and offered to leave a note if I did anything like this again.  And she goes on to tell me that she works at night and sleeps in the morning.  I tried to be amicable and told her that I’ll do what I can to keep it down.

May 18, 2010
“I think its incredibly rude that you allow your dog to  cry all day and let him run around after 10pm you should more considerate about your neigbors underneath you.  I will be contacting the rental office about your dog and the police if the noise continues after ten I don’t work regular hours so please be considerate thanks 201#”  (verbatim)

July 12, 2010
As I’m returning from walking my dog in the afternoon, I see #201.  I stopped her on the stairs by the mailbox and said, “Hi….Sandra?  I’m your upstairs neighbor.  I REALLY don’t like this animosity that we have between us… what can we do to work this out?”  She shakes her head, obviously annoyed.  I said, “Look – I don’t know how you feel about this, but my suggestion would be for you to tape your schedule on my door… that way, I can work around it.  If I know you’ll be home at night, I’ll be more cautious.  And days that you’re not working, I’ll try to take my dog to work with me.”  She said, “Yeah, it’s just hard because I don’t work typical hours, I just want my rest.”  I said, “Sure, I get it – has my dog been crying lately?”  She says, “No, actually – he doesn’t really cry that much anymore.”  I said, “Yeah, maybe he’s used to the place now.”  Then out of the blue, after we’ve made small talk and are amicable with one another she said, “I think I heard your guests over the weekend…. Did you have guests?”  I replied, “No… I didn’t have any over – I was barely here this past weekend.”  She asked again, “You didn’t have guests?  You didn’t have black guests?  I’m sure I heard black people.”  While I was shaking my head, “No, no I didn’t have any guests… perhaps they were my neighbor?”  She asked, “Are your neighbors black?”  I responded, “No…. no, they’re not black..”  And she adamantly said, “I heard black people, they were loud.”

July 31, 2010
I come home to a blue sheet of paper on my door from the San Francisco Department of Animal Care.  It said, “Call 554-9400 to set up an appt to meet with any officer”

August 16, 2010
I had to take off from work so that I Officer O’Brian and his colleague could “interview” me at my place.  They said my neighbor complained and told them that I lock my dog in the bathroom all day and he cries.  The neighbor was afraid that I was abusing the dog.  After 5 minutes of talking with me, Officer O’Brian and his colleague apologized for wasting my time because I clearly take care of my dog and he has a safe, loving place.  They could not find any reason to give me a citation.

September 11, 2010
“your dog has been crying since 328am I have talked to you about this problem in the past.  I will be filing a complaint with Laramar and animal control  Thank you 201” (verbatim)

I ignored this complaint completely – I stayed at my boyfriend’s place September 10 – 11, and I had my dog with me.  Whatever crying she heard since 3:28am was NOT my dog.

September 20, 2010
I’m barely getting out of the shower at 10pm and my boyfriend and my dog are on my bed.  I hear loud “thuds” from the living room and I assume that #201 is knocking her ceiling… again.  Once out of the shower, I walk into my bedroom/ living room and ask my boyfriend, “Was the dog running around?”  He replied, “No, he’s been laying here with me on the bed.”  Then I ask, “Was downstairs knocking us?!?”  My boyfriend responds, “Yeah, it just came out of no where.”  Nearly 20 minutes later, the knocking happens again – with no rhyme or reason.  Officer Petrol arrives at my door at 11pm and tries to mediate situations.

September 21, 2010
You guys leave a note on my door.

—-

This is all completely ridiculous.  The message below is the original message I sent to Laramar notifying you guys of the initial situation.  I’ve lived in apartments in the past and I’ve NEVER had issues with neighbors like I have with #201.  I’ve *TRIED* to take the high road and ATTEMPTED to make amends with #201 (see July 12, 2010).  While I thought we were communicating and being civil, she calls the Animal Care Department and tells them lies about me abusing my dog.

I understand we’re all entitled to our peace, but she’s constantly disturbing my peace when she’s banging her ceiling wall.  I’m upset at myself that I didn’t call the police every time she had a banging hiatus because now it’s her word against mine.

I recorded my dog all day today – I have 8 hours of footage of him sleeping, getting up and walking around.

I am incredibly disappointed with Laramar.  Since I came home to find a note on my door warning me, “Three day notice to perform covenants or quit” gives me the assumption that you already feel that I am at fault when I have done nothing wrong.  How dare you “remind me of my responsibilities” when #201 has not fulfilled hers?  I have not done anything during late night hours that can be constituted as “offensive behavior” or “disturbing” – unless I’m not allowed to have sex in my own apartment.

I demand PROOF of all the complaints #201 has on me.  I need sound recordings that CLEARLY indicate I am causing a disturbance.

I refuse to live threatened by my neighbor, erroneous calls from any police official and leasing agents that clearly don’t know what they’re falsely accusing me of.  I strongly suggest you handle this situation by either:
1.)  Voiding all future complaints from #201 and dealing with her crazy imaginary black voices/ sounds in her head
2.)  Release me from my lease and refund my full deposit

I will be in your office at 1500 Franklin Street at 9am on Wednesday, Sept 22 to discuss this situation.

Regards,
TLBooey
[address with apt#]
[phone number]

———- Forwarded message ———-

From: TLBOOEY <myaddress@gmail.com>

– Hide quoted text –

Date: 18 May 2010 11:33

Subject: Fwd: WTH

To: “REP” <@laramargroup.com>

Sarah,

Can you help me with this?  I forgot to copy you on this.

TLBOOEY

———- Forwarded message ———-

From: TLBOOEY <myaddress@gmail.com>

Date: 18 May 2010 01:53

Subject: WTH

To: REP <@loanhunting.com>

Hi Greg,

Hope you’re doing well!  Situation – My downstairs neighbor is tripping.  I need to add a dog to my lease.  I looked through my lease agreement and it says I don’t have a dog.  Well, I do.  If I need to pay a deposit – let me know.

My downstairs neighbor #201 has been a pain the day I moved in.  A couple days after I moved in, I had my couch professionally cleaned.  The guy came at 9am and started his work about 9:30am.  The lady downstairs comes running up and knocking on my door (like the police) and says I woke her up.  I apologized profusely and offered to leave a note if I did anything like this again.  And she goes on to tell me that she works at night and sleeps in the morning.  I tried to be amicable and told her that I’ll do what I can to keep it down.

There’s been MANY instances where I’m cleaning (vacuuming) and putting things together in the afternoon (7pm) and she knocks me!  You know, when they use a broom or a stick and hit it against the ceiling.  Today between 6:30pm – 9:00pm she left me a note on the door.  It says:

“I think its incredibly rude that you allow your dog to  cry all day and let him run around after 10pm you should more considerate about your neigbors underneath you.  I will be contacting the rental office about your dog and the police if the noise continues after ten I don’t work regular hours so please be considerate thanks 201#”  (verbatim)

What the hell am I supposed to do?  Cage my dog by 10pm?  I pay rent just like the next person.  If she has a problem with my noise, she should move where she doesn’t have someone living above her.  If my dog was truly THAT much of a nuisance, the people next door would have said something – but they haven’t.  It’s not my fault that the lady doesn’t work regular hours.  I can’t tiptoe around my house.  Every time I accidently drop something, she knocks me.

What do you suggest I do?

TLBOOEY