In August we had issues with them in regards to the smell of gas filling our apt. and their refusal to find a qualified person to do the proper repairs (they paid a brother to do some hatchet job repair). We were treated as if it was our fault the repairs had to be made. So, our relationship since hasn't been terrific.

Recently, our landlords decided to put a ping pong table in the basement. It is right below our bedroom, bathroom, and part of our hallway. Because of the venting in this old home, we can hear EVERYTHING in the basement - including the ping pong ball noise. It reverberates through the apartment and is loud. Normally they'll play on a Sun. night (7 pm-ish) and we just turn up some music to drown it out or we move to the front of the house where there still is screaming and shouting we hear, but it isn't as bad.

Last night, we were going to bed and we started to hear them play ping pong in the basement (it was 10:30 when it started). At 10:45 pm my husband went downstairs to ask them to keep it down (they were drinking with their friends and their kids were down there, too playing), as we could hear the talking, screaming, and music they were blaring down there. Come 11 pm, they were still down their making noise.

I turned on my fan and air filter to high to drown out the noise, but it didn't. In fact, it sounded louder. So, I got up and was looking for the local non-emergency number to inquire about a noise ordinance the city. I called the number, but at some point it was 'disconnected' and all called are re-routed to 911. So when I called I apologized profusely to the attendant at 911 and asked if there was a noise ordinance. He said 'no' and said if there was noise, he'd send a car. I said there was and he sent someone out.

At like 11:15 the noise moved from the basement to their apartment, where we couldn't hear it anymore. The police showed up right afterward. Needless to say, it didn't go well. After the police left, my husband was yelled at by our landlord who said they never had parties (which is true) and it was Friday night and it was only 10:30 at night. My husband said yes, but we were trying to sleep. My landlord said he didn't care and that he could evict us at anytime because this was HIS house. My husband said that we went down and asked politely and they had gotten noisier. My landlord again proceeded to say that it was his house and they could do what they wanted, including kick us out. He said we were rude and then stormed upstairs.

Needless to say, we were pretty upset with the whole thing. My husband actually wanted to apologize before my landlord started threatening eviction. We do have a clause for 'quiet enjoyment' and normally, it isn't so bad (yes, we hear them running, pounding, walking and such at all hours, but we tolerate that. And we have tolerated the ping pong at 7 pm).

I guess I don't know what to think. I'm sure they were embarrassed to have the police show up, and I feel badly, but I feel like as landlords, they should respect us, like we respect them. it's clear they don't. If they came to our apartment and asked us to keep it down, no questions asked, we would. But it sounds like they want the bet of both worlds - to collect our money and do whatever they want in 'their home.' it doesn't work that way.

HELP! Now what do we do? We like where we live and don't want to be evicted, but we don't want to live with this nonsense.

I'd look for another place asap. The landlord will not ask the tenants to be quiet, respect you, or ask them to move since its him. It does no good to complain. If you really like living there its your decision if you like living there with the noise, nonsense and bad relationship.

However, that said, I DO think that the owners have the right to once in awhile have a ping-pong party at 10:30 on a Friday night. this is totally reasonable. If it were 1 am or if it happened all the time, then I could see why you might complain. But where you are entitled to your enjoyment, so are they, within reason. And I believe they were within reason in this case.

I know that my downstairs neighbors in my 6-floor 50-unit bldg. can hear me when I do something out of the ordinary (and sometimes even when I am doing ordinary things). I know they probably knew I had a dinner party for 7 people last Monday night til midnight. However, this is the first dinner party I've had in an entire year of living here and if someone had called the police on me because they couldn't sleep over the clinking of our wine glasses, I would have been just as pissed off as your landlords.