what can I do about apartment neighbors and rude apartment staff what are my rights?

Question

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heres the situation,I have chemical sensitivies for which im under a doctors care,I have to work hard at keeping my environment clear of all scents,fumes,smoke,chemicals etc.Because any of those will make me terribly ill.There is a policy written on the lease of the apartment about grills and they are not allowed on the balconies or patios,my balcony is right above the downstairs neighbors.Yesterday they fired up a grill and the overwhelming smell of lighter fluid came surging into my apartment,along with smoke fumes.It became so toxic i couldnt breathe.well its been 24 hours and the smell is still there! I called the apartment management and boy are they RUDEEEEEEEEEEEEE.They just said that they rnt allowed to do that and they will send them a letter.In the meantime I am feeling sick in my apartment and nothing I do will make the smell go away,i cant use any thing to mask the odor cause i cant use fragrances...WHAT THE HELL CAN I DO???

Answer 1

Keep your windows closed. It seems to me that if your environmental allergies are that bad, you would have already been doing this. And get a Hepa air filter system for every room. This will clean all those particles out of the air.

What do you do to walk in the main halls? Do you wear a gas mask? There are a lot of different scents and chemicals present in the internal environments of every apartment building.

Answer 2

There's not a lot you can do. You took the proper step, and reported the situation. The staff is doing what all apartment complexes do, send a letter. Bottom line, they don't care about your health situation. Keep records of when you reported situations, and if nothing is done, contact the offices district manager. Sometimes they will do something, but usually they are as lax as the management. Next time the people down below fire up the grill, call the fire dept. Most apartments that I've lived in, it was a violation to fire up a grill within 30 feet of the apartments. They will give a citation to either the apartment managers, and/or the tenants. Good luck!

Answer 3

Well, you can't police the neighbors, only the apartment complex can deal with it. BUt you could talk to a neighbor.

At this point, your neighbors have broken their lease and the apartment needs to deal with it. But the apartment NOR your neighbors are MIND READERS. They don't know about your medical condition - so you can't sue them on grounds that they are deliberately hurting you because they DON'T KNOW.

So tell them. Send them a note from your doctor. If the apartment doenst do anything about the grill (and it's YOUR responsibility to buy any special air cleaners you need) but again, if the apartment complex doens't make them get rid of their grill - then you can call a lawyer to try to break your lease and move someplace that DOES enforce their rules. I suggest someplace WITHOUT balconies - and grills won't be a problem.

Answer 4

First, it would be helpful to let the people living around you know about your situation so that they can help you. You can't just expect people to know. Go downstairs and let the neighbors know what is going on. Remind them of the rules if necessary. Then, stay in a hotel that does not use a lot of chemicals for a couple days while your apartment airs out.

Why are people so quick to sick the dogs on someone, but won't just go talk to people about issues? Your neighbors may be completely willing to help as much as they can. Your mgmt. might have been rude, but they still have a job to do. If they don't do it, then complain to the Housing Authority.

With such a sensitivity issue, I don't see how you could really live in an apartment. People will do things without meaning to that will irritate your condition. You can't really control that. Try talking to your neighbors!!!

Answer 5

Without support from your management, you really have only one choice. You should record the incidents and any notification to your management company. This should give you a basis to break your lease and move out early if need be. If this creates a physical to you which results in medical expenses that would not have had to be incurred had the lease rules been adhered to, then a lawsuit may also be a possibility.

I assume that what the neighbors are doing is not against local laws, so moving is your only option.

Answer 6

I would go directly to the property manager and tell them you need a ground level apartment b/c of the issue.