If talking to them yourself didn’t
solve the problem, then there may be a higher power who can help you resolve
the issue. If you live in an apartment,
mention it to your landlord. The same
goes if you are part of a homeowner’s association; take it up with the
president and see what they say about it.
Chances are, the person you go to
with your troubles has heard a similar story.
It is in their job description to mediate issues between neighbors and
so they have probably heard it all.
They might be able to help you directly by giving an official warning or
ultimatum to the neighbor themselves or they might offer very helpful advice on
how you can deal with this yourself.
But it’s important to talk to the person in charge of your living
situation so that you alert them to the problem and so that you can get them on your side early in the game.
Don’t present your problem in a
petty or immature way when you go to speak to your landlord or the president of
a housing organization. As you did when
you confronted the neighbor directly, keep it short and polite. They may be able to help and are much more
likely to extend their good will towards a nice person who is having a
legitimate problem than they are to someone whining incessantly about the
annoying habits of other people.
Yet another reason to avoid
alienating them is that, regardless of whether they can help you directly, you
may need their assistance later in the event you pursue things in the legal
sector.
Legal Action
The moment you even begin to
entertain the possibility of taking legal action, it is essential for you to
begin keeping a record of their behavior.
Start making a log of their activities – complete with dates, times and
specific notes about what it is they were doing. If you have spoken with your landlord or homeowner’s association
president, make a note of when you did and what was said; later, you might even
ask them to write a brief description vouching that you had attempted to handle
it peacefully at first. Then, if you
are ultimately forced to enter the legal arena, at least you will be equipped
with something in writing.
Don’t pester law enforcement
officials, but do know that all of your complaints will be logged and that that
may be helpful later. Each time you
call to report a separate incident, even if they don’t do anything, a police
officer is legally required to make a note of it. Don’t get frustrated with them for a lack of action; there may be
little that they can do. Instead, take comfort in the fact that there is in
fact a record being kept of each and every call you make.