How to enforce condo rules (unleashed dogs/not scooping the poop)

When we lived in an apartment, we had to call the cops on noisy neighbors.

The cops always talked to the noisy folks; we were always offered the option of whether we wanted the responding officers to talk with us as well.

Long story short, it sounds like someone called the cops on her.

Yeah - I was wondering because it was only 6pm and at that point we were in the bedroom (not under them any longer and thus no noise) - that the police decided there was no reason to talk with us.

I just could see her in for us especially with her husband gone. Thus any voice of reason is gone from that condo.

So my instincts were right. She did call the police on us. This morning just as I am getting up, some one was ringing our bell. It was the police. He asked for my husband. He gets to the door and the police served him with a harassment charge. He cannot go within 20 feet of this woman and has to go to court next week. He cannot talk to her, etc. The police man was really nice and explained everything to us. He says it is probably nothing to worry about and that often times people file this for a variety of reasons and it is usually dropped.

The funny thing is – I was the one to email and complain about her dog. And how is that harassment? I am assuming she is going to say that he was banging on the ceiling or making noise and stuff. But I was as much as he – not banging on the ceiling, but doing laundry, cleaning and putting dishes away and crap like that. Funny that it was against him – probably because I am smaller and it would be a laugh had she filed against me.

He does not speak with her and anything. Once he did, when her dog (unleashed) was in front of our door. He told her to keep him away from our and away from our children. That is the extent of his conversations with her. And I doubt her husband will be at the courthouse with her. Funny too, this the day after her husband moved out.

This sounds like serious business. Why did you open the door to the cop? Why not peek through the tiny hole in the door and ignore the cop? I wouldn't open the door...What would the cop have done, if you hadn't opened the door?

It was 6am and the dog was barking waking the kids. We don't have a peep hole. And why wouldn't I open the door for a police officer? We haven't done anything wrong or are criminals where I need to hide from them.

Recall the situation that just occurred in Norway. The killer told the children he was a cop, there to protect them. He then pulled out a gun and proceeded to shot.

There are many folks who wouldn't open the door to a cop , or as a matter of fact to anyone they didn't know.

Could you file a harassment charge against her? Not that anyone would waste that kind of time, but that's serve her right. She's a very inconsiderate person, but I'm sure that's the least of her issues.

I'm with chai all the way on this one. I'd be calling everyone every single time she did anything. The condo people (call as well as write), for any and every infraction, the police, the animal control people, any city enforcement people... make her life a living hell.

We have a storm glass door that is locked. Upon opening the other door you can clearly see who is there - he was a local policeman and at that the point he could see there was some one home. - I suppose for the .5% chance that some one randomly decided to - they could have shot through the glass door.

Probably why she is claiming harrassment - that we report her to the board continously.

In the last 6 months, we reported them when they were vaccuming over us at 10pm twice - because they didn't stop the first time - condo docs state that no unreasonable noise from 9pm to 8am. We asked the board about these plant boxes that they had tacky stuff in - we worded it as "personal" items and described them due to real estate agent suggesting we make this less personal. And the dog (and the dog not until he peed on our dog).

I believe (and we will look them up and print them out) - I sent all but one on the planter boxes. So it wasn't even my husband. He spoke to her once in the past 6 months and that was to ask her to move her dog and to keep the dog away from our children when the dog was in front of our door and he couldn't get out without pushing the dog or hitting him with the door.

One time he spoke to the maintenance guy about the dog (that he almost hit the dog when he was in the street) and the flower boxes.

I am guessing she is going to claim that other dogs are unleashed and we only report her dog. But one of my emails talks about another dog running around unleashed so that will nullify that.

The police officer also told my husband that he doesn't have to appear in court - this is just a notice of him not being within so close and not talking to her, etc.

But he did suggest he should go because of course you will only get one side of things.

wow, you truly have the neighbor(s) from hell, Linkat, I feel for you!

Look at your CC&Rs, there it must be written what happens after xx complaints. Usually, after the second complaint there will be a monetary fine and your HOA should enforce that. At the same time I would file a petition, stipulating all problems with this neighbor and her dog, and have all neighbors around you sign it and present it to the HOA. They cannot ignore this any longer.

Don't get involved yourself though, Linkat, let the HOA handle it. This woman is obviously crazy and you don't want to push her over the edge.
These people are capable of doing a lot of things in spite, so be careful.

Yes - that is why I've been sending emails to the management company and the board of trustees. I've not spoken to the woman in over 6 months. I try to stay away from her. The only time I've spoken to anyone in the family is to ask the husband one night if he was throwing cigarette butts off the deck, we were over a neighbors house (he can see their deck from outside his front door and he said he thought he had seen them throwing something off the deck.

Actually now that I remember, my husband did send a note to the management company about that - they were having a party and you could hear them on the deck and see them (and smell them) smoking. The next morning there were a bunch of cigaratte butts in front of our kitchen window right beneath their deck - those butts were not there during the early evening hours the night before.

My husband does have a call into our attorney.

I had a neighbor years ago that I was having a noise problem with.
I had called the police at least once, but, like your neighbor, it would work for a while, then just start up again.

I looked up the city ordinance, and in a nutshell it said no loud disturbances after 10pm.

When again I had to call the police, I went out and talked to them. I asked them what exactly was meant by loud disturbance, as I couldn't wrap my head around the concept that someone would be loud to the point that they knew it was disturbing others.
I was thinking maybe I was being too sensitive.

The cop said "If it's disturbing you, then it's a disturbance."

That said, maybe you could look at your town ordinance re noise control. I doubt it covers things that happen at 6pm.

No according to one judge - their noise is "daily" living.

We just deal with the noise.

My husband just called and told me - this woman is on her deck and talking to another neighbor (one who actually did give me a hard time once) - on her deck (they live above us on the other side).

I told my husband to open the window quietly and listen in. I also asked him to talk to another neighbor of ours - the one with the little girl that is afraid of dogs to see if he would go with us - he is also the one that said he saw them throwing stuff off their deck.

Police officers are seldom a source of good legal advice.

I'd get a bucket, collect all poop that is deposited on your yard, let it ferment for a while and put it on her front step, sans bucket.
You are after all, only returning her property and it will probably send the message. Anonymously, of course.

Thus us calling our lawyer as well.

But what advice he gave us was common sense. I wouldn't strictly go by his advice.

Yeah - this she would then collect and save for this appearance in court to show as proof of harassment.

So even if my husband was the one to report her several times to the board/management co. - is that considered harassment? She is breaking the rules, we are not lying.

You need legal help, if you're going to court.