HELP Dealing with LANDLORD!!

[DanP601]

Hey Guys,

Only a week in and my landlord is already trying to bend me over on a pretty serious issue. I had made it extremely clear to him that my gym would be creating noise, and he told me that one neighbor was just storage and the other neighbor wouldn't care. Well, the neighbor that has an office next door cares, and for good reason. I play music at a volume that you can't even hear on the other side of the gym, and the sound is carried by a steel beam directly to her office, so the walls are vibrating. I've turned the bass off and am now using a home speaker system (not my nice system) during the day and it still vibrates her wall. So basically, until 5pm I can't play literally any music, even for background because of the poor building construction.

He had said he was going to pay to have everything sound proofed for the sake of my business and the business next door, but now that he got the quote of $12,000 he's decided to try to screw me over and NOW claims that it's my responsibility to pay for it if we go that route. He said that he'll "work with me" if I come up with other options to reduce the noise, but through a combination of laziness and a lack of respect for his tenants, (and the fact that he thinks he can push me around because I'm young) it's pretty clear that I'm either going to need to take it to court or pay for it myself unless it's a really cheap option. If ANYONE has any advice on how to go about either getting him to accept the responsibility of paying for insulation, or a different option of how to go about the sound issue PLEASE let me know!

On a side note, it's a modified gross lease, so it is in my lease that he takes care of all building and structural repairs that need to be done. Plus, my dad is a lawyer and my girlfriend's uncle is a building inspector for the city so if anyone knows a strategy using those resources please let me know as well!

Thanks,

Dan

[WoofieNugget]

I think you're in every right to tell the other tenant that you have taken steps to fix the problem but now it is the landlord's issue and you're going to continue doing business as planned and outlined in your lease. They can't reasonably prevent you from playing music due to a structural problem.

Sounds like it is the other tenants' problem or the landlord - not yours. You should take that stance and continue business as usual. They have the option to take care of the issue or leave.

[BodyQuest1]

He had said he was going to pay to have everything sound proofed for the sake of my business and the business next door, but now that he got the quote of $12,000 he's decided to try to screw me over and NOW claims that it's my responsibility to pay for it if we go that route.

Thanks,

Dan

What's the "quote" of $12k for??

[SFT]

I'm amazed that you are here asking this question when your father is a lawyer. If you had the lease checked out and the owner is responsible, then it goes to court. The only way people push you around because of your age is if you let them. I agree with Woofie that it would seem that you have no issues here. Either the other tenant deals with it, or the landlord fixes the problem.

[DanP601]

What's the "quote" of $12k for??

The quote was to dense-pack the walls on either side of my unit and to build a 2x4 "cage" around the steel beam that runs from the front to the back of my unit on top of our shared wall. I suggested that he simply sound-proofs around her office, but he basically said that it's his "busy season" and that he's not going to do anything about it. At this point it will probably reach the point where I continue business as usual and let the neighbor complain until he get off his ass.

[DanP601]

I'm amazed that you are here asking this question when your father is a lawyer. If you had the lease checked out and the owner is responsible, then it goes to court. The only way people push you around because of your age is if you let them. I agree with Woofie that it would seem that you have no issues here. Either the other tenant deals with it, or the landlord fixes the problem.

I agree that if it's taken to court I will without a doubt end up on top, but going to court is something that's easier said than done. I also never said that I'm letting him push me around, I said that he THINKS he can because I'm young, and in this case he's sadly mistaken. What you suggested is the plan I'm going to go with if nothing is done in the next week or so, but I'm not going to disrupt the business of my neighbor who's been cool about everything unless I absolutely have to. Also, I did a poor job explaining my dad's role in this as he's a liability attorney and doesn't deal with corporate contracts. So going that route would require him to call in a favor from a friend, which isn't a huge deal, but again going to court is huge hassle. Thanks for the advice that confirms the plan I was going to go with!

[Partyrocking]

I would check out your city's noise ordinance and see if it applies to you. If you're in the confines of the law, keep playing your music. If your neighbor has a beef, it's with your landlord.

[DanP601]

I would check out your city's noise ordinance and see if it applies to you. If you're in the confines of the law, keep playing your music. If your neighbor has a beef, it's with your landlord.

That's an awesome idea! Thanks for the input!