Tips on how to deal with problematic neigboors

[chi chi]

You have noisy, dirty or other kind off neighboors that enoy you? How do you deal with the problem?

[Alpineprince]

MOVE!

[caliguy]

my neighbor has a little dog that barks constanly! what am i going to do about it........ live with it! lol!

[T-cup]

Yes, I have neighbors whose kids play in the parking lot all afternoon and evening, up until sometimes 11 p.m., often screaming, squealing and otherwise disturbing the peace. I have tried asking the kids themselves to be a little quieter. Forget that. Just wrote a letter to the president of the condo assn. asking if some rules could not be instituted, such as no playing outside after 9 p.m. Other than that, I could try speaking with the parents, but I figure if people are inconsiderate enough to let their kids make all kinds of noise for hours at a time, they are not going to be amenable to a neighbor requesting that they stop. I hope to move when the lease runs out. People also slam doors really loud at any hour, come home late talking and laughing in the stairwell, which echoes, etc.

I figure I just have really ignorant and unconscious neighbors and don't have a lot of hope for improvement here. If I felt like calling serenazgo each time it happens in the middle of the night, I could do that, but I get lazy about getting out of bed and calling the cops. Since I have lived in other places here in Lima and in Trujillo, my impression is that there are a lot of rude people here, and few people complain, so I work on controlling my seething rage at these folks. I have called serenazgo in Trujillo, and they will actually come out and make people shut up, but I got tired of that, too. If anyone has a better idea that stops short of violence, feel free to suggest.

[caliguy]

Yes, I have neighbors whose kids play in the parking lot all afternoon and evening, up until sometimes 11 p.m., often screaming, squealing and otherwise disturbing the peace. I have tried asking the kids themselves to be a little quieter. Forget that. Just wrote a letter to the president of the condo assn. asking if some rules could not be instituted, such as no playing outside after 9 p.m. Other than that, I could try speaking with the parents, but I figure if people are inconsiderate enough to let their kids make all kinds of noise for hours at a time, they are not going to be amenable to a neighbor requesting that they stop. I hope to move when the lease runs out. People also slam doors really loud at any hour, come home late talking and laughing in the stairwell, which echoes, etc.

I figure I just have really ignorant and unconscious neighbors and don't have a lot of hope for improvement here. If I felt like calling serenazgo each time it happens in the middle of the night, I could do that, but I get lazy about getting out of bed and calling the cops. Since I have lived in other places here in Lima and in Trujillo, my impression is that there are a lot of rude people here, and few people complain, so I work on controlling my seething rage at these folks. I have called serenazgo in Trujillo, and they will actually come out and make people shut up, but I got tired of that, too. If anyone has a better idea that stops short of violence, feel free to suggest.

suggestion: please feel free to read my 1st. post.

[T-cup]

Caliguy, I already read your first post, and I suggest that if you are not living in a situation, maybe you don't know how bad it is. There are things in life one can overlook and other things one should not have to. Dogs barking, normal sounds of living, etc. are to be expected. What I am talking about is over and above a tolerable noise level, and it hit home after coming back from the US where I was staying in a very quiet place. I do think that as neighbors we owe each other a little bit of consideration, but I find very little of it in Peru. I've lived in condos in the States that had rules and imposed them. I know full well that this is not the States, nevertheless I don't see why issues that affect 50 apartments can't be addressed and I am not the only resident who is bothered by the noise level.

[ariel]

For the noise - Ear Plugs

For the smell - Fragrance Sprays

For the jerk next door - the Finger

For the rogue drivers (off-topic, I know but WTH) - the other Finger!

[caliguy]

T-Cup, just to let you know where i live, in La Victoria, the buses rattle the windows on my house as they go by, and then the car alarms go off. there is not 1 minute in the day that there is peace and quiet. i just threw the dog in there because that is something the owner should be able to deal with, and doesnt. i think they keep the dog pent up in a small cage with no social life. in reality, this is called noise pollution, were there is just a never ending cycle of noise!
i also live in a very quiet neighborhood in California, and i mean dead quiet! i find it hard to fall asleep at home in CA after being in Lima for 3 months at a time.
i have yet to call police about noise here, it never entered my mind.

[chi chi]

I was used to have a neighboor in Lima who had a recording studio in his appartment. Often people came till late at night to professionaly record their songs.
If the noise was too loud then I let them sings but halfway trough the song I've put my licuador on the floor, filled it with ice and then switch it on. Result: their recording spoiled.
And I did it again and again. After a few days, there were no more recordings held at his place.

[caliguy]

Senior Chi Chi,
I would like to take this moment to say, (takes hat off and holds over heart) you are probably one of the top reasons (right up there with alcohol) how I keep my sanity here in this wild and crazy city. If it werent for your posts here on expatperu, i would probably go nuts. When I get home after work, or just being out for a while, I go on the computer and go right to this website and the 1st. thing I do is check your posts! I am by no means a stalker, just a person who likes a good sense of humor to take away the stress of city life. I dont even care if your posts are complete bs, as long as it entertains me!
On my behalf, I would like to say, Thank you!

[Buffalo_Mania]

Video works really well. Just tape whoever and show it to them. Say "this is how everyone else sees you" It also works with temper tantrums.

but to be fair, I lived in SF and it was every bit as loud as here.

Kudos to the blender. Actionable things that are completely legal are always the best way, you just have to find the choke point, (such as sound in a recording studio).

I agree that talking and talking and talking, which seems to be what I see a lot of people do, is not a solution.

[Buffalo_Mania]

[quote="T-cup"

I figure I just have really ignorant and unconscious neighbors and don't have a lot of hope for improvement here. If I felt like calling serenazgo each time it happens in the middle of the night, I could do that, but I get lazy about getting out of bed and calling the cops. Since I have lived in other places here in Lima and in Trujillo, my impression is that there are a lot of rude people here, and few people complain, so I work on controlling my seething rage at these folks. I have called serenazgo in Trujillo, and they will actually come out and make people shut up, but I got tired of that, too. If anyone has a better idea that stops short of violence, feel free to suggest
.[/quote]

I feel for you T-Cup. Just a question. Have you lived in many large, densely populated urban areas? Like SF, NYC, parts of Chicago, New Orleans?

[T-cup]

Chi chi, I love your solution! Good move.

Buffalo, I am not about to list the major urban areas where I have lived, as I find it irrelevant and I don't need to prove myself to anyone. I was asking for advice on how to deal with a problem that is affecting my peace of mind. As usual, some people find it necessary to ridicule, put down, etc. what is said on here. I find a lot of things that are said on here pretty ignorant, but I don't feel the need to criticize the writer. Too bad that you are willing to take the time to find fault. Meanwhile, I'll figure out how to deal with my neighbors.

[metal moth]

I have one of those little sleep mate machines that blocks out noise.
It makes a humming sound that's very soothing.
The downside is I can't sleep without it.

[chi chi]

Yes, I have neighbors whose kids play in the parking lot all afternoon and evening, up until sometimes 11 p.m., often screaming, squealing and otherwise disturbing the peace. I have tried asking the kids themselves to be a little quieter. Forget that. Just wrote a letter to the president of the condo assn. asking if some rules could not be instituted, such as no playing outside after 9 p.m. Other than that, I could try speaking with the parents, but I figure if people are inconsiderate enough to let their kids make all kinds of noise for hours at a time, they are not going to be amenable to a neighbor requesting that they stop.

T cup, there´s an easy solution for your problem.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... anned.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/ ... ture.shtml


http://www.rhinegroup.nl/mosquito/main.php

[Buffalo_Mania]

Chi chi, I love your solution! Good move.

Buffalo, I am not about to list the major urban areas where I have lived, as I find it irrelevant and I don't need to prove myself to anyone. I was asking for advice on how to deal with a problem that is affecting my peace of mind. As usual, some people find it necessary to ridicule, put down, etc. what is said on here. I find a lot of things that are said on here pretty ignorant, but I don't feel the need to criticize the writer. Too bad that you are willing to take the time to find fault. Meanwhile, I'll figure out how to deal with my neighbors.

Good Luck then.

[neo2012]

I feel you, I actually went to my neighbor early one moring after their dog had woke me up at 6 am for the gillionth time and told her I want my sleep, her dog is a problem and find a solution...well that worked for a short time, then I asked the condo manager and she spoke ot my neighbor and it improved but is still a problem at least 1-2 times a week...the strange thing is, there are no other dogs barking, no activity in the condo at these early hours so I wonder, what the hell is this dog barking at? Wondering where to buy anti-freeze in Peru...maybe this is a solution? (For animal rights activists that may read this, I am joking....)

[chi chi]

Wondering where to buy anti-freeze in Peru...maybe this is a solution? (For animal rights activists that may read this, I am joking....)

It happens a lot in Peru that people just poison their neighboor's dog.
I live in a condominium and there's an old lady that hates dogs and she has given many other people's dog meat with a high dosis of rat poison. Everybody knows that she did it but there's nothing anybody can do to stop here.

[Buffalo_Mania]

Wondering where to buy anti-freeze in Peru...maybe this is a solution? (For animal rights activists that may read this, I am joking....)

It happens a lot in Peru that people just poison their neighboor's dog.
I live in a condominium and there's an old lady that hates dogs and she has given many other people's dog meat with a high dosis of rat poison. Everybody knows that she did it but there's nothing anybody can do to stop here.

Whoop that old a$$

[timothy]

Neighbor Wars can get to be a vocation. Sometimes even a bit entertaining.

What can you do? You can choose a good house, condo, or apartment, but unfortunately you cannot choose your neighbors. Universally.

I had a neighbor with 13 yapping rats (poodles). They were always just sitting at the gate and barked at anything and everything that passed by, 24 hours a day.

I spoke with the owner, she said that she could do what she pleased with her house. I went to the village mayor, and he came to investigate. Three other neighbors interviewed said it was too much, but declined to accompany him to visit with the owner. Only me.

When we approached the gate, the rats (poodles) went crazy. The woman came to the gate and the mayor said that it was inappropriate, and told her that she could have no more that 4 dogs. That weekend, she took her dogs to whatever other village she happened to come from, and there they stayed for about two weeks. Then they began to reappear slowly until the whole pack was back. I went to see the Mayor again, and he said that he tried his best, and that was the end of it.

I finally found out one thing that the rats feared..... firecrackers ! After tossing a couple in front of the gate, the poodles ran whenever they saw me coming down the street. She called the police. The policeman who came to see me was from the neighborhood. We walked over to the gate, the poodles went nuts, and he asked me for a firecracker.

All the neighbors got into the act, and the poodles moved to the back of the house.

Not a solution, but it improved the situation.

[Hitoruna]

Neighbors who complain too much are a nuisance to me.

I mean I live in a country where you cant even walk around your own house for fear of "disturbing" the neighbors, let alone listening music or watching the TV. so I find refreshing that in Peru you can do a lot of things and good neighbors dont complain.

Last time I did the undreamable act (in the place I live) of doing a BBQ at home and no one complained of the "smell".

one of the wonderful things of Peru.


(we had a problematic neighbor, a disgusting old lady who complained about **everything**, the dogs, the smell, the noise, the this the that. blablabla... fortunately she died some years ago and now there is peace in the neighbor and we can do pretty much all we want.

[SilverbackPeru]

Neighbor Wars can get to be a vocation. Sometimes even a bit entertaining.

What can you do? You can choose a good house, condo, or apartment, but unfortunately you cannot choose your neighbors. Universally.

I had a neighbor with 13 yapping rats (poodles). They were always just sitting at the gate and barked at anything and everything that passed by, 24 hours a day.

I spoke with the owner, she said that she could do what she pleased with her house. I went to the village mayor, and he came to investigate. Three other neighbors interviewed said it was too much, but declined to accompany him to visit with the owner. Only me.

When we approached the gate, the rats (poodles) went crazy. The woman came to the gate and the mayor said that it was inappropriate, and told her that she could have no more that 4 dogs. That weekend, she took her dogs to whatever other village she happened to come from, and there they stayed for about two weeks. Then they began to reappear slowly until the whole pack was back. I went to see the Mayor again, and he said that he tried his best, and that was the end of it.

I finally found out one thing that the rats feared..... firecrackers ! After tossing a couple in front of the gate, the poodles ran whenever they saw me coming down the street. She called the police. The policeman who came to see me was from the neighborhood. We walked over to the gate, the poodles went nuts, and he asked me for a firecracker.

All the neighbors got into the act, and the poodles moved to the back of the house.

Not a solution, but it improved the situation.

I think this woman was extremely inconsiderate to end up having 13 dogs in the first place! especially Poodles. I own 2 Poodles and know how they can be, and the breed does have a reputation for being yappy as well. Saying that you shouldn't make someone get rid of their pets, it's like making someone get rid of serveral of their children. A Pet really is like a member of the family and i guess you have to experience that to truely understand it.

How can ya call Poodles rats Tim come on! i guess i need to introduce you to my dogs as some sort of Poodle rehabilitation class! just promise you won't hurt them if they start barking is all!

[SilverbackPeru]

Unfortunatly apartments get designed with the open spaces down the floors to let fresh air flow thru in summer to cool them down, but unfortuantly it also lets noise travel thru pretty freely as well. Peruvian walls are never the thickest either, and i don't think i've ever seen double glazed windows here, so this means your gonna hear everything in your apartment and the one behind it.

You just have to learn to live with the lack of privacy unfortunatly, you are going to hear someone on the toilet, or trying to raise the Peruvian population numbers or which soap opera they are watching. I guess it's ok for me as i can sleep thru almost anything and i never complain about the odd noise, it's pretty easy to put up with as long as it's not day in day out!.

The one thing i don't like is the house parties til 4am in the morning. When the music from a party is louder than your TV and the house isn't even on your street is a pain. It gets worse when the band is terrible! there's been times where i've been sat thinking is this a paid singer or is it someone butchering the Karaoke! Then i take a bit of happiness in the thought if it is a singer, then the family might end the band sooner if he's that bad!

I guess i could always plot my own payback the day after............i wonder if that lady rents out her Poodles! haha

[Bobby]

If you live in an building you should know that all buildings have internal rules (Reglamento Interno) that must be followed by everyone living in the building (Ley 27157). Ask the building manager and/or your landlord to handle you a copy of them. If someone violates these rules the "Junta Directiva" is authorized by law to put a "multa" to the infractor. You must also know that these internal rules can be modified at any time by the "Junta de Propietarios".

[chi chi]

If you live in an building you should know that all buildings have internal rules (Reglamento Interno) that must be followed by everyone living in the building (Ley 27157). Ask the building manager and/or your landlord to handle you a copy of them. If someone violates these rules the "Junta Directiva" is authorized by law to put a "multa" to the infractor. You must also know that these internal rules can be modified at any time by the "Junta de Propietarios".

Good thing but if it the problems come from the building next door then the Junta Directiva is useless.

[SilverbackPeru]

Also sometimes apartments might be private owned. It's one building with 3 to 4 floors of private apartments on each floor, then there is no rules for people to sign, and it gets worse if it's the same situation with the apartments behind.

Also the gaps in the buildings can be annoying at the back, i have someone elses bedroom and bathroom windows opposite my bedroom, with only 8 to 9 feet seperating the 2 flats.

Another point about dogs i forgot to make is people who own dogs, then never walk them and who think keeping a dog locked in a yard 24/7 means it has plenty of exercise. The only thing that leads to is a crazy dog! One that will never stop barking as well and may even become aggressive!

So that woman who owned 13 dogs really doesn't deserve to keep dogs as i'm pretty sure at no point did she take all 13 dogs for a walk! No wonder they're barking all the time, they'll be bored to death!

[Kelly]

The building next to our house has... i don't know, 6 or 8 stories or so... and the bathrooms are all in a row up over my laundry room. The other night I thought I heard my washer overflowing - turns out it was just somebody taking a shower upstairs

[caliguy]

The building next to our house has... i don't know, 6 or 8 stories or so... and the bathrooms are all in a row up over my laundry room. The other night I thought I heard my washer overflowing - turns out it was just somebody taking a shower upstairs

prob eveybody taking a shower at the same time! it is amazing what you can here through concrete walls.

[Kelly]

Oh it's worse - the bathrooms all have windows facing our yard. Our upstairs had to build a wall to keep from having a bathroom window facing right into her patio.

[timothy]

Most of my life has been in transit, so I am a hard-core renter of places to live.

I have had the pleasure of :

A neighbor with 13 poodles (that morphed into rats because of a horrible owner). They became a bit deaf because of my firecrackers.

A neighbor with a teen aged daughter with a Karaoke machine that all of her friends adored. All day Saturday, and all day Sunday, but even her parents would not put up with it at night (thank God)

A neighbor (in a very nice neighborhood) that decided to raise geese.

A neighbor (currently) that bought a pair of peacocks. Have any of you ever heard the horrible shrieking noises they make ?

A neighbor that opened a motorcycle repair shop in front of his house (hell during the daytime, but ok at night)

A neighbor that rented a studio apartment (student) that ended up having 7 students residing (unfortunately, all men)

A gorgeous hooker in St. Kilda (Melbourne) that kept me awake all night, out of curiosity.

So, if I ever become rich, I will rent 3 large apartments, live in the middle one, and keep the other two vacant.

[Hitoruna]

If you live in an building you should know that all buildings have internal rules (Reglamento Interno) that must be followed by everyone living in the building (Ley 27157). Ask the building manager and/or your landlord to handle you a copy of them. If someone violates these rules the "Junta Directiva" is authorized by law to put a "multa" to the infractor. You must also know that these internal rules can be modified at any time by the "Junta de Propietarios".

Yes, build your popularity that way! you are gonna be loved lol

[Bobby]

If you live in an building you should know that all buildings have internal rules (Reglamento Interno) that must be followed by everyone living in the building (Ley 27157). Ask the building manager and/or your landlord to handle you a copy of them. If someone violates these rules the "Junta Directiva" is authorized by law to put a "multa" to the infractor. You must also know that these internal rules can be modified at any time by the "Junta de Propietarios".

Yes, build your popularity that way! you are gonna be loved lol

Independently of wanting to build or not a popularity in your condo the Reglamento Interno is the only legal and helpful coercion tool I know a tenant has to be respected.

[Hitoruna]

I lived all my childhood in a very nice neighborhood but which was close to a not so nice one with a big coliseum in which EVERY night loud chicha music was played and the DJ announced the "best gigs in town, traveling internationally through Paris, London, New York and Huacho"

You learn to live with that.

I find neighbors who complain and put "multas" more annoying though

[T-cup]

Ha, ha! London, Paris and Huacho! I love it! My dad used to say "crees que soy de Huacho?" which meant something like do you think I'm a fool or a country bumpkin?

Thanks for the laugh

[gls5000]

You do have to develop a level of tolerance to be able to relax in Peru. But it also depends where you live.

I lived in an $800 p/m apartment in Miraflores and apart from the traffic along Arequipa and the occasional party, it was mostly silence.

Then we were in a $300 p/m place in a condominio in Chorrillos and it was all noise. Kids screaming in the communal area till 11pm at night, parties any day of the week, the noises of somebody running a restaurant from their home, and so on.

This may sound snobbish but it depends a lot on the class of people you're surrounded by. There are plenty of nice people in the condo but it only takes a handful who have been brought up with no sense of decorum or of right and wrong to screw it up.

[Lloyd007]

There is a place across the road from my apartment which has two dogs. These dogs roam the streets in the day and go back home when they get hungry. The place opposite is a mecanica which isn't really a real home but a couple of people live there. It's more like an open space with a hut. The dogs bark ALL NIGHT. Serenazgo don't fo anything. Fiscalizacion don't do anything. Zoonosis, the Miraflores ''out of control'' pets people don't do anything - even with video, photos and complaints. Many people complain of them from my building.

What can we or anyone else do about it? Nothing. Apart from maybe feed them a little chicken with a wee bit of something extra to make sure the dogs never bark again... we haven't come to that yet, but we're getting there!

[timothy]

Take someone aside from the "Animal Police" and offer a bribe.

Peace of mind usually comes at a price.

[chi chi]

What can we or anyone else do about it? Nothing. Apart from maybe feed them a little chicken with a wee bit of something extra to make sure the dogs never bark again... we haven't come to that yet, but we're getting there!

My grandfather was used to have a dog that was barking all night. He mixed some Whisky trough his dog's food and he felt fast asleep.

[Sergio Bernales]

Apart from Lima's drivers, noise seems to be the thing that most foreigners find difficult to adapt to. I've lived in six different apartments in Peru and almost every time, there was a different problem, from the neighbour who left their yappy dog on the balcony all day, to the apartment on the corner with the honking traffic, then there was the problem with car alarms and worst of all the mid-week party animals with the karaoke machine. I've finally found a nice building with only two downside, general traffic noise, which double glazing could fix, and a neighbour who spends large chunks of the day marching up and down her (or his) wooden floors with high heels on.

For those of you who are sociable and get on with your neighbours, you can always try and make friends with the party house, get invited and meet new people. Or if your neighbour has a noisy dog, go and offer to walk it or even look after it - many dogs bark because they're lonely. However, for most of us who have to get up in the morning to go to work, or have children, or just like peace and quiet, these just aren't options. There are a few good ideas on this thread. I like the idea of the Sleepmate. I often use a fan to drown out street noise and it keeps me cool in summer as well. Double glazing would be great, but it's not common in Lima - although I've heard there's a place in Miraflores that sells secondary glazing. I certainly don't recommend poisoning dogs. You're bound to feel terrible afterwards and anyway, the owner will probably just buy another one. Someone once suggested throwing sleeping pills or diazepam crushed in food. I've never tried it, but surely doping a dog is better than killing it.

For what it's worth, here's my checklist for a quiet apartment. First, avoid apartments near traffic lights, where most of the honking traffic is, and choose somewhere in the middle of a long block.

Second, avoid buildings with balconies; although they can be beautiful, there's usually someone who leaves their dog out all day, or throws regular parties, also check the building next door doesn't have any.

Third, avoid apartments on lower floors to keep street noise to a minimum, especially if there's a lot of places for cars to park; for some reason Peruvian car alarms will go off for no reason with alarming regularity.

Fourth, El Comercio is a good place to find apartments, but viewing times are usually on a quiet Sunday afternoon when most people are away at the beach, so when looking for a new place, go and see the street at various times during the day and night to see how noisy it is; Friday and Saturdays are also a good time to see if you've got any party animals above you.

Fifth, avoid apartments where central patios mean that neighbours' bedrooms face each other, as you're quite likely to spend your nights listening to babies crying, couples making love, teenagers listening to music, or worse playing it, and also a lot of people like watching TV in bed especially in winter.

I think all the problems mentioned - persistent dog barking, noisy neighbours, constant car honking and all night parties with big sound systems - happen all around the world, but my experience is that it is worse in Lima and more difficult to find solutions or get redress. To get an idea of the differences, I once heard of someone who lived in a block in Switzerland where it was against the rules to flush your toilet after midnight in case it wakes the neighbours. Now, that's too extreme for most of us, but I actually know some foreigners and Peruvians who would love a building like that if it were available.

And although the vast majority of Peruvians seem to dislike excessive noise just as much as foreigners, many that I know just don't want to stick their noses into other people's business and will suffer in silence. It's true that the best buildings have a well-run junta and some even ban dogs, but that means nothing if the noise is coming from the building next door. Even complaining to Serenazgo or your building's junta often only gets temporary redress. The yappy dog goes inside for a week or two (like the problem with the rat poodles), or the music at late-parties is turned down, but within a few weeks, it's all back to as it was.

[chi chi]

Good information from Sergio.

I have an appartment in Magdalena Del Mar. I don't spend too much time there as most of the time, I am in my house in Tarapoto.

But I hear little noise in Lima.

I bought an appartment on the top floor. So, no neighboors above and far from the street.

On both sides of the building, there's an office building so no noise either and both building only have 2 floors. The building I live in has eight floors. I have no neighboors behind as there's a big open space between the two towers. The only neighboor I have is a gringo who's never there either.

I advice to buy (or rent) a flat on a top floor and located on a quiet street. Not a busy avenue.

Double glazing doesn't only keeps the noise out but it also saves a lot of money if you use airco in the summer.

[Sergio Bernales]

Thanks, Chi Chi, and if you ever decide to sell your apartment, let us all know, although you may start a bidding war. One disadvantage I've noticed with top floor apartments is it depends who has access to the roof terrace. They're a bit like balconies. If yours is the only one, then it's fabulous. In my present building only one apartment has the roof terrace, but in my previous apartment it was shared by three apartments. One guy used to throw a couple of late-night parties, that often ended at dawn, every week. The neighbours called Serenazgo, complained to the Junta, got up a petition, but he just ignored them and kept throwing his parties. I don't know what finally happened as my lease ran out and I moved, but as I lived several floors below, I actually found the barking dog in the next building more annoying than his parties. Also another worry for me is that there's so much new building work in Lima just now that that quiet little house next door could soon be a building site.