Roomate / Neighbor ffrom HELL

[TomEH!]

I had the 4 Freshmen living upstairs who would party all night every night. I talked to the landlord, who, although apologetic, said "call the cops next time, not me."

I did it one better.

The next night I warned them twice, very politely.

When it was time for the third warning, at 2am, I went into the basement and shut the power off to the whole place. Counted to 60. Turned it back on. Walked back upstairs, knocked loudly.

When they came to the door I said "You know, the landlord said I should call the cops, but I thought we could work this out. Are we going to work this out or is it going to get dark again.?"

"We'll be good! just don't shut off the lights again!"

Man were they stoned.

The next day I started looking for a new apartment... I figured the electricity plan wouldn't work for long, but they were very polite for the next 2 months! I told the landlord, who wished HE had thought of that method before.

So who was the neighbor from Hell... me or them?

--------------------

[Milo_10011]

I, too, have been through roommates from hell/neighbors from hell. Switching off the electricity is good, but in our overly litigious society, I would be hesitant, if for no other reason than how easy it is to be arrested (albeit not convicted). A lot of things that the more rational among us would simply dismiss as nonsense, CANNOT be dismissed by the police. So if Stoner 2 goes to the police the next day and says, "Dude, our neighbor totally shut our power off and then threatened us," you could end up having to go to court. And the court, surprise, will not be sympathetic to you. "You," you will be told, "should have handled it differently."

I say this from the perspective of someone who has had all manner of wonderful, funny, sexy, neurotic, and flat-out stark-raving-crazy roommates. Most of them, I think back on with great fondness and affection.

From all my experience, I've come to the following conclusions (and here I ramble):

Living on-campus is the ultimate crap-shoot. But, for the first semester of grad school, it can be a life saver while you figure out the nuances of the off-campus housing search. The dining commons may feel repulsive, but (just like in the musical Avenue Q) I missed the meal plan my first few years out. If you go back on-campus, try to look at the benefits (someone else will do the cooking, hallelujah).

Living off-campus is also a crap-shoot, but there are a lot of things you can control much more than you'd think. Using the off-campus housing office, find someone who has a house to rent as close as possible to campus. Why a house, and why close to campus? Houses simply are better. Why? A house minimizes certain stresses. I lived in an apartment with only three other neighbors. The front and back door to the building were on spring arms that slammed the doors shut. My downstairs neighbor would be in and out about 15 times each morning, and then 15 times each evening. He also played a lot of bass-heavy music on a speaker. The pulsation was what came through, not the music. Just thump-thump-thump. In a house, as it's your housemate, you can force a resolution.

Close to campus? It doesn't have to be right next door. Even five or six blocks away can put you far enough away to escape most of the down-side of campus hooliganism. But don't be like a friend of mine who found a beautiful place on a lake (a mere 20 miles from campus) at a great price. Sure, it was fantastically serene. But during the winter, that 20 miles took an hour and a half to drive because a good stretch of it was down roads the township didn't plow until three days later. In the good weather, because of all the lights, it still took something like 45 minutes. Do you really want to constantly be panicked because of the thought of what will happen if your car doesn't work for four days?

It sounds high school, but make a list. My list? House must have washer/dryer, dishwasher, a basement or attic for storage. I want at least three roommates, but no more than five. A patio or balcony is not required. Off-street parking? Preferred. If you'll be in a cold climate, what about snow shoveling? Most landlords will stick the tenants with that. You are required to shovel within 24 hours of snowfall's end or some such. Yard work? Check all these things with the landlord. Whatever your preferences are, don't try to settle. Where I live right now, the neighborhood had one coin-op laundromat. It closed six months ago. I have no idea where people are doing their laundry, but wherever it is, it's miles away. You don't want to be one of those people who really wanted a washer/dryer but then "settled" because there was a coin-op two streets over.

When you find the place to move, ask the landlord (if it's a vacant house), if you can be in charge of the tenant search. This means you will be responsible for the entirety of the rent. If it's a good house, in a safe neighborhood, close to supermarkets, campus, and some night life, this will not be a problem. You will find tenants. I did this once. There was a very satisfying realization to choosing who would be moving in. I made good choices. By the time you get to grad school, people are not going to be "offended" by detailed lists of what you're looking for in housemates. (If they are, it's almost universally an indicator that the offended party has some or all of the behaviors you are trying to avoid.) If you're moving in with other people already there, be active each time a new tenant comes along. In theory, the people who've been there the longest will be leaving the soonest. Don't get saddled with "their" choices if you don't like them. Don't be totally unreasonable about it, but stick up for yourself.

And now I'm going to bed, to dream about finally getting my letter of rejection/acceptance. Last night I dreamed I was choking. In the dream, I tried to pull whatever I was choking on out of my mouth. As I pulled, I realized (in the dream) that I was tugging on my own insides. Somehow, I am convinced it's a metaphor for my waiting for the decision from my college.

[TomEH!]

Yeah, you're right about liability and cops and all: take my advice, "kids don't try this at home.". In my case I was working as a licensed electrician at the time, so the choice was easy. Besides, they were really stoned... I could just say "What? Those stoned guys up there? Man, you should see the blue haze coming out from under their door." It would be all over for them in this town. They didn't stand a chance.

-------------------------

I, too, have been through roommates from hell/neighbors from hell. Switching off the electricity is good, but in our overly litigious society, I would be hesitant, if for no other reason than how easy it is to be arrested (albeit not convicted). A lot of things that the more rational among us would simply dismiss as nonsense, CANNOT be dismissed by the police. So if Stoner 2 goes to the police the next day and says, "Dude, our neighbor totally shut our power off and then threatened us," you could end up having to go to court. And the court, surprise, will not be sympathetic to you. "You," you will be told, "should have handled it differently."