probably sounds silly, but is there any change in the bedroom noise if you face a different way. Like, can you check out your Feng Shui direction. Alright, I know this sounds far-fetched. But, I can't sleep at all with the head of my bed against the inner wall of my rental property. I feel distinctly uncomfortable & even mentally disturbed (well, not really mentally disturbed, but irritable & my whole body feels out of sinc - I feel "upside down" & "back to front" - most irritating).
I even tried sleeping on my sofa bed in my lounge room at one stage.
I can't sleep if there was even the slightest noise of any kind. And since my bedroom outer wall is the side which has the car park to my block of flats & tenants coming home late at night would bang their car door & giggle & talk loudly walking down the side path next to my bedroom window, it certainly was a big issue for me.
Hi Victoria, Thank you for your sympathy and understanding. Your suggestion isn't silly at all--it's exactly what I was thinking about on Sunday when I went back several times and was looking at various positions to put the bed in. Unfortunately the only "open" wall is the one facing the paper mill (it's not visible). The other wall has a window in the middle, another a door, and the other a door to the bathroom and the closet.
It's tough to remember sometimes, even for myself, how much my sleep suffers when there is noise source right near the bedroom. When I first got very sick, my apartment was such that the bedroom was at the back of the building and faced an alley. I was mentally reassured but my bedroom shared an uninsulated wall with the dining area of the apartment next door, as well as their entrance. Every morning at about 6am, the mother would wake and she and daughter would fight really loudly and, about 45 min's later, they would slam the door going out. All of it would wake me up out of a dead sleep. I tried sleeping in the living room, but that was next to the common hallway and stairs and, well, I got sicker and sicker and never could sleep much at all except when my body began sleeping more during the day and having the quiet of nighttime to be awake.
The story has progressed as I called the landlord on Monday morning to let him know that I saw a potential problem with the noise and that I realized I was likely more sensitive than others due to being ill, but that I wanted to let him know asap. He asked what I wanted to do and then he suggested I take the day to think about it. He asked where I would live if I broke the lease, said it would be very inconvenient for him and said that he would return the damage deposit and keep the first month's rent because he was going on vacation and wouldn't be able to rent it again until some time in November.
I went back in the afternoon and it seemed much quieter. I was wondering if I was losing my mind a bit or if the noise was changing every time I was there (the only constant being that it was
constant). I felt kind of hopeful and decided to go back in the evening. I called him before that and said that I was heading over and I guess there was some misunderstanding since he said he'd expected to see me earlier that morning (I was able to figure out that he didn't realize I had keys and thought I had not been inside, though I didn't realize it until after I hung up and was thinking "what?" He said I should meet him there the next morning and he needed to know. He also said that he had been inside and once the doors and windows were closed, it was dead quiet.
So, I returned around 6:30 pm and the noise was off the charts. I was there for about 45 mins and there were huge logging trucks and whatever-else makes the noise of a small plane taking off or a large jet overhead. It was definitely easy to hear inside of the bedroom. There was no escaping it at all. The only thing that was clear was that there was constant noise with no predictable pattern at all that would be going on 24/7 and I decided to throw the towel in. I can't even describe how ludicrous the noise level was, even for a "normal" person, though they might not have had the issues with sleeping when it was (hopefully) quieter at night and if they kept a very normal schedule and didn't require sleeping in the day if necessary. So, from there, I got up the courage to call and say that even though I loved the place, the noise was too much--no question about that--and so I was giving him a definite "no" and realized I would lose the first month's rent (not thrilled about this since I let him know of the problem within 30 hours of getting the keys and 5 days before the lease was to start), I was hoping he would keep the deposit and make an attempt to rent it if possible. His tone changed completely and he said "well, it's yours!" He said I would be responsible for the utilities through Nov. 15th and that he would be keeping my deposit and deciding what to do in terms of pursuing holding me to the lease. He went on a bit about how inconvenient it was for him again and told me I was to write a letter immediately stating that I was breaking the lease and that he would determine what he would be doing and contact me (he does not have my address and didn't ask for it). I hung up and was just stunned and shaky. I really felt, and still do, that I did what I could and realize the noise really was outrageous at times and just aggravating at others. The dead end of the street location and the privacy made it impossible for me to ride by or walk around at all before the last tenant left (Saturday), though I probably would have caught it before otherwise. It was not clear when I first saw it that it wasn't traffic noise, wind, etc. I realize I was so busy worrying about the mill smell that the noise never occurred to me and I've never been that close to it and can't even imagine someone would have a place there (though I realized later the house predates the mill).
I spent yesterday trying to get tenant's association advice and any help since I wasn't sure what to put in a letter and I had locked the keys into the house when I left before calling him that evening and have no access (for utilities and such) and do not want to call or meet with the landlord after he was intimidating and sort of threatening on the phone. I don't think I would do well with that. How it stands now I guess, I just lose the rent and the deposit and the deposit will cover the utilities for one month (if not several) and he can't really sue me for the lease because, in WA state, a landlord is required to make a reasonable attempt to re-rent the property within a month's time.
The whole thing just feels sad (inside of the house, without the noise (had that been possible), it was exactly what I wanted and when I was there on Monday the pellet stove was going and it was warm and cozy and private. And it feels like I was taken advantage of somewhat (though the landlord clearly feels he was) and definitely spoken to in a way that wasn't necessary at all. I haven't really wanted to say much about it and my current lease ends the 20th (and I haven't called yet to see about extending it). I was awake and feeling very traumatized Monday night and yesterday. I was able to get a number for legal help from one place and will call them today to find out what
should be in the letter.
Our weekly paper came out today and out of the 62 places listed for rent only 6 were less than $1000! I think landlords are getting very nervous because a lot of renters are buying because the rents are so high and the housing market has tanked. I'm actually afraid of trying to rent another place, though it will be a week before the paper comes out again and I'll just have to wait and see if something reasonable comes up.