New apt.

I google searched you, are you a nurse?

How old is the tenant? Roughly how long has he been there?

Small idea - Councilman Jackson's office?

wow you are having alot of bad luck with your apartments:

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/32375-nuisance-cases?comment_id=489745

not a nurse..the tenant is about 55..he has been here 29 years. What could the councilman do?

If this is the transaction I think it is, you might approach the Halstead brokers who sold you the apartment about handling your listing. If you can get past your anger about their role in your misfortune, you'll probably find that they are in a good position to resell the same apartment: they have photos and floorplans ready to go, plus a list of potential buyers who may still be in the market.

If you decide to stay, I think the owners of that apartment would like to hear your story. Grounds for evicting - or at least harassing - a rent-regulated tenant are of considerable value to the investors who inhabit that market. Of course, you'll be dancing with the Devil, so check your conscience and your soul at the door.

you are clearly suffering.
when you have exhausted every avenue including, sound proofing your apartment, you might want to consult an audio engineer and install sound producing instrumentation that would make living next to you impossible.
Running out to the lobby for popcorn...don't start without me.

What's the nature of the noise? How you spoken (or exchanged notes with) your neighbor and what's the reaction been? Selling a coop you just purchased is pretty drastic (you are going to get killed on transaction costs) I would first try appealing to your neighbor's good side and after that get a soundproofing quote. If neither is working... Well then selling is the last option.

I agree with bernie. Soundproofing your apartment may be an option. In addition, you have to consider whether you may be too sensitive to the noise.

If the neighbor is truly acting out inappropriately, but hiding behind rent regulations and the sponsor - and I mean noise and behavior that would warrant a police call - then maybe your Coulcilman's office might have some suggestions. Not that they'd be quick.

Also, most important is to understand the source of the noise. If it is TV related, you are unlikely to fix it by talking to the neighbor but can easily soundproof it. Heavy bass sound is more difficult but speaker location and padding (that where you will need to work with your neighbor first) can make a huge change.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-10447431-47.html

"and I mean noise and behavior that would warrant a police call..."
So call the police.

But not before you stop talking to the managing agent and instead send your complaints to them via e-mail.

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/32318-house-rules

From your previous link. Did you soundproof already?

300, you make it sound like sound"proof"ing is some easy cheap task like ordering a kit on eBay.

I did soundproof my bedroom but the living room wall is another story. I don't have the money. I don't believe anyone owns the apt and I do know that there is a lawsuit against him for eviction. It is not the Halstead brokers...There is no reasoning with this guy. He is mentally unstable as well as an alcoholic which makes it really hard to reason. He blasts his music but won't move his computer with speakers because he doesn't want to. I am going to meet with the board and see what they say.

Lisa: If you meet with the Board and tell them that you are thinking of moving out and selling,
they will say : Good-bye to you.

Lisa: how successful was the soundproofing of the bedroom? How did you do it i.e., what materials - I am thinking of soundproofing a wall myself. Best of luck with the board. Thanks

Truth: Another problem with meeting the Board is that the Board may keep a record of the conversation in its minutes, which will be seen by the attorney for any prospective buyer.

In any case, the Board's jurisdiction is probably rather weak. The tenant isn't bound by the coop's standard proprietary lease, and is answerable to the owner of the unit, not the Board. If the owner still has sponsor rights (as is very likely), enforcing the House Rules at all may be problematic, especially if the rules conflict with DHCR protections for rent-regulated tenants.

Lisa: It puzzles me that you don't have the money to soundproof the living room wall, yet you're prepared to re-list the apartment and take the hit for another round of transaction costs.

http://www.amazon.com/Hearos-Xtreme-Protection-14-Pair-Foam/dp/B001EPQ86A/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1353371087&sr=1-2&keywords=ear+plugs

West81st: Very true.
I also don't get the money issue.

I can't guarantee the soundproofing will work and I would sell at a higher price to make up for
costs. I don't have the cash to soundproof another wall. The first wall was so expensive

Lisa, i do not understand how soundproofing can be expensive, unless the contractor ripped you off. the total cost of a 23 ft X 8 ft wall is approx. $200 in materials. It takes 2 days by 2 guys.

Since you just bought, how do you actually expect to come out break even in the transaction? you'll have to sell for at least 10% more. this is not 10 - 20 yrs ago where the selling price was hidden. even some of the most illiterate computer people can look up the sale price now-a-days.

>>I can't guarantee the soundproofing will work and I would sell at a higher price to make up for
costs.<<

You will never be able to sell at a higher price if you try to resell so soon after purchase. Only way that *might* happen is if you were to put major work into the apartment, which clearly you are not prepared to do. You will need to make peace with the fact that you will suffer a loss on a resale. How much did the contractor quote for the additional soundproofing? It would be far less of a loss to go that route than to resell at this point.

All this said, if the home is making you unhappy then it is not worth keeping it. I'm really sorry you are going through this :-(

Thanks Bramstar!!! I appreciate your advice.

I am talking RIPPED OFF by the contractor...I can afford $200 but i need to find inexpensive contractors.. can anyone help me with this?

I would LOVE to know the building!

Lisag326

I ma not sure if your contractor ripped you off. If he installed QuietRock the boards themselves with tax and delivery would be over $300.00. Did they charge over $2,500.00?

Oh, please lisa:

You don't have the money to soundproof the other room --
but you have the money to move.
You think you will get a higher price than what you paid, and all will be good?!

Agree with truth, entire post is not adding up... Very odd.

Everyone is so fast to criticize this woman in obvious distress.

Yes, huntersburg:
But what is she doing to improve her situation?
I'm not saying she's not truthful, just her math doesn't add up to resolving her problem.

She's being driven nuts by her neighbor and she's overwhelmed. It happens.

Sure it does, I know.
But either she really wants to stay and she should get the additional soundproofing done --
or, she goes and pays/loses more money to do so.
Money for that, but not for soundproofing?

She won't have to contribute more money to selling. But she will have to contribute more money to soundproofing, which, if she thinks it's hopeless in the building, means throwing good after bad - a logical concern.

It costs money to move.
She will lose money by selling now.
"I would sell at a higher price..." isn't likely to happen.

Money, being money( good or bad) is needed in order to spend it.
Lack of money to soundproof further causing concern means she doesn't really want to stay anyway or she could use the money she would need (but doesn't have) to move.

Lisa, as everybody said, you'd get creamed by transaction costs, so best to just cope with it. Here're some ideas. They may not work, but at least you'd be doing something.

Check with your S/T and J/K neighbors across the hall. They have the same story of 19' walls between side-by-side living rooms, and might've had to soundproof too.

Check with the guy you bought from. He put up with it for eight years, and now that he's well out of it he might have some hints.

Check the electrical outlets on that wall. They might be back-to-back with the neighbor's outlets and serve as a void for sound to come through.

Spend a few bucks on silicone caulk and a caulk gun, and do the crevices along the floor and above the baseboard. It'll dry clear and won't need painting. Might help a bit with the sound, and it'd have to be done anyway if the crazy alcoholic neighbor gets bedbugs.

The sponsor who owns the neighbor's apartment's shares is an old-timey landlord, and their kids seem to run things. The address, in Westchester somewhere, is on ACRIS. Let them know you'd be willing to help with an affidavit or something in trying to get the guy out. At the least you'll be able to share complaints and feel better.

Be grateful you've got a bedroom to retreat into.

Yes, at least the bedroom is quiet.

It's better to spend to try more soundproofing or save up if you really don't have the money.
(Caulking is also good for keeping out roaches, so worth it to do that.)

Moving costs a lot more than soundproofing (even without the resale aspect of this situation).