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Crystal Clear Views Crystal Medina, Editorial Assistant
Dear Crystal, My upstairs neighbors are seriously getting on my nerves! I live in an apartment that I have rented with the help of a housing choice voucher. The other tenants in the building do not have this assistance. At first, my neighbors were great. Then the loud music started at really late hours of the night. Their children are constantly running and bouncing balls over our head. I find garbage on the landing of my back porch, that I believe they have left there. I finally complained to the lease holder one night, after I had enough of the music, and she apologized. A couple days later, the problem persisted except this time, it was the loud music, her kids running and jumping all at 11:30 pm on a Tuesday! I went and complained once again. She apologized again, turned down the music, but her kids kept being a nuisance. The next night, the very same thing happened, and I marched upstairs to tell her she was bothering me. In her agitation, she let me know, that she had never had a problem in the building until I came along and she was not going to change the way she ran her house because of a “nagging neighbor” I was furious at how inconsiderate she was being. Then, she said, “Besides, why are you complaining? Aren’t you getting the ‘hookup’ on this place!” in reference to my housing choice voucher. I was so mad all I could was turn and walk away! How should I handle this type of ignorance around my home? -About to Snap! Dear Snap, OK, take a deep breath. First, of all, I want to commend you for not taking further actions after what was said. It is none of her business how you pay your bills just like it is none of your business how she runs her household Her comments to you are just an excuse for her behavior. She is definitely in the wrong. As neighbors, you have a responsibility to one another to be considerate and courteous to one another. She is not complying. What I recommend is to go back upstairs (I know: easier said than done) nicely tell her that you didn’t appreciate what happened and what was said the other day. Be that as it may, put it simply, you will not tolerate this nonsense any longer (remember, be nice). Let her know that the next time problems arise, you have no the other choice but, to take the issue at hand to the landlord. She may become defensive so remind her that you tried to settle the problems between the two of you and the situation didn’t work out that way. If need be try to get her to see where you are coming from. Try to make comparisons between your situations. For example, You have to work in the morning, she has to work in the morning. You have children who have to wake up early, she has children who have to wake up early. You enjoy your sanity. She enjoys her sanity. I think you get my drift. If something else happens, follow through with what you said and have a talk with the landlord. Then it is the landlord’s job to step in and that should definitely fix the problem.
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