Dealing with noisy neighbour in an apartment block

[nlaruccia]

Technically, the meter should be turned on even if you've arranged a price with the driver. I used to do that with my taxi. If a taxi is pulled over by the police while taking a passenger to Ezeiza and the meter isn't running they can get into trouble. The exception is for the taxis that work at the airport. A coveted place for taxi drivers, which requires dealing with mafia in order to work there. If it's a mutually acceptable fare, why would you complain? Either way, you have every right to insisit they turn the meter on.

 

[Cecil Fox Palmer]

What is up with airport taxis? Does anyone know how much they are making now? I met a girl who ponied up $1400 for her taxi trip from Ezeiza to Capital the first time she arrived. Granted, in six months of being here, I counted at least five instances when she got tricked into paying more for things like rent and taxis. Some people just have that je ne sais quoi for getting robbed, I guess.

 

[genialf]

I don't know where you're all from but I am imagining people from your hometowns being mute and your cities being cementeries! I'm now living in Mexico (but planning on moving back to BA) and the noise problem is the same (except people here don't shout in the streets just about in every normal conversation). Maybe it's a latin american issue??

Anyway... yeah, if there are laws they should be enforced. Does anyone know if there's a law against washing the side walk with a hose?? In BA it angered me every time I walked to the gym and every doorman was doing it like water was an endless resource in the world!!

 

[jantango]

What is the law for complaining about a cab driver who insists on driving on a mutually acceptable fare rather than by the meter?

The city site on tariffs doesn't even mention this as an option. You can report the driver with the license plate number and the taxi number.
http://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/taxis/tarifas

Consult http://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/taxis/consulta-el-listado-de-taxis-habilitados while you're traveling if you notice any irregularities.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

I don't know where you're all from but I am imagining people from your hometowns being mute and your cities being cementeries! I'm now living in Mexico (but planning on moving back to BA) and the noise problem is the same (except people here don't shout in the streets just about in every normal conversation). Maybe it's a latin american issue??

Anyway... yeah, if there are laws they should be enforced. Does anyone know if there's a law against washing the side walk with a hose?? In BA it angered me every time I walked to the gym and every doorman was doing it like water was an endless resource in the world!!

I always tell the porteros that "No importa la cantidad de agua que echás, la vereda no crece."

 

[fifs2]

One of our employees last night was taken to hospital after returning from a wedding at 4am and asking the neighbours to turn down the music. She's pregnant. They have a small child. Husband was physically attacked and the police were called. The neighbours have said they'll kill them if they don't drop the denuncia. Barro Norte. They're urgently looking to move. Ugly situation.

 

[cruizes]

One of our employees last night was taken to hospital after returning from a wedding at 4am and asking the neighbours to turn down the music. She's pregnant. They have a small child. Husband was physically attacked and the police were called. The neighbours have said they'll kill them if they don't drop the denuncia. Barro Norte. They're urgently looking to move. Ugly situation.

Makes me wonder of the intelligence level with Argentines, not to mention courtesy and respect.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Makes me wonder of the intelligence level with Argentines, not to mention courtesy and respect.

It would wrong to say Argentines are not courteous, but it would be fair to say that there are many discourteous Argentines.

 

[jantango]

I received a recorded phone message this morning from Horacio Larreta letting me know he was holding another neighborhood meeting in Balvanera on Thursday at 18,30 hs. I've attended these meetings before. He and his staff listen, respond and take action. I checked his Facebook page and found this:

TRANSFORM YOUR CITY
If anyone knows exactly what your neighborhood needs it is you. A few weeks ago we launched # VosLoHacés, a contest for young people wanting to take and add their ideas to generate some change. The only slogan was that the initiative had at least one of the three themes of the contest: Green, Inclusion and Education.

Now there are 96 semi-finalists who will participate in an online vote to all residents have the opportunity to vote on the project they like. The 30 most voted will be the finalists.

If you want to give your support to one of the projects, enters buenosaires.gob.ar/voslohaces and Vote. You have time until June 10.

 

[jantango]

Every neighborhood is assigned to a central office (Comuna) where community matters are handled, including mediation between neighbors for a peaceful resolution of problems. My downstairs neighbor who has been a pain for 13 years requested the mediation hearing. That meeting took place on Friday, June 4, 2015 at noon for one hour.

A lawyer mediated our conversation in a private room in Comuna 3 (Junin 521). First she gave her side of the story and then I had my turn to talk. Then he heard each of us individually. I asked for her to respect our consorcio rules of quiet after 10:00pm and before 8:00am. She didn't indicate her willingness to do so.

We signed three documents in triplicate:

Acta de Resolucion -- not to continue mediation. The mediator checks one of three boxes: agree, don't agree, or partially agree. In my case it was "don't agree."

Convenio de Confidencialidad -- a confidentiality agreement that you agree that you can't used anything said in the meeting against the other person in a legal proceeding. What ever you say is strictly confidential. The community mediator can't act on your behalf in any judicial proceeding nor can he disclose what was said during the mediation hearing. I read this document at the beginning of the mediation before signing it, but didn't really grasp the content until writing this post. It was a stressful situation. I shared the highlights with my next door neighbor who has heard my weekly reports for months.

Acta de Mediacion -- details of the location, mediator, reason, time, date, participants names, addresses, phone numbers, emails. And the results of the mediation hearing: don't continue, continue, etc. which the mediator completes and signs.

I recommend this process to anyone with noisy neighbors. It's easy to arrange at your local neighborhood center in a couple of weeks and costs you nothing. If you can't manage the language, find a friend who can translate for you.

I took a different route in my complaint by calling 911 for the police to verify the problem and write up a report immediately. Then the report was investigated with a phone call and then followed up with an appointment for my testimony to be taken. The next step is mediation by the Ministerio Publica Fiscal. If a solution isn't reached, I can proceed in court. I hope it won't go that far, but I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to get peace in my home.