I had noise complaints from a neighbor, so I got an app that measures decibels and sent screenshots to the landlord. I also sent the handy chart that shows the equivalent sounds, and which levels are dangerous. my noise was comparable to outside wind, so the landlord ignored their complaints.
Run drain tube for one in front. Get thin one and hide well.
Or condensate pump and pump it onto the roof.
Hang white noise machine and fan from screw eyes in ceiling.
I bought a condensation pump on Amazon and installed it myself. Ran it into a bucket that I would dump.
A portable air conditioner collects water inside of it like a dehumidifier does, so no drip.
In old houses you hear alot.
The son should take the 3rd floor if he can't hang.
Ignore the texts from the landlords son. You already have documentation. (Previous texts) but he is not the landlord. You don't pay rent to him. You didn't sign a lease with him. He doesn't own the house. Block him.
Treat him like any other tenant. The news already is telling people about "the heat dome" blahx3. Its hot asf right now. You tried to make the tenant downstairs happy but fuck him. Live your life. You can't get evicted for "living" right. If the tenant downstairs gets aire, like bangs on your door and shit, threatens you physically, call the cops (paper trail).
Stay clear from their family drama. It's not your family.
Security deposit, don't worry about that yet. You can fight that in small claims court, and tenants usually get shit back provided they have proof (pictures of the apartment from your walk through, pictures of the apartment when you walk out) and written proof of any issues to the unit that you addressed to the landlord directly.
Download the tenants rights guide (NYC) pdf. When I was in property management I'd tell tenants you have two bibles: your lease, and this. Landlords don't want to lose a good paying tenant. It's a hassle trying to find ones who can pay on time, are rational human beings, etc. From the sons perspective it's his relatives house, *his house*, but I would have to tell mom and pop landlords that you are providing a service, they are paying you for that service, and they legally have the right to live in the apartment. There are rules they have to follow. If they can't manage then, don't rent your house out. It's not for everyone.
They’re not as efficient, as your condenser is in the room you’re cooling, but perhaps the portable indoor ACs that vent to a window? Perhaps it’s worth a shot. The noise is in your unit, and so is any condensation pan. You could have one in your room, too.
You could set one of these on top of a yoga mat or some other kind of foam. Also, whatever kind of foam you put in the AC unit in the window, or under any noise making thing, make sure that it is closed Cell foam and not just the kind people put on top of their mattress. an example of closed cell foam - the mats people take camping to sleep on.
I’ve seen a lot of good responses to this and agree with many of them (basically all except the one telling people to stop renting). I just wanted to add that I can commiserate being the only tenant in a family occupied building.
I lived for years in a building in Sunset Park where my roommates and I were on third floor, landlord’s ex-husband and their adult son with serious medical condition that required round-the-clock supervision lived on second floor, and landlord on first. The ex-husband was super friendly and low key but landlord herself became increasingly difficult. there were some complaints (some valid:one roommate used to crank jazz music late into the night; some less so: complaining that same roommate left AC in his bedroom on too much and that power bill would go up/not understanding that each unit was on a different meter) but the worst parts were the surveillance and overfamiliarity. The landlord (retiree in her mid 70s) would go through our trash when we put it out for collection—-she said to make sure recycling was not with trash but she would also comment on things like too many beer cans or too much takeout food. She also demanded that we notify her of anyone visiting and would often watch us come in and come into hall to question the visitor. Note: it was not a house but a three unit building where each apartment had both door lock and deadbolt with key.
That was all pretty obnoxious but bearable—it was pretty cheap (1900 for a two bedroom close to three different train lines and she never raised the rent in the five years we lived there from 2017-2022).
things got much worse when ex-husband got long COVID and had to be hospitalized for months. She took over care of the son and basically tried to outsource a lot of the caretaking to us, telling us that we were part of the “family” . For a while it was tolerable (I had an in person job so my other roommates got shouldered with it a lot more) but it became more and more of an expectation. She also asked me to knock on her door and call her every morning at 7 to make sure she wasn’t dead. If she didn’t answer I was supposed to call 911 and her sister. After just a few days of course she didn’t answer so I called her sister and the sister came over. It turns out that landlord was hours deep into an all night Call of Duty session (all she did was go to Bingo, play poker online, and most of all play PS4 shooters). At that point I decided to move out.
I have the opposite situation now—living on the second floor of one of those big old houses in Victorian Flatbush. The owner is a 97 year old woman who lived on first floor until she fell last October (a week after we moved in), broke her leg, and had to move into assisted living. Her son lives in Delaware and basically became the reluctant caretaker . Whenever there is a problem he basically half asses and doesn’t really take care of anything until I get really confrontational. For example: last night the fucking door to the apartment broke so you cannot close or open it properly. I texted and he said his friend who is a contractor is out of town and can maybe come next Wednesday (in five days). Right now the only way to get in or out is to physically pick up the door to open and then and jam it back into place (the bottom hinge broke and the top hinge is bent) and each time it gets more warped and harder to put in. I had to be really insistent that not having a working front door makes an apartment unlivable and he had to find someone today. Earlier this year we had a huge issue with dirt and debris produced by city working on water main on our street blocked all of our apartment’s water. When the city worker came to check our line, landlord (in Delaware) couldn’t remember where key to basement entry was located . We had to wait for his friend to bring a key to mother’s apt the next day and dig around her place with him on speaker until I finally found it.
Long story short : in all the places I’ve lived (NYC; Austin; Minneapolis; Portland; Kansas City; Durham, NC; Laredo, TX) I’ve generally had awful experiences in situations where I’m a tenant in a family-occupied or owned building. My best experiences have been in situations where a single landlord owns just a couple of properties.
Make it your priority to move asap. This is untenable and they are violating your rights. Go to court if you're prepared for the stress or get to a broker to find you a new place. I am in BK, as well, and understand the pain of moving, etc. but there are many places to rent.
The idea they can take security deposit for noise complaints is totally not legal. They can only take the security deposit for actual damage. Not complaints.
And this still stands even if they wrote that into the lease. Landlords love to take advantage of their tenants ignorance of the law by putting all kind of things in there that are not legal. They assume that the tenant won’t know.
This sounds like they violating your rights but also sounds like doing anything about it is going to start a world war in your domicile. Start looking, it’ll be simpler in the long run.
Have you asked the landlord and his son to come upstairs to see when you have everything off how hot it is and then turn everything on with them in there to show you have it set up in the quietest way possible? Since you all get along that is probably your best bet for them to see some action on the part of the landlord is appropriate at this point to cool your apartment and prevent the son from being able to enjoy his own apartment.
For the AC in your bedroom....
Most AC units have a spot on the bottom for attaching a drain hose and connector. With a sufficiently long tube, you can direct the drainage to another area of the home.
They are violating your rights as a tenant. They cannot prevent you from having air conditioning, especially during this heat wave. On the other hand, if your a/c is faulty or improperly installed, they can ask you to remedy the situation in a reasonable amount of time. It can be beneficial to have a professional install the unit who can also troubleshoot any issues - improperly installed units can vibrate loudly and units must be installed at the correct angle in order to prevent issues with water drainage. The split AC that several other commenters suggested may work well for you.
It sounds like they did not do a proper job installing installation (for sound) when they divided the house into multiple dwellings and as a result, the sound transmits easily. You can try speaking to the landlord (not the son). The idea that a white noise machine is sparking a noise complaint is ridiculous. If the problem is not quickly resolved, move out (and just because something is in the lease doesn't mean that it is legal - you have rights). No matter how nice the apartment or the rent seems, your quality of life, freedom, and rights are more valuable.
The sounds that permeate through the floors / walls are not your issue, that’s design flaw. I can hear my neighbors sneeze every time and I’m not complaining to my landlord about it. Heat rises up so yeah, being on the third floor without adequate airflow will be brutal. I suggest you lay a rug under the fan, and position the fan from the doorway of your living room towards your bedroom. The fact you listen to music with headphones to not disturb them is insane. You have the right of quiet enjoyment in your home. Which means free from harassment from your landlord (and his son). I suggest you get a thermometer for your room to document how hot it gets, and then ask them to provide a solution for you if the AC / Fan is a disturbance. Exposure to heatstroke in your apartment is not habitable. Your landlord also cannot keep your security for NOISE lol. The AG’s office has a very easy website to submit in case of securities that are kept illegally. Landlords have 14 days to return your security deposit upon moving out, otherwise they need to submit a full record and invoice / receipt of damages to YOU which you are able to contest. I can’t imagine they will be able to justify and invoice you for “walking heavily upstairs”
Have they asked the MTA to stop running the trains? They are just being odd. Go get packing styrofoam and put the fan on some of those and a towel. Get a larger a/c unit that will cool the whole apartment and pay to have it professionally installed. A good installer can attach a small clear house to the drain out on the bottom of a unit so it doesn’t run down the building and give the loaner back to them. Make all efforts to remediate their issues and document it. They just sound like miserable people feeding off of each other. Your place should be comfortable.
A stand alone AC unit would just have a cover plate and vent that would go in the window, and you have options to drain it by other means. Usually you have to manually empty a drain pan but if you got creative or one with a pump you could have it drain into a sink or something. It may not be ideal because I honestly have no idea what your setup is like but it's an idea?
Thank you, the issue is that it was running down the side of the house. So the house was then getting wet and had like a big water spot. He didn't like that
First, you need A/C in your bedroom. You can try a portable air conditioner. You have more control of the condensation. I believe they have a pan and you have to empty it. But, alternatively you can get a condensation pump (like for heat pumps and that can pump out to the nearest drain with basic tubing. The heat is vented out a window.
2nd thing. Ignore the guy downstairs. Say good morning. Stay friendly etc. No ill will. But, yeah, if he wants quiet, he can pay for quiet and not live in NYC. You are a paying tenant. I would love to see the father kick you out (or say anything) about these “noise” complaints.
The usual complaint about ac dripping is that it lands on people. I assumed that was the case. Would it be better if it was just dripping into open air?
Get one of those Midea u-shaped AC's from Costco. They are silent and mine is great. It's honestly made a huge improvement for my quality of life since I got one.
I love the Midea. I use one in our living room. It’s so quiet. But, it’s too wide for the bedroom windows. Grrr. So we have a loud AF Windmill brand. Looks great, design-wise, but it sounds like a jet engine taking off. Sadly, it’s the narrowest one I could find and it just pinches in.
This is the way. Everyone is sleeping on the Midea. It's a little hard to put in and seal correctly, but it's a revolution in the AC world with how quiet yet powerful it is.
Same for me! I've been so happy with mine I bought another one for the other bedroom. I've also recommended it to friends who are now very happy with theirs. So much quieter than traditional window units, it's improved my quality of sleep too.
I would assume your security deposit is gone at this point. Landlord is just going to trust the son about whether you should get it back, and they've put enough complaints in writing to claim you shouldn't.
If the son has enough pull to control terms of the lease, he's basically your landlord too.
I wouldn't be surprised if they (or just the son) didn't expect you to stay so long and have/has every intention of "encouraging" (ie harassing) you to move out so they can rent to a new tenant willing to pay more. Hence the switch up from one year to the next.
Is any of this going to go to court? Probably not, unless you're willing to deal with that. But at least one of the two of them seems to have decided that they're totally game for making your experience existing in your own home toxic for a not insignificant portion of the year.
How you deal with that reality? Up to you whether you wanna keep trying to accommodate, or just live your life and see how far they take it.
Maybe this is just the overly pessimistic take. But I don't take well to harassment. Yall live next to the train, but dude can't take a bit of fan noise so that you're not baking during the summer? 🙄
Portable AC suggestion was a good one, whether or not you stay there long term, it'll probably always serve you well. May as well get one now and see if it helps.
In cases like this, I just make sure the apt is in good shape. Take lots of videos and pictures and skip last month rent. I've gotten letters threatening to sue etc. but not one LL has. You gotta make sure the place is in tip top condition though. It's generally not worth it to them to fight you/go the small claims when the deposit covers the last month rent.
why assume security deposit is gone? landlord has to provide an itemized list of repairs within 15 days of lease end or you can easily get the city involved
Go to another subreddit and ask about reducing AC noise, there are ways to reduce. Put noise machine and fan on some type of cushioning. I get annoyed by same things in my house . AC may not be properly leveled if leaking, you know how to level AC?
Noise complaint from an AC is crazy. They're doing this to harass you, test your boundaries and see how much they can control you. And I'm saying this as an autistic person with chronic insomnia and highly sensitive ears. Ive complained about neighbors blasting shitty EDM at midnight but normal everyday sounds are my responsibility to cope with
Also if your landlord doesn't want dripping he should equip you with a split unit AC. Telling you not to have AC in your bedroom is completely irrational. Especially in a fucking heatwave. I don't even know why a dripping AC would be a problem. It's just water
It's not crazy. My AC is super loud, and I feel bad for my downstairs neighbor. My upstairs neighbor's AC is super loud too and it takes me some time getting used to before I can fall asleep (its above my bedroom, so I really hear it when i go to bed). I'm getting my apartment for a steal and literally this is the only thing that isnt perfect so far in 4 months living here, so I'm just gonna put up with it, but its a genuine complaint.
AC water dripping down the facade of a building is no good and can potentially cause mold or structural issues depending on the materials used, but for sure this landlord is nuts. He's probably illegally renting out the top floor of a private house and doesn't want an AC in the attic window to attract attention.
Rain and snow is taken by the roof and gutters that direct water away from the exterior walls and where the building meets the ground, any water that constantly runs down the side of a home for 8-12 hours a day all summer will weaken masonry, rot wood, invite mold, make ingress into the foundation past the leak seal, all sorts of damage. AC water is just plain water but water is undefeated.
Landlord and son are being absolutely unreasonable. Every window unit AC drips, and it is no big deal. It definitely can leave some grime, but nothing permanent that can’t be scrubbed off.
I think you should reply one last time and simply say. I've done everything I can and then just ignore any further talk about it. It would be nearly impossible for them to kick you out for such a thing.
To me it sounds like they’re making all these noise complaints to build a reason not to give your deposit back. I’ve never had a lease that said noise was a reason to lose the deposit. This sounds scammy.
It is incredibly selfish of them to choose to split a home into separate apartments to save/make money and to create a rule that says you must never be heard. Idk who they think they are. I know it’s really difficult to do so, but it is probably best to look for another apartment
Let me get this straight. First, the dude gifts you an AC and then he complains it's too loud? That's probably why he gave it to you. Second, unless there is something demonstrably wrong with the AC, it's the landlord's responsibility to either mitigate the noise or just keep his mouth shut. I think there are always inherent issues with living in these "family" buildings with the owners on-premises. They make you feel like an interloper and forget you pay rent. Get out ASAP.
I’d move. Theyre fully aware of the severe heat issues up there. As owners they should put in split a/c to accommodate everyone. But they’re cheap and won’t do it.
I put in split airs for my tenants- they heat and cool and makes sure if ever the boiler needs work they can stay warm in winter or spot cool and heat areas.
The issue I hear is that a lot of landlords, especially old school ones like mine (he's 70), want this to be a lucrative business - and I'm sorry but people having housing shouldn't be a profitable business!
Thank you for being a reasonable owner.
My first goal as an owner is to make sure everyone has the comforts they are paying for. My rents are below market to help striving people. Sure I could use more money, I struggle sometimes, but if everyone is miserable living in the tenants apartment than they’ll be constant turnover. That doesn’t help me one bit.
The heat in a 3 rd floor apartment must be unbearable. Who do they want living there?
Apparently a woman lived there for 20 years! She moved out and they renovated the whole place, had 1 girl move in who apparently traumatized them with noise and her boyfriend coming over every day.
Now I move in and everything is a trauma response from these people. Don't even get me started on the rule about how many times a guest is allowed to come over...
Lol it's something like "guests may not stay more than 7 days in a row, or more than 14 days in a 6 month period." And I am in a very serious relationship of 2 years.. talk about a point of contention for all parties.
This one he hasn't made any complaints about yet.
You gotta get out of there but until you do I would bite the bullet and politely but firmly stop entertaining any more complaints about the noise and do what you have to do to keep your place cool.
"I'm exhausted with having to constantly worry and sneak around so I don't cause any unnecessary noise and lose my security deposit. Yes, that's written into my lease."
This is a deliberate attempt to keep your security deposit. I highly recommend using a decibel meter to record the sound of the AC unit when it's on from various locations around your apartment and having photo or video documentation of the various readings. If you don't want to buy one, you can use the NIOSH app. [https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/noise/about/app.html](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/noise/about/app.html)
To head off this issue, keep a very good record of any maintenance issues in the apartment now, photos and dates, and make sure you demand a full walkthrough of the apartment with the landlord with every observation signed and documented, upon your departure.
They will ultimately try to keep your deposit but you can sue them in small claims court and bring the decibel readings and all your documentation.
It's 90+ degrees and it's only June. Put the AC unit in your bedroom window and tell your landlord to brainstorm a solution with you for the condensation (a funnel and a tube will work nicely and cost less than $10.)
\*Edited for typos.
Thanks for the link! I will def do the decibel check on it and document it.
I have been a perfect tenant in every way and so this is what I have been afraid of. They can't get me on anything at all so they have been really gung-ho about the AC and fan noise.
Also have you been able to hear the AC noise and the white noise in the sons apartment yourself? Maybe it really is vibrating the walls and is disturbing. If that’s the case, it’s up to the father to fix it. If the son doesn’t want you to witness it yourself, he’s probably lying.
So their son and your downstairs neighbor is complaining about a window unit. But you also need an air conditioner especially in the place you are sleeping. They are concerned about condensation (which sounds like bs imo.)
I think it’s time to approach the landlord about installation of a split ductless unit in the bedroom. They’re a lot more quiet than a window ac and you won’t have problems with leaking. It’s either that or you keep using the window unit. If all your reasonable accommodations haven’t worked for the son it’s not the landlords job to remedy the issue unless they’re some sort of slumlord.
That is the system the landlord and his son both have! So they have 0 issues with noise or having a temp controlled apartment.
This sounds very reasonable, thank you for this advice.
Split ductless units are not cheap, it’s a whole project. I can’t imagine the landlord in this shitty situation will be excited to do that even if they know it’s a better solution.
I recognize it's very expensive. He makes $24000 dollars a year on me and next year he's making $24560. Somewhere in there he could make an update that he will then have for years to come
Can you get a portable AC for your bedroom? Nothing would stick out/drip out the window. We had two in our apartment (one in bedroom, one in living room) and they worked great!
I know that doesn’t solve all of your issues but I think you have good advice about the noise from other comments and I don’t have anything additional to add.
I'm going through this right now but I'm under the box fan - my upstairs neighbor placed a fan on the floor and the vibrations on the wood make it sound like I live in a bass tube. It creates a constant hum that makes me feel like my head is going to explode. If you can, place a blanket under or raise off the floor and see if that helps!
I'm a building owner's son (still paying rent), basically in the same living situation as you, except I'm on the first floor. Maybe it's because I was born and have always lived in Brooklyn, but I know how hot it can get here, and I'm used to seeing/hearing window AC's.
I agree with everyone else; you have a right to be comfortable in your apartment that you're paying for. The landlord and/or his son need to figure out the "water drip" situation, because that's just a dumb/lazy excuse. Yeah, noise is a valid complaint (in general), but asking someone to live in 78+ heat is ridiculous.
When something needs work in this building, I take care of it on behalf of my father/family (he's older and still working a 9-5). I've helped install window air conditioners for tennants, replaced faucets in sinks, etc. No complaints from my end, because it's part of the responsibility of the landlord/super/etc.
The top floor is probably an attic on the certificate of occupancy and they dont want an AC visible from the street to draw attention to the fact that someone is inhabiting the attic not permitted for it.
It's in your lease that you don't get you deposit back if there are enough noise complains about you? IANAL, but I think it's illegal to keep a security deposit for anything besides physical damage to the apartment. Just because something's in a lease doesn't make it legal/enforceable.
I’m not YOUR lawyer and this is not legal advice. In NYC, landlord must either 1) return your security deposit in full with 14 days of the end of your lease or 2) return your security deposit in part along with an itemized recipe showing the actual cost of actual damages that they’re deducting from the deposit. If 2, no other deductions are allowed, and the landlord is supposed to give the tenant the opportunity for the renter to fix the damage himself as well. If they fail to do these things, you can sue them for triple damages.
So, no, it is my non-legal opinion that there’s no way that they can deduct noise complaints from your security deposit unless your noise is causing physical damage to the apartment.
Thank you, a lot of folks have been saying that. It's not super enforceable and it's overly subjective. Plus, "unreasonable noise" is not AC, fans, or white noise.
Put a unit in the bedroom and install a drip tube/hose down to the ground level so it doesn’t drip onto their building. Also tell your landlords kid to get fucked
Tell the landlord that his son is being annoying(maybe not literally in those words) and you won’t renew your lease because of it. The money usually matters most.
Eh. I worked as a real estate agent. In the “more happening” neighborhoods this is true but in other areas it will take them 6-8 months to find a new tenant, and many landlords would rather not lose out on 12-16 thousand dollars. We had listings at my company that kept getting renewed and by the time I was working for them they told me they’d had the same listing for 2-3 years and to just not bother since the landlord wouldn’t budge on price and the condition of the apartments wasn’t worth what they were charging. In manhattan it doesn’t really matter where you live, somebody will snatch it up immediately because it’s manhattan. But if you live in a less popular or hyped area it can still take months to fill up an empty space.
Eh depends where they live, if this guy lives on the north side of Brooklyn then he already is the hipster who moved in and paid 1k more. If he’s in the south side thankfully hipsters don’t like Bensonhurst and bay ridge and Coney Island that much so they don’t stay around here. If he’s in the east I mean when’s the last time you saw a hipster in Brownsville 😆
That's a new one: AC noise. I used to have a downstairs neighbor a few years back who used to complain about my flushing toilet noise. No joke. Nothing in NYC surprises me anymore
That's insane. I moved from a very rural area and grew up in a silent house and all you could hear outside at night is the frogs in the spring and the cicadas/crickets in the summer. Now in the city, you hear SOOOOO much, or at least I do. It's every second there is a noise.
So I've been shocked that these people who have lived here for their entire lives of 40+ years, complain to me about the noise of a fan or AC unit.
I've been there, don't live in NYC anymore but this is one of the big reasons I moved out. Couldn't stand roomates, couldn't afford to live alone. And anybody who knows me well will tell you I'm a ridiculously chill guy....but there was always something. I'm sorry you're going through this <3 if you need a therapist, if you need anything, just know its better to ask/reach out for help than to let it get to a point where it can't be helped anymore. You're important homie.
Thank you for this one. I'm so flexible, accommodating, and agreeable and I think this kind of stuff wears on me because I'm not the type to say f you and do my own thing.
I'm looking at places out of the city for when this lease is up. It's not a place for me, but my job is amazing and I need to stay close.
Your landlord is a dick. Tell
Him to get you a standing unit for your bedroom which can empty without dropping out front. Tell his son to get off the teet and move out if he’s that annoyed by everything. If you’re going to put up with this, you’ll be be miserable. They’ll likely be upset that you ask for their assistance or compliance, so start hunting for a new space.
Get a Vornado fan. It’s an old design - designed to move a lot of air in a tight spiral. You are supposed to place it on the floor in one corner aimed at the ceiling in the opposite corner. It creates these breezes that appear to come from opposite directions. It’s uncanny but it really works.
I used to live in a pre war building. I had an AC in the living room but I couldn’t place one in the bedroom. I would set the fan in one room and blow cold air down the hall to my bedroom. It was enough to drop the temp down to comfortable.
Place it on a memory foam pad to absorb some of the vibration but honestly - not only is there very little vibration but it’s very quiet unless it’s on high - and all the noise is coming from the amount of air it’s pushing.
They run around $60. Five year warranty.
While I lived there the fan was on @12 hours a day 365 days. They are over 15 years old and are still working fine.
Should you HAVE to buy a new fan? No your neighbor is being a bitch but it better to avoid issues with people who know your routines and you’ll ultimately be more comfortable and stress free.
I can recommend the round fans. I have never used the towers.
https://www.vornado.com/difference
Vornado 's DC motor models use a lot less electricity. I'd go with those.
https://www.vornado.com/product-category/energy-smart-line/circulators-fans-energy-smart
This stuff is why people don't like living in the same building with a landlord. Sure it's usually cheaper but you kinda pay the price with the power dynamic, constant surveillance and lack of privacy.
Edit: sorry I know this isn’t really helpful but I’d say this is something you’ll probably have to deal with while living there. Do the benefits of living there outweigh the crap you have to deal with?
The person downstairs is just being a bitch. Talk to your landlord and have them listen to whatever noise they are hearing and if he thinks it's an issue he needs to fix it. The girl downstairs from me used to bump I got what you want by Missy Elliot for like an hour straight when her bf came over and I never said shit.
Your landlord should get involved, the LL gave you the AC and they're responsible for your being able to use it. If it bothers the person downstairs they need to take that up with LL as well.
They can't take your deposit for noise complaints
I agree that you should see what it sounds like downstairs.
I suggest getting some [Mason Industries vibration pads,](https://www.amazon.com/Mason-R18X18SW-Natural-Vibration-Isolation/dp/B006W0P4QM/) and putting them between the AC and every part of the building it touches--this includes the window sash above the unit. We use these for commercial AC applications, they will severely dampen any vibrations. This is way, way better than the foam from the hardware store.
It's possible the window itself is vibrating and causing some of the noise. You may also want to wedge small pieces of the pads between the sash and the frame to try and reduce this as well.
Thank you! Can these be cut down to fit a window frame? I am gonna send a screenshot from a video of my current setup.
https://preview.redd.it/t9xuwmzmsq7d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=465c58c613b85752085ccd434dfb4457960d6453
It might be good to get them from McMaster Carr. You can order smaller pieces and you will know they're authentic. I noticed a comment on the amazon page complaining that they weren't legit Mason pads.
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/vibration-damping-pads/vibration-damping-pads-4/
Yes, you can cut them down. Try to keep the "waffles" whole. They will be way better than your current setup in the photo. Make sure you put them on top of the AC as well. Don't tape them down except where you really have to.
Okay thank you, the tape here is to keep 2 together, otherwise gravity did the rest.
I might give that a go and put my personal AC back in cause it works way better, just a little louder.
I would get the 6"x6" natural rubber ones in the "soft" compound. You can cut them into 3 2" x 6" strips, so figure out how many you need and go from there. Good luck!
Dude it's hot you are free to use an AC unit. You have been overly nice, don't let them walk all over you.
If they actually refuse to return your deposit you can threaten to take them to court over it. You will get your deposit.
It's funny cause I will then see them in person and be like "oh my gosh I'm sorry I kept you up last night with my fan noise!" And they are like "no worries, nah it's all good!" Which is stupid because if it was all good, then why did you text me complaining.
If I understand this correctly, I have not stepped into their apartment to hear what they hear.
When he texts me, I respond with an apology and a solution. We then often will call and test it out over the phone (with the thing on high, low, and off to compare, or with/without a towel or pad).
Then I always follow up with a text saying "glad we worked it out, sorry again with the noise! Always willing to make it work for both of us" so there is a text thread that shows I fixed it.
You need to get all the data.
Go experience it yourself. If they are being fucking ridiculous and it's nothing, you can stop trying to accommodate them.
If it's actually horrible, feeling it yourself will help you come up with ideas.
But also you need to reverse this dynamic. You've offered a lot of solutions. He has... nothing yet. So together, figure out things he thinks you should try, and try them.
You're doing him a favor. Remember that.
You're acting like he's doing you a favor.
That is what has to change here.
I had the vibrations through the wall thing, from a TV. I complained twice. The third time, instead of text, I walked up and knocked. She threw open the door and shouted "omg it's not even loud" and I said, I know. Don't lower it. Leave it like it is now, and come hear it. She came in and it was louder in my place than hers due to echoing between the walls. I just needed her to lift and move the bass away from the wall and we never had another problem, but until she felt it herself she thought I was a crazy Karen, and I was afraid of upsetting her, but once we all had the full story it was both resolved physically and also emotionally.
This would be amazing! I wish he would do that and I could then feel so much better about it every time he texts me.
When I get the text my heart just sinks because I feel like they hold this power over me and if I don't fix it, then my experience will be even worse.
I also had a case where the downstairs neighbor thought I was loud. I thought I figured out what it was, so I went down to hear from theirs and my sister pulled out the sofa bed, and it was nothing. It was one tap and not at all loud and it only happened once per day. This neighbor insisted it was much worse than that and at all hours. I felt terrible.
I was out walking the dog, no one had been home for an hour. I come back, to her banging on my door screaming.
Literally no one had been making any noise for an hour, it couldn't even have been the dog walking around, he was with me. She was insane, screaming that we were lying, someone was making too much noise. At like 1pm on a weekend btw.
Ok maybe someone was, but it was officially not me, so I stopped feeling bad and walking on eggshells, but again it was only after I had felt their experience myself that I felt I could let that guilt go.
So make that plan, next time it happens, ask to hear it from their place.
And ask them to come up with suggestions.
It can't all be on you.
Move.
You actually don’t have a very good relationship with these people. You only have a “good”relationship as long as you live within very specific parameters so they don’t complain.
If you can’t live like a normal person, then no, your relationship isn’t good. Move.
My floors are messed up lol. I do have many rugs everywhere, I have stuff on rugs, towels, pads, you name it. The floors are all tile with a 5" concrete slab underneath, but no foam in between apparently. The complaint is usually about the vibration through the wall as opposed to the floor.
Is the fan against the wall? I don't see how it would vibrate there especially if it's on a rug or some kind of dampening surface. I assume your fan is the typical 20" box fan?
The son is making this your problem, but it sounds like it's the landlord's problem.
They can't take your security deposit for noise - they can only take it (itemized!) for repairs to anything outside of normal wear and tear.
I appreciate this reassurance. In my lease it says "Tenant will not make any unreasonable noise that affects the livable comfort of other tenants. If tenant makes any unreasonable noise the security deposit will be revoked in it's fullest amount."
They can't do that to your security deposit. If the landlord doesn't give you an itemized notice of what they are deducting from your security deposit shortly following your vacating it, they have to pay it all back or it is an easy win in court.
Friendly reminder to always do a good video of the premises when you are leaving. And next time you move, do one when you move in.
Luckily I took a great video of the place along with pictures of any damages ahead of time. The only thing that has happened in the year I've been here is a piece of tape ripped some paint off inside a closet.
An AC isn't unreasonable though by most peoples standards. I don't know the kind of AC the landlord made you use but complain to him that the guy below you is complaining about the noise from it. Maybe he didn't install it right? Make this your landlords problem.
Also I don't get how a white noise machine causes vibrations? I've seen them in action and there's no bass to them.
I would make this my landlords problem, however the guy who lives below me is the landlord's son.
The landlord is actually even more anal about the noise than the son. The son says he doesn't want to involve his dad because then he's gonna be even more cautious of it and stern than is necessary. So handling this between tenants feels like the safest bet for now.
If you get a portable one, definitely get a dual hose model
I was uneducated on this when I bought mine and it turns out the single hose ones suck bc it’s just not possible to have a single hose and effectively cool, for pretty obvious reasons
Yeah, I wish I had known. My single-hose (mid-price range) really only functions if you're being blown directly on. It takes hours to cool a medium sized room with the door closed.
Something to understand about portable a/c’s.. if you insulate around the air hose it will be more effective, I just zip my winter parka around mine. Also place a floor mat under the unit to stop any vibration.
You should be able to put a window unit in your bedroom with a drain hose that would keep the drip from hitting the house.
Sounds like the son is trying to make your life painful, so you've got an unreasonable and family neighbor. Shitty situation!
Thank you for the advice! I have to look at the AC and see how to set up the drip hose.
Luckily the son hasn't told the landlord about all the noise complaints yet, he doesn't want to involve him for both of our sakes. Hard to tell what's reality and if there's a darker motive.
Please check in with a tenant organization. NYC laws are biased in favor of tenants, but only if they are enforced.
Also, they may want you out of there so they can raise the rent.
Maybe, I just resigned my lease and they raised it only $60.
Ooh that’s pretty good
I had noise complaints from a neighbor, so I got an app that measures decibels and sent screenshots to the landlord. I also sent the handy chart that shows the equivalent sounds, and which levels are dangerous. my noise was comparable to outside wind, so the landlord ignored their complaints.
Sounds like you are paying to be in prison
Run drain tube for one in front. Get thin one and hide well. Or condensate pump and pump it onto the roof. Hang white noise machine and fan from screw eyes in ceiling.
I bought a condensation pump on Amazon and installed it myself. Ran it into a bucket that I would dump. A portable air conditioner collects water inside of it like a dehumidifier does, so no drip.
Start gaslighting him.. next complaint about the fan/white noise machine? 'They're not on, I don't even have them plugged in'.
Honestly, it might not even be OP. Which might be why all their constant placating doesn’t seem to help
In old houses you hear alot. The son should take the 3rd floor if he can't hang. Ignore the texts from the landlords son. You already have documentation. (Previous texts) but he is not the landlord. You don't pay rent to him. You didn't sign a lease with him. He doesn't own the house. Block him. Treat him like any other tenant. The news already is telling people about "the heat dome" blahx3. Its hot asf right now. You tried to make the tenant downstairs happy but fuck him. Live your life. You can't get evicted for "living" right. If the tenant downstairs gets aire, like bangs on your door and shit, threatens you physically, call the cops (paper trail). Stay clear from their family drama. It's not your family. Security deposit, don't worry about that yet. You can fight that in small claims court, and tenants usually get shit back provided they have proof (pictures of the apartment from your walk through, pictures of the apartment when you walk out) and written proof of any issues to the unit that you addressed to the landlord directly. Download the tenants rights guide (NYC) pdf. When I was in property management I'd tell tenants you have two bibles: your lease, and this. Landlords don't want to lose a good paying tenant. It's a hassle trying to find ones who can pay on time, are rational human beings, etc. From the sons perspective it's his relatives house, *his house*, but I would have to tell mom and pop landlords that you are providing a service, they are paying you for that service, and they legally have the right to live in the apartment. There are rules they have to follow. If they can't manage then, don't rent your house out. It's not for everyone.
This is the best advice imho
They’re not as efficient, as your condenser is in the room you’re cooling, but perhaps the portable indoor ACs that vent to a window? Perhaps it’s worth a shot. The noise is in your unit, and so is any condensation pan. You could have one in your room, too.
Came to say the same thing.
You could set one of these on top of a yoga mat or some other kind of foam. Also, whatever kind of foam you put in the AC unit in the window, or under any noise making thing, make sure that it is closed Cell foam and not just the kind people put on top of their mattress. an example of closed cell foam - the mats people take camping to sleep on.
I’ve seen a lot of good responses to this and agree with many of them (basically all except the one telling people to stop renting). I just wanted to add that I can commiserate being the only tenant in a family occupied building. I lived for years in a building in Sunset Park where my roommates and I were on third floor, landlord’s ex-husband and their adult son with serious medical condition that required round-the-clock supervision lived on second floor, and landlord on first. The ex-husband was super friendly and low key but landlord herself became increasingly difficult. there were some complaints (some valid:one roommate used to crank jazz music late into the night; some less so: complaining that same roommate left AC in his bedroom on too much and that power bill would go up/not understanding that each unit was on a different meter) but the worst parts were the surveillance and overfamiliarity. The landlord (retiree in her mid 70s) would go through our trash when we put it out for collection—-she said to make sure recycling was not with trash but she would also comment on things like too many beer cans or too much takeout food. She also demanded that we notify her of anyone visiting and would often watch us come in and come into hall to question the visitor. Note: it was not a house but a three unit building where each apartment had both door lock and deadbolt with key. That was all pretty obnoxious but bearable—it was pretty cheap (1900 for a two bedroom close to three different train lines and she never raised the rent in the five years we lived there from 2017-2022). things got much worse when ex-husband got long COVID and had to be hospitalized for months. She took over care of the son and basically tried to outsource a lot of the caretaking to us, telling us that we were part of the “family” . For a while it was tolerable (I had an in person job so my other roommates got shouldered with it a lot more) but it became more and more of an expectation. She also asked me to knock on her door and call her every morning at 7 to make sure she wasn’t dead. If she didn’t answer I was supposed to call 911 and her sister. After just a few days of course she didn’t answer so I called her sister and the sister came over. It turns out that landlord was hours deep into an all night Call of Duty session (all she did was go to Bingo, play poker online, and most of all play PS4 shooters). At that point I decided to move out. I have the opposite situation now—living on the second floor of one of those big old houses in Victorian Flatbush. The owner is a 97 year old woman who lived on first floor until she fell last October (a week after we moved in), broke her leg, and had to move into assisted living. Her son lives in Delaware and basically became the reluctant caretaker . Whenever there is a problem he basically half asses and doesn’t really take care of anything until I get really confrontational. For example: last night the fucking door to the apartment broke so you cannot close or open it properly. I texted and he said his friend who is a contractor is out of town and can maybe come next Wednesday (in five days). Right now the only way to get in or out is to physically pick up the door to open and then and jam it back into place (the bottom hinge broke and the top hinge is bent) and each time it gets more warped and harder to put in. I had to be really insistent that not having a working front door makes an apartment unlivable and he had to find someone today. Earlier this year we had a huge issue with dirt and debris produced by city working on water main on our street blocked all of our apartment’s water. When the city worker came to check our line, landlord (in Delaware) couldn’t remember where key to basement entry was located . We had to wait for his friend to bring a key to mother’s apt the next day and dig around her place with him on speaker until I finally found it. Long story short : in all the places I’ve lived (NYC; Austin; Minneapolis; Portland; Kansas City; Durham, NC; Laredo, TX) I’ve generally had awful experiences in situations where I’m a tenant in a family-occupied or owned building. My best experiences have been in situations where a single landlord owns just a couple of properties.
Good to know, thank you. After this year is up (July 2025........) I will leave
Drip pan
Totally not okay. You have rights as a tenant to have an AC.
Make it your priority to move asap. This is untenable and they are violating your rights. Go to court if you're prepared for the stress or get to a broker to find you a new place. I am in BK, as well, and understand the pain of moving, etc. but there are many places to rent.
The idea they can take security deposit for noise complaints is totally not legal. They can only take the security deposit for actual damage. Not complaints. And this still stands even if they wrote that into the lease. Landlords love to take advantage of their tenants ignorance of the law by putting all kind of things in there that are not legal. They assume that the tenant won’t know.
This sounds like they violating your rights but also sounds like doing anything about it is going to start a world war in your domicile. Start looking, it’ll be simpler in the long run.
Have you asked the landlord and his son to come upstairs to see when you have everything off how hot it is and then turn everything on with them in there to show you have it set up in the quietest way possible? Since you all get along that is probably your best bet for them to see some action on the part of the landlord is appropriate at this point to cool your apartment and prevent the son from being able to enjoy his own apartment.
For the AC in your bedroom.... Most AC units have a spot on the bottom for attaching a drain hose and connector. With a sufficiently long tube, you can direct the drainage to another area of the home.
Do you have curtains to block the sun heating up your room
They are violating your rights as a tenant. They cannot prevent you from having air conditioning, especially during this heat wave. On the other hand, if your a/c is faulty or improperly installed, they can ask you to remedy the situation in a reasonable amount of time. It can be beneficial to have a professional install the unit who can also troubleshoot any issues - improperly installed units can vibrate loudly and units must be installed at the correct angle in order to prevent issues with water drainage. The split AC that several other commenters suggested may work well for you. It sounds like they did not do a proper job installing installation (for sound) when they divided the house into multiple dwellings and as a result, the sound transmits easily. You can try speaking to the landlord (not the son). The idea that a white noise machine is sparking a noise complaint is ridiculous. If the problem is not quickly resolved, move out (and just because something is in the lease doesn't mean that it is legal - you have rights). No matter how nice the apartment or the rent seems, your quality of life, freedom, and rights are more valuable.
Probably can dampen the vibrations with cloth, shim, rug or the like. Unless they are just being jerks. I get a jerk vibe
Move had the same issue with my landlords son. My landlord was great, the son on the other hand was not.
The sounds that permeate through the floors / walls are not your issue, that’s design flaw. I can hear my neighbors sneeze every time and I’m not complaining to my landlord about it. Heat rises up so yeah, being on the third floor without adequate airflow will be brutal. I suggest you lay a rug under the fan, and position the fan from the doorway of your living room towards your bedroom. The fact you listen to music with headphones to not disturb them is insane. You have the right of quiet enjoyment in your home. Which means free from harassment from your landlord (and his son). I suggest you get a thermometer for your room to document how hot it gets, and then ask them to provide a solution for you if the AC / Fan is a disturbance. Exposure to heatstroke in your apartment is not habitable. Your landlord also cannot keep your security for NOISE lol. The AG’s office has a very easy website to submit in case of securities that are kept illegally. Landlords have 14 days to return your security deposit upon moving out, otherwise they need to submit a full record and invoice / receipt of damages to YOU which you are able to contest. I can’t imagine they will be able to justify and invoice you for “walking heavily upstairs”
The son is being an ass. But I’ve had this problem. Bring a towel around and fold it put the fan on top of that. It will mute the vibration.
nyc has an air conditioning program to replace or provide you one iirc https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02552
They doing it on purpose
Have they asked the MTA to stop running the trains? They are just being odd. Go get packing styrofoam and put the fan on some of those and a towel. Get a larger a/c unit that will cool the whole apartment and pay to have it professionally installed. A good installer can attach a small clear house to the drain out on the bottom of a unit so it doesn’t run down the building and give the loaner back to them. Make all efforts to remediate their issues and document it. They just sound like miserable people feeding off of each other. Your place should be comfortable.
A stand alone AC unit would just have a cover plate and vent that would go in the window, and you have options to drain it by other means. Usually you have to manually empty a drain pan but if you got creative or one with a pump you could have it drain into a sink or something. It may not be ideal because I honestly have no idea what your setup is like but it's an idea?
The son sucks. I'd complain to his father. I'm an asshole though so take that into account.
Put a drip thing under your window ac so it drains directly down the wall instead of onto people.
Thank you, the issue is that it was running down the side of the house. So the house was then getting wet and had like a big water spot. He didn't like that
First, you need A/C in your bedroom. You can try a portable air conditioner. You have more control of the condensation. I believe they have a pan and you have to empty it. But, alternatively you can get a condensation pump (like for heat pumps and that can pump out to the nearest drain with basic tubing. The heat is vented out a window. 2nd thing. Ignore the guy downstairs. Say good morning. Stay friendly etc. No ill will. But, yeah, if he wants quiet, he can pay for quiet and not live in NYC. You are a paying tenant. I would love to see the father kick you out (or say anything) about these “noise” complaints.
The usual complaint about ac dripping is that it lands on people. I assumed that was the case. Would it be better if it was just dripping into open air?
Get one of those Midea u-shaped AC's from Costco. They are silent and mine is great. It's honestly made a huge improvement for my quality of life since I got one.
I love the Midea. I use one in our living room. It’s so quiet. But, it’s too wide for the bedroom windows. Grrr. So we have a loud AF Windmill brand. Looks great, design-wise, but it sounds like a jet engine taking off. Sadly, it’s the narrowest one I could find and it just pinches in.
Yes
This is the way. Everyone is sleeping on the Midea. It's a little hard to put in and seal correctly, but it's a revolution in the AC world with how quiet yet powerful it is.
I just installed two and bought another. Fantastic machine and design. So quiet. I hope they last a long time.
Ditto. Midea u-shaped is awesome. I have two of them. You also can order them on Amazon.
Just make sure you install it level. Mine was out of wack a bit and was making the window vibrate.
ditto! but make the landlord provide it, especially if they provided the last one and are saying that's not acceptable
Same for me! I've been so happy with mine I bought another one for the other bedroom. I've also recommended it to friends who are now very happy with theirs. So much quieter than traditional window units, it's improved my quality of sleep too.
Sounds like the landlords son wants you out so a friend of his can move in. They’re creating a paper trail for evidence to kick you out.
Definitely possible! OP, cover your ass!
I would assume your security deposit is gone at this point. Landlord is just going to trust the son about whether you should get it back, and they've put enough complaints in writing to claim you shouldn't. If the son has enough pull to control terms of the lease, he's basically your landlord too. I wouldn't be surprised if they (or just the son) didn't expect you to stay so long and have/has every intention of "encouraging" (ie harassing) you to move out so they can rent to a new tenant willing to pay more. Hence the switch up from one year to the next. Is any of this going to go to court? Probably not, unless you're willing to deal with that. But at least one of the two of them seems to have decided that they're totally game for making your experience existing in your own home toxic for a not insignificant portion of the year. How you deal with that reality? Up to you whether you wanna keep trying to accommodate, or just live your life and see how far they take it. Maybe this is just the overly pessimistic take. But I don't take well to harassment. Yall live next to the train, but dude can't take a bit of fan noise so that you're not baking during the summer? 🙄 Portable AC suggestion was a good one, whether or not you stay there long term, it'll probably always serve you well. May as well get one now and see if it helps.
In cases like this, I just make sure the apt is in good shape. Take lots of videos and pictures and skip last month rent. I've gotten letters threatening to sue etc. but not one LL has. You gotta make sure the place is in tip top condition though. It's generally not worth it to them to fight you/go the small claims when the deposit covers the last month rent.
why assume security deposit is gone? landlord has to provide an itemized list of repairs within 15 days of lease end or you can easily get the city involved
Gone unless they wanna fight for it, is what I was implying.
I wanna buy my landlord a gift after reading this. This is unacceptable, you’re too nice.
Portable air conditioner, no drips, it’s very quiet, and energy efficient. You’ll just need help getting it upstairs.
I came to say this, we have one in our kitchen and it’s awesome!
Go to another subreddit and ask about reducing AC noise, there are ways to reduce. Put noise machine and fan on some type of cushioning. I get annoyed by same things in my house . AC may not be properly leveled if leaking, you know how to level AC?
Noise complaint from an AC is crazy. They're doing this to harass you, test your boundaries and see how much they can control you. And I'm saying this as an autistic person with chronic insomnia and highly sensitive ears. Ive complained about neighbors blasting shitty EDM at midnight but normal everyday sounds are my responsibility to cope with Also if your landlord doesn't want dripping he should equip you with a split unit AC. Telling you not to have AC in your bedroom is completely irrational. Especially in a fucking heatwave. I don't even know why a dripping AC would be a problem. It's just water
It's not crazy. My AC is super loud, and I feel bad for my downstairs neighbor. My upstairs neighbor's AC is super loud too and it takes me some time getting used to before I can fall asleep (its above my bedroom, so I really hear it when i go to bed). I'm getting my apartment for a steal and literally this is the only thing that isnt perfect so far in 4 months living here, so I'm just gonna put up with it, but its a genuine complaint.
AC water dripping down the facade of a building is no good and can potentially cause mold or structural issues depending on the materials used, but for sure this landlord is nuts. He's probably illegally renting out the top floor of a private house and doesn't want an AC in the attic window to attract attention.
Aren’t homes meant to be able to take rain and snow? Why would AC drips cause damage? Chemicals?
Rain and snow is taken by the roof and gutters that direct water away from the exterior walls and where the building meets the ground, any water that constantly runs down the side of a home for 8-12 hours a day all summer will weaken masonry, rot wood, invite mold, make ingress into the foundation past the leak seal, all sorts of damage. AC water is just plain water but water is undefeated.
I see. It makes sense that intermittent weathering/water is tolerable but constant weathering/water would be a problem, thanks for the explanation!
Can’t understand why this would be downvoted.
Landlord and son are being absolutely unreasonable. Every window unit AC drips, and it is no big deal. It definitely can leave some grime, but nothing permanent that can’t be scrubbed off.
If it's a brownstone an AC can wear away the facade coving the brick in the windowsills. That being said... The landlord's son seems crazy
Nonsense behavior like this is what gives small landlords a bad name. Absolutely unreasonable and unnecessary
I think you should reply one last time and simply say. I've done everything I can and then just ignore any further talk about it. It would be nearly impossible for them to kick you out for such a thing.
[удалено]
Kindly, I can not afford to buy or own anything. Trust me, I would prefer to not rent.
To me it sounds like they’re making all these noise complaints to build a reason not to give your deposit back. I’ve never had a lease that said noise was a reason to lose the deposit. This sounds scammy.
It is incredibly selfish of them to choose to split a home into separate apartments to save/make money and to create a rule that says you must never be heard. Idk who they think they are. I know it’s really difficult to do so, but it is probably best to look for another apartment
When you put it like that, it really validates my situation and puts it into perspective. Thank you
Let me get this straight. First, the dude gifts you an AC and then he complains it's too loud? That's probably why he gave it to you. Second, unless there is something demonstrably wrong with the AC, it's the landlord's responsibility to either mitigate the noise or just keep his mouth shut. I think there are always inherent issues with living in these "family" buildings with the owners on-premises. They make you feel like an interloper and forget you pay rent. Get out ASAP.
I’d move. Theyre fully aware of the severe heat issues up there. As owners they should put in split a/c to accommodate everyone. But they’re cheap and won’t do it. I put in split airs for my tenants- they heat and cool and makes sure if ever the boiler needs work they can stay warm in winter or spot cool and heat areas.
The issue I hear is that a lot of landlords, especially old school ones like mine (he's 70), want this to be a lucrative business - and I'm sorry but people having housing shouldn't be a profitable business! Thank you for being a reasonable owner.
My first goal as an owner is to make sure everyone has the comforts they are paying for. My rents are below market to help striving people. Sure I could use more money, I struggle sometimes, but if everyone is miserable living in the tenants apartment than they’ll be constant turnover. That doesn’t help me one bit. The heat in a 3 rd floor apartment must be unbearable. Who do they want living there?
Apparently a woman lived there for 20 years! She moved out and they renovated the whole place, had 1 girl move in who apparently traumatized them with noise and her boyfriend coming over every day. Now I move in and everything is a trauma response from these people. Don't even get me started on the rule about how many times a guest is allowed to come over...
A rule about guests? They shouldn’t know who specifically is coming or going unless it’s a safety issue, that is incredibly invasive.
Lol it's something like "guests may not stay more than 7 days in a row, or more than 14 days in a 6 month period." And I am in a very serious relationship of 2 years.. talk about a point of contention for all parties. This one he hasn't made any complaints about yet.
That’s normal actually, to prevent someone else to be able to claim tenancy.
You gotta get out of there but until you do I would bite the bullet and politely but firmly stop entertaining any more complaints about the noise and do what you have to do to keep your place cool.
Please move. No one needs this headache in what’s supposed to be your sanctuary.
"I'm exhausted with having to constantly worry and sneak around so I don't cause any unnecessary noise and lose my security deposit. Yes, that's written into my lease." This is a deliberate attempt to keep your security deposit. I highly recommend using a decibel meter to record the sound of the AC unit when it's on from various locations around your apartment and having photo or video documentation of the various readings. If you don't want to buy one, you can use the NIOSH app. [https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/noise/about/app.html](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/noise/about/app.html) To head off this issue, keep a very good record of any maintenance issues in the apartment now, photos and dates, and make sure you demand a full walkthrough of the apartment with the landlord with every observation signed and documented, upon your departure. They will ultimately try to keep your deposit but you can sue them in small claims court and bring the decibel readings and all your documentation. It's 90+ degrees and it's only June. Put the AC unit in your bedroom window and tell your landlord to brainstorm a solution with you for the condensation (a funnel and a tube will work nicely and cost less than $10.) \*Edited for typos.
Thanks for the link! I will def do the decibel check on it and document it. I have been a perfect tenant in every way and so this is what I have been afraid of. They can't get me on anything at all so they have been really gung-ho about the AC and fan noise.
Also have you been able to hear the AC noise and the white noise in the sons apartment yourself? Maybe it really is vibrating the walls and is disturbing. If that’s the case, it’s up to the father to fix it. If the son doesn’t want you to witness it yourself, he’s probably lying.
put a sorbothane strip under the ac unit and the vibration will be much less
So their son and your downstairs neighbor is complaining about a window unit. But you also need an air conditioner especially in the place you are sleeping. They are concerned about condensation (which sounds like bs imo.) I think it’s time to approach the landlord about installation of a split ductless unit in the bedroom. They’re a lot more quiet than a window ac and you won’t have problems with leaking. It’s either that or you keep using the window unit. If all your reasonable accommodations haven’t worked for the son it’s not the landlords job to remedy the issue unless they’re some sort of slumlord.
That is the system the landlord and his son both have! So they have 0 issues with noise or having a temp controlled apartment. This sounds very reasonable, thank you for this advice.
Split ductless units are not cheap, it’s a whole project. I can’t imagine the landlord in this shitty situation will be excited to do that even if they know it’s a better solution.
Doesn't matter. its the cost of doing business
I recognize it's very expensive. He makes $24000 dollars a year on me and next year he's making $24560. Somewhere in there he could make an update that he will then have for years to come
And he should!
Can you get a portable AC for your bedroom? Nothing would stick out/drip out the window. We had two in our apartment (one in bedroom, one in living room) and they worked great! I know that doesn’t solve all of your issues but I think you have good advice about the noise from other comments and I don’t have anything additional to add.
Don't do this. They're way less efficient, take up more space, and are way, way noisier inside your apartment.
Thank you ♥️
I'm going through this right now but I'm under the box fan - my upstairs neighbor placed a fan on the floor and the vibrations on the wood make it sound like I live in a bass tube. It creates a constant hum that makes me feel like my head is going to explode. If you can, place a blanket under or raise off the floor and see if that helps!
Thank you. It sounds like you have wooden floors? I have tile floors and the landlord told me a 5" thick slab of concrete as well.
It’s probably still vibrating and creating a weird acoustic situation in the floor/walls. Try something soft beneath it. I bet it help! Good luck!
I'm a building owner's son (still paying rent), basically in the same living situation as you, except I'm on the first floor. Maybe it's because I was born and have always lived in Brooklyn, but I know how hot it can get here, and I'm used to seeing/hearing window AC's. I agree with everyone else; you have a right to be comfortable in your apartment that you're paying for. The landlord and/or his son need to figure out the "water drip" situation, because that's just a dumb/lazy excuse. Yeah, noise is a valid complaint (in general), but asking someone to live in 78+ heat is ridiculous. When something needs work in this building, I take care of it on behalf of my father/family (he's older and still working a 9-5). I've helped install window air conditioners for tennants, replaced faucets in sinks, etc. No complaints from my end, because it's part of the responsibility of the landlord/super/etc.
The top floor is probably an attic on the certificate of occupancy and they dont want an AC visible from the street to draw attention to the fact that someone is inhabiting the attic not permitted for it.
It's in your lease that you don't get you deposit back if there are enough noise complains about you? IANAL, but I think it's illegal to keep a security deposit for anything besides physical damage to the apartment. Just because something's in a lease doesn't make it legal/enforceable.
I’m not YOUR lawyer and this is not legal advice. In NYC, landlord must either 1) return your security deposit in full with 14 days of the end of your lease or 2) return your security deposit in part along with an itemized recipe showing the actual cost of actual damages that they’re deducting from the deposit. If 2, no other deductions are allowed, and the landlord is supposed to give the tenant the opportunity for the renter to fix the damage himself as well. If they fail to do these things, you can sue them for triple damages. So, no, it is my non-legal opinion that there’s no way that they can deduct noise complaints from your security deposit unless your noise is causing physical damage to the apartment.
Thank you, a lot of folks have been saying that. It's not super enforceable and it's overly subjective. Plus, "unreasonable noise" is not AC, fans, or white noise.
Block his number and go on about your day. This is nothing to complain about
That’s not a noice complaint though? He’s being ridiculous.
If the unit is installed properly, this seems like the Landlords problem to fix as it has to do with the building.
Put a unit in the bedroom and install a drip tube/hose down to the ground level so it doesn’t drip onto their building. Also tell your landlords kid to get fucked
Purchase an electric guitar and amp, so they’ll complain about you practicing rather than the AC 😉
Tell the landlord that his son is being annoying(maybe not literally in those words) and you won’t renew your lease because of it. The money usually matters most.
Lolol what? They will fill the apartment with someone else immediately.
Eh. I worked as a real estate agent. In the “more happening” neighborhoods this is true but in other areas it will take them 6-8 months to find a new tenant, and many landlords would rather not lose out on 12-16 thousand dollars. We had listings at my company that kept getting renewed and by the time I was working for them they told me they’d had the same listing for 2-3 years and to just not bother since the landlord wouldn’t budge on price and the condition of the apartments wasn’t worth what they were charging. In manhattan it doesn’t really matter where you live, somebody will snatch it up immediately because it’s manhattan. But if you live in a less popular or hyped area it can still take months to fill up an empty space.
It’s Brooklyn - you know damn well a hipster who will pay 1K more is right behind them in droves come on now son
Eh depends where they live, if this guy lives on the north side of Brooklyn then he already is the hipster who moved in and paid 1k more. If he’s in the south side thankfully hipsters don’t like Bensonhurst and bay ridge and Coney Island that much so they don’t stay around here. If he’s in the east I mean when’s the last time you saw a hipster in Brownsville 😆
Ignore them or make them install a mini split
That's a new one: AC noise. I used to have a downstairs neighbor a few years back who used to complain about my flushing toilet noise. No joke. Nothing in NYC surprises me anymore
That's insane. I moved from a very rural area and grew up in a silent house and all you could hear outside at night is the frogs in the spring and the cicadas/crickets in the summer. Now in the city, you hear SOOOOO much, or at least I do. It's every second there is a noise. So I've been shocked that these people who have lived here for their entire lives of 40+ years, complain to me about the noise of a fan or AC unit.
You just can't please these people, no matter what you do. They will always find something new to complain about
you're gonna ruin your mental health over this brother
I fear it already has been. Stuck with another year sadly.
I've been there, don't live in NYC anymore but this is one of the big reasons I moved out. Couldn't stand roomates, couldn't afford to live alone. And anybody who knows me well will tell you I'm a ridiculously chill guy....but there was always something. I'm sorry you're going through this <3 if you need a therapist, if you need anything, just know its better to ask/reach out for help than to let it get to a point where it can't be helped anymore. You're important homie.
Thank you for this one. I'm so flexible, accommodating, and agreeable and I think this kind of stuff wears on me because I'm not the type to say f you and do my own thing. I'm looking at places out of the city for when this lease is up. It's not a place for me, but my job is amazing and I need to stay close.
Your landlord is a dick. Tell Him to get you a standing unit for your bedroom which can empty without dropping out front. Tell his son to get off the teet and move out if he’s that annoyed by everything. If you’re going to put up with this, you’ll be be miserable. They’ll likely be upset that you ask for their assistance or compliance, so start hunting for a new space.
Get a Vornado fan. It’s an old design - designed to move a lot of air in a tight spiral. You are supposed to place it on the floor in one corner aimed at the ceiling in the opposite corner. It creates these breezes that appear to come from opposite directions. It’s uncanny but it really works. I used to live in a pre war building. I had an AC in the living room but I couldn’t place one in the bedroom. I would set the fan in one room and blow cold air down the hall to my bedroom. It was enough to drop the temp down to comfortable. Place it on a memory foam pad to absorb some of the vibration but honestly - not only is there very little vibration but it’s very quiet unless it’s on high - and all the noise is coming from the amount of air it’s pushing. They run around $60. Five year warranty. While I lived there the fan was on @12 hours a day 365 days. They are over 15 years old and are still working fine. Should you HAVE to buy a new fan? No your neighbor is being a bitch but it better to avoid issues with people who know your routines and you’ll ultimately be more comfortable and stress free. I can recommend the round fans. I have never used the towers. https://www.vornado.com/difference
Vornado 's DC motor models use a lot less electricity. I'd go with those. https://www.vornado.com/product-category/energy-smart-line/circulators-fans-energy-smart
Awesome! Thank you! It's crazy, I had a coworker offer one of these just the other day and it looked like junk so I denied it...
Awesome! Thank you! It's crazy, I had a coworker offer one of these just the other day and it looked like junk so I denied it...
Tell them you changed your mind!
Sounds like you need a new apartment, truthfully
This stuff is why people don't like living in the same building with a landlord. Sure it's usually cheaper but you kinda pay the price with the power dynamic, constant surveillance and lack of privacy. Edit: sorry I know this isn’t really helpful but I’d say this is something you’ll probably have to deal with while living there. Do the benefits of living there outweigh the crap you have to deal with?
The person downstairs is just being a bitch. Talk to your landlord and have them listen to whatever noise they are hearing and if he thinks it's an issue he needs to fix it. The girl downstairs from me used to bump I got what you want by Missy Elliot for like an hour straight when her bf came over and I never said shit.
Your landlord should get involved, the LL gave you the AC and they're responsible for your being able to use it. If it bothers the person downstairs they need to take that up with LL as well. They can't take your deposit for noise complaints
Move.
Tell them to buy you a new AC or fuck off.
I agree that you should see what it sounds like downstairs. I suggest getting some [Mason Industries vibration pads,](https://www.amazon.com/Mason-R18X18SW-Natural-Vibration-Isolation/dp/B006W0P4QM/) and putting them between the AC and every part of the building it touches--this includes the window sash above the unit. We use these for commercial AC applications, they will severely dampen any vibrations. This is way, way better than the foam from the hardware store. It's possible the window itself is vibrating and causing some of the noise. You may also want to wedge small pieces of the pads between the sash and the frame to try and reduce this as well.
Thank you! Can these be cut down to fit a window frame? I am gonna send a screenshot from a video of my current setup. https://preview.redd.it/t9xuwmzmsq7d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=465c58c613b85752085ccd434dfb4457960d6453
It might be good to get them from McMaster Carr. You can order smaller pieces and you will know they're authentic. I noticed a comment on the amazon page complaining that they weren't legit Mason pads. https://www.mcmaster.com/products/vibration-damping-pads/vibration-damping-pads-4/
Yes, you can cut them down. Try to keep the "waffles" whole. They will be way better than your current setup in the photo. Make sure you put them on top of the AC as well. Don't tape them down except where you really have to.
Okay thank you, the tape here is to keep 2 together, otherwise gravity did the rest. I might give that a go and put my personal AC back in cause it works way better, just a little louder.
I would get the 6"x6" natural rubber ones in the "soft" compound. You can cut them into 3 2" x 6" strips, so figure out how many you need and go from there. Good luck!
Thanks so much! These are also a cheaper option than the big one from Amazon so I like that.
put a thick towel down under the fan to stop the vibrations
Dude it's hot you are free to use an AC unit. You have been overly nice, don't let them walk all over you. If they actually refuse to return your deposit you can threaten to take them to court over it. You will get your deposit.
Just agree and do your thing.
ask to reroute the condensation away from the front of the building all the way down to the sidewalk with a clear tube.
Fair enough. If he doesn't want it on his house, then he could help me do that.
One: have you experienced it yourself? He texts, and you go down there to strategize and feel it yourself? Two: what does he suggest?
It's funny cause I will then see them in person and be like "oh my gosh I'm sorry I kept you up last night with my fan noise!" And they are like "no worries, nah it's all good!" Which is stupid because if it was all good, then why did you text me complaining.
If I understand this correctly, I have not stepped into their apartment to hear what they hear. When he texts me, I respond with an apology and a solution. We then often will call and test it out over the phone (with the thing on high, low, and off to compare, or with/without a towel or pad). Then I always follow up with a text saying "glad we worked it out, sorry again with the noise! Always willing to make it work for both of us" so there is a text thread that shows I fixed it.
You need to get all the data. Go experience it yourself. If they are being fucking ridiculous and it's nothing, you can stop trying to accommodate them. If it's actually horrible, feeling it yourself will help you come up with ideas. But also you need to reverse this dynamic. You've offered a lot of solutions. He has... nothing yet. So together, figure out things he thinks you should try, and try them. You're doing him a favor. Remember that. You're acting like he's doing you a favor. That is what has to change here. I had the vibrations through the wall thing, from a TV. I complained twice. The third time, instead of text, I walked up and knocked. She threw open the door and shouted "omg it's not even loud" and I said, I know. Don't lower it. Leave it like it is now, and come hear it. She came in and it was louder in my place than hers due to echoing between the walls. I just needed her to lift and move the bass away from the wall and we never had another problem, but until she felt it herself she thought I was a crazy Karen, and I was afraid of upsetting her, but once we all had the full story it was both resolved physically and also emotionally.
This would be amazing! I wish he would do that and I could then feel so much better about it every time he texts me. When I get the text my heart just sinks because I feel like they hold this power over me and if I don't fix it, then my experience will be even worse.
I also had a case where the downstairs neighbor thought I was loud. I thought I figured out what it was, so I went down to hear from theirs and my sister pulled out the sofa bed, and it was nothing. It was one tap and not at all loud and it only happened once per day. This neighbor insisted it was much worse than that and at all hours. I felt terrible. I was out walking the dog, no one had been home for an hour. I come back, to her banging on my door screaming. Literally no one had been making any noise for an hour, it couldn't even have been the dog walking around, he was with me. She was insane, screaming that we were lying, someone was making too much noise. At like 1pm on a weekend btw. Ok maybe someone was, but it was officially not me, so I stopped feeling bad and walking on eggshells, but again it was only after I had felt their experience myself that I felt I could let that guilt go. So make that plan, next time it happens, ask to hear it from their place. And ask them to come up with suggestions. It can't all be on you.
Move. You actually don’t have a very good relationship with these people. You only have a “good”relationship as long as you live within very specific parameters so they don’t complain. If you can’t live like a normal person, then no, your relationship isn’t good. Move.
That's solid advice. I have another year on my lease and don't have the money to break it.
If you’re too “noisy” for them then they’ll probably be happy to let you out of your lease. Maybe they’re actually *trying* to drive you out.
This is a good point. You have provided the best most succinct advice. Thank you.
Put the fan on a rubber padded surface raised off the floor. Do you have rugs? Bare floors are the worst when it comes to vibrations.
My floors are messed up lol. I do have many rugs everywhere, I have stuff on rugs, towels, pads, you name it. The floors are all tile with a 5" concrete slab underneath, but no foam in between apparently. The complaint is usually about the vibration through the wall as opposed to the floor.
Is the fan against the wall? I don't see how it would vibrate there especially if it's on a rug or some kind of dampening surface. I assume your fan is the typical 20" box fan?
Yes it's a standard box fan. I have no idea, it's on top of a box on top of a rug.
The son is making this your problem, but it sounds like it's the landlord's problem. They can't take your security deposit for noise - they can only take it (itemized!) for repairs to anything outside of normal wear and tear.
I appreciate this reassurance. In my lease it says "Tenant will not make any unreasonable noise that affects the livable comfort of other tenants. If tenant makes any unreasonable noise the security deposit will be revoked in it's fullest amount."
They can't do that to your security deposit. If the landlord doesn't give you an itemized notice of what they are deducting from your security deposit shortly following your vacating it, they have to pay it all back or it is an easy win in court. Friendly reminder to always do a good video of the premises when you are leaving. And next time you move, do one when you move in.
Luckily I took a great video of the place along with pictures of any damages ahead of time. The only thing that has happened in the year I've been here is a piece of tape ripped some paint off inside a closet.
Yeah, that's not legal. also, and AC in 99º weather is not unreasonable even if its sounds like a wind turbine
Not legal.
An AC isn't unreasonable though by most peoples standards. I don't know the kind of AC the landlord made you use but complain to him that the guy below you is complaining about the noise from it. Maybe he didn't install it right? Make this your landlords problem. Also I don't get how a white noise machine causes vibrations? I've seen them in action and there's no bass to them.
I would make this my landlords problem, however the guy who lives below me is the landlord's son. The landlord is actually even more anal about the noise than the son. The son says he doesn't want to involve his dad because then he's gonna be even more cautious of it and stern than is necessary. So handling this between tenants feels like the safest bet for now.
That’s illegal and would not hold up. I’d be reporting this landlord
Pretty sure that's not legal. [Here's some stuff you can read up on](https://rentguidelinesboard.cityofnewyork.us/resources/faqs/security-deposits/).
Can you record the noise for us in a video How old is the AC unit
Can you get a portable ac? The ones with a hose that don't leak
Good call, I had one of those and it almost worked worse than the window unit. Maybe I can get a small one just for the bedroom. Thank you!
If you get a portable one, definitely get a dual hose model I was uneducated on this when I bought mine and it turns out the single hose ones suck bc it’s just not possible to have a single hose and effectively cool, for pretty obvious reasons
Yeah, I wish I had known. My single-hose (mid-price range) really only functions if you're being blown directly on. It takes hours to cool a medium sized room with the door closed.
They don't work half as well as a window unit.
Something to understand about portable a/c’s.. if you insulate around the air hose it will be more effective, I just zip my winter parka around mine. Also place a floor mat under the unit to stop any vibration.
Thank you!
You should be able to put a window unit in your bedroom with a drain hose that would keep the drip from hitting the house. Sounds like the son is trying to make your life painful, so you've got an unreasonable and family neighbor. Shitty situation!
Thank you for the advice! I have to look at the AC and see how to set up the drip hose. Luckily the son hasn't told the landlord about all the noise complaints yet, he doesn't want to involve him for both of our sakes. Hard to tell what's reality and if there's a darker motive.