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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Posts
    2

    Default Odd Behaviors by Apartment Neighbors

    My question involves civil rights in the State of: New Mexico

    First of all, this is my first post and I'm very new to this site so I'm not really sure if I'm posting in the correct area! Secondly, I have pretty severe social anxiety which is why this is bothering me so much.

    So, I've been renting an apartment that might be considered a town house--I'm not sure. I have to share my front patio area with more than three familes, and I have to walk past one family's front door to get to mine. On the other side are my neighbors who I'm pretty sure are harassing me. When I moved in here 6 months ago with my fiance, the harassment started. Every time we would open our door, they would open theirs so they could stare at us. That means if we were leaving, they'd do it. If we were coming home, they'd rip open their door and stare at us. This lasted for a month and a half before they stopped. When this happened, we felt very freaked out and actually feared for our saftey. So after this, they started sitting outside for HOURS on end, even in pretty bad weather. When we told the apartment complex about this, we failed to get anything in writing, and they just told us, and I quote, "Yeah, those guys are ***holes." I know now I should've gotten something in writing. Every day for 6 months, they would come in and out multiple times every hour and slam the door shut. It gives me panic attacks when this happens. This might not be helpful, but they're old enough to be my grand parents.

    Fast-foward to the summer: My fiance and I are trying to watch TV, but we can't because the neighbors keep slamming their door more frequently and heavily than they normally do, possibly because I had the first guests I've ever had over that day, and my fiance had enough and so he slammed the door. Two hours later, we had a bunch of police officers at our door because someone called and reported the sound of multiple gunshots coming from my apartment. Multiple neighbors called, according to them, and I only share walls with two apartments, so it's not hard to see who called on me. It's hard to say that they called because of us slamming our door, but seeing as how we've been quiet, considerate neighbors for 6 months, I have no idea why they would do this. I'm now afraid to so much as drop a pot in the kitchen when I'm cooking dinner because I'm afraid the police will get called again.

    Last night was my last straw, I don't think I can take anything more from these guys. They moved their chairs so I can't see them when I come driving up, and I was gone for a while. I didn't notice until I was a foot away from my door, and they tried to talk to me. I just came inside after exchanging a few pleasantries, because I was having a very bad panic attack. It took me about 45 minutes to calm down. These neighbors sat outside for 3 hours after this, and that meant I couldn't walk my dogs because they were taking turns standing right by our door and talking.

    Is this considered harassment? They're either outside every time I try to leave, or coming outside--I can't help but feel I'm being targeted by them, and I do not feel safe in my apartment. Unfortunately, I got laid off last month and now we can't afford to move or break our lease. I was supposed to do something today, but I have been putting it off since I got up this morning because I'm afraid of my neighbors being outside again. They would knock on my door a few months ago, but I don't answer my door unless someone I know is coming over, so I think this has something to do with me obviously being home and not answering the door for them.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    24,521

    Default Re: I Think My Neighbors Are Harassing Me

    Have they threatened you? Insulted you? Made obscene comments?

    I have to admit, with the *possible* exception of calling the police one time, nothing you've posted sounds like harassment. So they sit outside, they moved your chairs so you couldn't see them (which if their sitting outside bothers you, should be a GOOD thing) and they spoke to you. None of that sounds horrible to me. What am I missing?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Posts
    2

    Default Re: I Think My Neighbors Are Harassing Me

    Quote Quoting cbg
    View Post
    Have they threatened you? Insulted you? Made obscene comments?

    I have to admit, with the *possible* exception of calling the police one time, nothing you've posted sounds like harassment. So they sit outside, they moved your chairs so you couldn't see them (which if their sitting outside bothers you, should be a GOOD thing) and they spoke to you. None of that sounds horrible to me. What am I missing?
    I feel threatened, but aside from calling the police over nothing, they have not actually threatened us. I feel that the have insulted us by calling them and then spending 5 hours straight outside after they called, scared to death about gun shots! They stare at my fiance and I every time we're outside and they're sitting. The office has told them to have no contact with us, and I'm waiting for a copy of the police report. They were very rude to my parents, who were over the day they called the police on us. They constantly slam there door, even though we told them it was loud. My mother even said she thought it was excessive for the 10 minutes her and my father were here, and they didn't slam their door for about a week.

    With them being outside, they're preventing us from being able to walk our dog who is afraid of one of our neighbors. We've told them this, the police said they'd tell them, and it's very frustrating. That, and the office told me they told the neighbors to leave us alone, and now they're suddenly talking to us.

    The office refuses to do anything beyond charging us $100 and giving us less than a week to move into another apartment on-site, and we just don't have the excess funds to do that. My fiance can't get time off from work to move, and we also don't feel we should have to pay to move since they, and other neighbors, falsely called the police on us. I haven't been able to sleep very well, and I'm afraid of leaving my apartment because I'm afraid of retaliation/pranking/vandalism of some kind, since we told the apartment we don't feel safe anymore.

    But beyond that, I just guess I just feel harassed? I wouldn't be suprised if they weren't really harassing us, but they make me feel very uncomfortable.

    Do you know if I would be allowed to put a security camera outside, that would be facing my door and front window that would be used to monitor it, without having to ask my landlord for permission? The neighbor's door might be in the frame of the camera, since the doors are so close, I'm not really sure. My lease doesn't say anything about security systems requiring permission, and says nothing about security cameras. They told us we might want a security system when we moved in, but there's nothing in writing.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    24,521

    Default Re: I Think My Neighbors Are Harassing Me

    So, they don't have the right to sit outside?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    1,026

    Default Re: I Think My Neighbors Are Harassing Me

    "Secondly, I have pretty severe social anxiety which is why this is bothering me so much."

    Your second sentence pretty much explains the entire reaction to all of this.

    Neighbors sitting outside and calling the police when they fear shots being fired is NOT harassment. They may slam their doors too loud for you folks but that's what living with neighbors is like.

    Don't get into this nonsense of putting a security camera up; if I were your landlord, I'd tell you no. Spend the money on medication to deal with your anxiety disorder and when your lease is up, move to a house or at least some place where neighbors aren't close by.

    Gail

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