Screaming Child Next Door..Can Anything Be Done? (apartment complex, tenants, evict)
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Live in a very large apartment complex, with clearly bad insulation.
Neighbors next door moved in about 8 months ago -- with a screaming child. Saw the child in the hallway several times and would estimate that the child is about 2 years old (not an infant, but not old enough to be in school). The child screamed routinely during the morning and during the evening/night (latest I heard him screaming was around 11 pm). It is a full, throaty scream. At the time, I was trying to get enough information to adequately complain to building management (as in, during this week, I was disturbed X number of times), when the screaming stopped and the child disappeared (roughly a month later).
However, the other day, the child returned and continued screaming -- enough so I heard the screaming (from inside their apartment) down the entire hallway. The screaming is worst during the morning hours (7-10) and evening (5-7; occasionally later). At times, it sounds as if the parents are taking the child into the hallway to remove the noise from their apartment (not the best solution since that simply amplifies the noise). Since the child returned two days ago, my sleep has been interrupted (woken up during the morning -- 8 am -- by screaming -- have not heard any at night, but possibly too tired to hear).
Also, I occasionally telework from home and the screaming was so loud, it was heard during a teleconference (unfortunately, had to speak and couldn't mute my phone).
Is there anything that can be done? I am uncertain if two days is enough time to file a complaint with building management?
Move to a single house. That will 100% solve your problem.
Sadly, I don't think there is much you can do, kids make noise. Maybe this particular kid has some sort of development issues/retardation. If they are taking the kid out in the hallway to scream, that is totally uncool and behavior that should be stopped.
If you can hear him through the walls outside of quiet hours (check your locality or building management about this) then you are simply SOL. Again, kids make noise.
You can complain about it, but I'm not sure much will come off it.
Sounds like a hungry sleepy kids! Those time fit with meals & nap times. And times they be leaving & coming home. Perhaps those be great time to take breaks take walks LOL
Knock on the door and nicely ask the parents if there's anything they can do. There is little that the LL can do - the child is apparently making noise during daylight hours for the most part - other than maybe move you to another unit further away.
Google for sound absorbing foam panels. They are usually gray or black foam sections that you can place near the walls/noise areas. They won't absorb all the noise, but they will make it somewhat quieter.
Also, the more fabric you have in your apartment, the better for sound absorption. Sound amplifies/bounces off hard surfaces such as tile, glass, walls. If you have rugs, furniture, drapery, it will be quieter if you have none of these fabrics to absorb the sound.
Here is a sample of some more decorative sound absorbing foam panels that you can hang on your walls.
For an inexpensive way to reduce the sound, get some of that eggcrate shaped foam bed padding that is sold next to the pillows at places like Walmart and Target.
the poor kid. That level/freqency of screaming is not normal. I would mention it the land lord in writing. Kids/adults cry scream make noise from time to time but what you're describing is cearly "distrubing the peace". You would be forced to put up with an out of control barking dog or raging adult. The kid and parents need help, prehaps this may be a push in right direction.
the poor kid. That level/freqency of screaming is not normal. I would mention it the land lord in writing. Kids/adults cry scream make noise from time to time but what you're describing is cearly "distrubing the peace". You would be forced to put up with an out of control barking dog or raging adult. The kid and parents need help, prehaps this may be a push in right direction.
Amen! IMO noise is noise. Unacceptable noise is unacceptable noise, whether kids or dogs or stereos. Talk to the management.
It's not discrimination regarding the kid at this point, as they have already been accepted as tenants, in case that's what you are thinking. People can be kicked out for having kids that disturb the neighbors. Kids that scream constantly are not a protected class.
I have zero tolerance for this type of thing. They either need to train the kid, or if it's an autistic child or whatever, they need to find housing where the child will not disturb others.
So, get on the management, complain and if necessary, ask to be relocated to another apartment.
Reasonable noise is to be expected in an apt building, but screaming is not reasonable noise.
Talk to the parents, for a kid to scream that much and that long isn't normal. If they won't do anything, complain to management. Quiet time is typically 10pm, but there's also a normal peace and quiet thing in your contract I hope.
I have nothing to really add here that already hasn't been, just know there are others out there who feel your pain and have gone through the exact same situation.
I'm sorry you have to deal with the constant interruptions to your living
There probably isn't anything the landlord can do.
Children make noise. The landlord can not evict a family just because they have children. It sounds like the child has some sort of mental disability. The landlrod can't evict the family just because the child is handicapped.
The parents can not stop the screaming, or they would have done so. Nobody wants to sit in their apartment with a shrieking child.
As a landlord, I do not like my odds of getting a judge to evict a family because their child makes noise. I wouldn't even bother to file for the eviction. It would be a waste of my time and money.
If the child has a handicap, the family will have some sort of social services lawyer to stand up for them and at that point, their lawyer might turn around and file a lawsuit against me for discrimination. I don't have to lose that lawsuit for it to cost me a fortune.
People who can't tolerate noise should not rent an apartment. People who must have quiet should be renting a single family home, located back from the neighbor places.
OP, contact your landlord and see if they will allow you out of the lease. Other than that, I suggest some good quality earplugs.
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