How to Deal with Noisy Neighbors

 

When a neighbor’s noise bothers you, the best solution for everyone is usually a polite conversation. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work. Some neighbors won’t respond to a friendly request, and sometimes the source of the noise isn’t so easy to control—like a crying baby. When the amicable approach doesn’t get the job done, it’s important to understand your rights and know where to look for help and information.

Noise and Your Lease

First, look to your lease. Most standard leases include a right to “quiet enjoyment” of the property, which means that you have a right to use your apartment in peace. And, in order to ensure that other tenants enjoy that right as well, your lease probably prohibits excessive noise. In essence, you can’t disturb your neighbors with your noise and they can’t disturb you with theirs.

Although your lease won’t provide you direct recourse against your neighbors, your landlord or property manager can enforce those lease provisions against your neighbor. So, a simple call to management may be all it takes to put a stop to the problem. Of course, some management companies are more responsive than others, and some tenants take notices from the landlord more seriously than others. If complaining to management doesn’t solve the problem, you have additional legal options.

Noise Ordinances

Most cities and/or counties have noise ordinances, local laws that restrict noise within city or county limits. The phrasing of these ordinances varies, and some include different requirements for different times of the day and night. In most areas, you can find a copy of your local ordinances on your city or county website.  If you don’t know where to find your local government website, try searching any major search engine—the page you’re looking for should be among your first few results.

Noise ordinances are a powerful tool for those struggling with noisy neighbors because they are enforced by local police and Sheriff’s departments. When that stereo next door starts to shake your walls in the evening, simply pick up the phone and call the police. Depending on the source of the noise, other agencies may also be involved in enforcement. For example, in some areas local animal control will respond to ongoing problems with a barking dog.

Lawsuits against Noisy Neighbors

If all else fails, you may have a cause for action against your noisy neighbors for violating the local noise ordinance, interfering with your quiet enjoyment of your home and possible other claims. However, if your goal is to put an end to the noise then it probably isn’t something you can resolve in small claims court. That means you’ll likely need an attorney to advise you on your potential claims, draft the complaint and help you present your case. This kind of action is expensive for everyone and likely to drive a lasting wedge between you and your neighbor.

It’s usually to everyone’s advantage to work out the problem with your neighbor if that’s possible, and only  escalate to contacting the police or consulting an attorney when it becomes clear that no amicable solution is available.

How do you deal with noisy neighbors?

 

Source:http://living.apartments.com

Separating Life From Work When You Work From Home

 

Lately my life has gone into "busy mode", but as those of us who work for ourselves often say, it's the good kind of busy. Working from home I often work late into the night and then I'm right back at it the next morning (sometimes without enough sleep). I really love the work I do...I might even be a bit obsessed, and so often it's really hard for me to push away from my desk. While I enjoy the work, lately my apartment is beginning to feel like an office where I also sleep instead of the place I come home to.

If you also work from home, or even if you just often bring your work home with you, you likely know the feeling. You work until you're exhausted and when you go to bed you dream about work. You get to work in the morning before you've even had a coffee or a bite to eat, and even when you're watching TV, your laptop is open so you can continue working even when you should be enjoying some down time.

Winter is coming, which for me usually means I'm more productive as I lock myself away to avoid the cold. This means I need to work harder on balancing my work and personal time since I have no patio to escape to, and no bike trails to spend a warm afternoon exploring. This winter I've committed to maintaining a more balanced work/personal life, and so I'm working on some ground rules to hopefully make sure when I'm relaxing at home, I'm actually able to relax:

No working from the couch, or worse, working from bed
Sloping on the couch or lying in bed with my laptop is admittedly a terrible posture for getting things done. My couch needs to be a place I go to relax, to play guitar, to watch a movie.

No working while I eat
In the morning, I need to make breakfast before I get to work, and sit at the dining table and enjoy my meal. When I eat when I work I tend to eat everything so fast I'm not even satisfied, as if I didn't even notice I ate.

Setting regular hours and scheduling down time
This one is hard since my schedule changes frequently during the week based on client needs, but I need to recognize the need for flexible space in my daily schedule where nothing is planned, and I can just do nothing.

Buffer work and sleep
If I'm working through a really difficult problem late at night, and I really need to get some rest, I really need to be careful to buffer work and sleep. When I go to bed with a problem on my mind, my brain works all night trying to solve it. The problem is the next morning I'm just exhausted with no tangible solution. I need time offline, to read a chapter of that book I've been neglecting so when I go to sleep my brain can focus on something less stressful than work.

Get some exercise
This is a big one since right now I catch my self sitting for hours on end. If my only exercise is pacing around the room to solve a problem in my head, then clearly I need to take some time to go for a walk, do some Yoga, or hit the gym. Exercise is great for relieving stress, and more than that, It's just another thing I can do and schedule which isn't just sitting at my laptop.

Be distracted for the right reasons
If you have a pet you likely have moments where your dog or cat wants your attention so bad they'll just plow through whatever you're doing to get it. My cat will literally sit on my hands in front of my laptop every morning until I pet her. I have a tendency to ignore this as a distraction, but maybe it's better to just take the time to give the cat the attention she needs which gives me an added break in the day.

When my partner gets home everyday I'm often barely able to peal myself away from what I'm doing to say hello. What I should do is pause what I'm doing, and unwind for a second, listening, and paying attention to my life. Work is important, but only because it lets you enjoy the things you're supposed to like the company of those you care about.

I'm going to do my best to maintain these guidelines over the winter, because as much as I love my work, I realize I feel much better when my life is more balanced. These are just personal guidelines, and I'm sure those of you who share similar concerns might have suggestions of how the list can improve. Feel like you're living out of your office instead of working from home? Drop me a line in the comment section below and share your own tips or plans for living in a more balanced way while working at home.

Source:http://www.apartmenttherapy.com

5 Tips to Make Your House Appear Cleaner Than It Is

 

So you get a text message that tells you company is dropping by and they're only 10 blocks away. Don't panic. Take a deep breath, now panic and check out these 5 tips for making your house appear clean in a flash. That's right, I said appear. Who has time to really clean in 10 blocks?

1. Clean the Three T's: Toilets, Tabletops, the Television. What? The television? Yup! Most living rooms are centered around your tv and the amount of dust that hangs on it, your netflix stack and dvd box set pile that's off to one side could be tell tale signs of why the rest of your house isn't exactly spotless. Plus if you sit chatting in the living room, you'll be staring at it wishing you would have moved it. Toilets and tabletops are a bit more self explanatory, but important none the less.

2. Stash with Efficiency: When company drops in we've all been in a situation once or twice where things get tossed in a basket and shoved in the spare bedroom or closet. It's a quick solution, but it can be done with more efficiency so you can find your stuff later on. Add things to your basket according to the room they go in. That way when company leaves, you can remove the items easily without making 100 trips across your house or apartment to put things where they belong.

3. Pet Hair: Even if you have a sparkling clean house, if your sofa is covered with a layer of dog or cat fur, it suddenly looks less tidy. Keep a rubber glove or your favorite pet hair busting product on hand to knock it all down in a few sweeps.

4. Dishes Be Gone in Seconds Flat: Please don't judge me for this tip. Admitting that I've done it more than once is punishment enough alright? So here goes. Put your dishes in your oven. Wait, what? If you pile your dishes in the sink then it looks like you threw them all in there at the last minute as everyone knows you can't really wash dishes in that manner and you'll still look like a slight slob, even though you have clean counters. Instead, grab a baking sheet and stack like items together and slide them in the oven. They'll slide right back out, be prestacked and ready to be washed so you can recover from the guilt you just gave yourself for following through with this tip. Side note: don't preheat your oven... even by accident... until they're removed.

5. Spend 5 Furious Minutes on Your House Everyday: Isn't that cheating? We're talking about last minute company here, not preparing all week long for them to come! True, but think about how much you can clean in those few minutes before they arrive. 10 blocks isn't much. With traffic and parking and walking up your stairs, 5 minutes is a safe estimate. Bring that panic to your life every day and clean with the same intensity for just 5 minutes and your house will always look better for it. Plus, you still have time to watch Raising Hope without telling yourself you'll pick up on commercials.

Do you have a quick clean-up tip that helps you out when company calls? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Source:http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/5-tips-to-make-your-house-appe-159806