Facing a Tough Decision: Should I Stay or Move Due to Nearby Construction and Noise Concerns?

[Marc22]

Hi everybody,

I am facing a very agonizing dilemma: whether I should stay in the place I have lived for the past five years or move out. The possible reason for moving is that about 200 yards from me, a new building is being constructed — more specifically, a new recreation center for the community I live in. It will not be very tall, and the footprint will be approximately 100 yards by 200 yards. The construction is expected to last for two years.

Really, I should have asked you about this earlier. That said, I have until next Tuesday evening to decide whether to renew my lease. The work began only last Monday, and so far, no noise from the site has reached me. They are currently putting up fencing, and digging for the foundation has not yet started. However, that does not mean the next stages of construction will be quiet — especially a procedure I was told about, called "piling" or something similar.

You see, even though I am about 200 yards away, I live in a U-shaped apartment building. The right side of the U directly faces the construction site. I live inside the U, so I do not face the site directly, but noise can still travel around the right side and reach my apartment. For example, I can definitely hear lawnmowers from that direction. But at least lawnmowers eventually stop.

So, I am writing to ask if any of you have ever faced a similar dilemma, and what you decided to do. I am really worried. If I stay and the noise becomes unbearable, I may be forced to leave mid-lease. That would mean paying the remaining lease, which is $1,000 a month, as well as the costs involved with moving to a new place. On the other hand, if I move now, there will be many phone calls to make and visits to arrange. I am 70 years old now, and I do not have the energy I once did.

To make matters worse, I have had hyperacusis for 30 years. It was mild for the first 29, but now it ranges from barely tolerable to very bad.

So I am extremely stressed. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Lorrie

 

[ECP]

You certainly have my sympathy. I know there is not much time, but is it possible to speak with the construction site boss between now and Monday night to get a more specific timeline of events? For example, what kind of construction equipment will be used this summer, and how loud it will be? If you know exactly when the louder phases will occur, perhaps you can plan to be away from home during those times and spend time at places that are free or inexpensive, like public libraries, coffee shops, parks, shopping malls, or college campuses.

In a best-case scenario, it might be tolerable for you to stay in your apartment at least through the end of July or August while you make some long-term decisions about where you want to live. And if your contact person on the construction crew is understanding, maybe they would be willing to give you weekly or even daily updates so you will know when to expect quieter or noisier days.

Another possibility, if you are open to it and your landlord allows it, is to sublet your apartment. That way, you would not have to stay there, and you could free up some money to rent elsewhere temporarily.

I really hope it all works out for the best. It sounds like a very stressful decision to make.

 

[Jupiterman]

Move now.

 

[Marc22]

Thanks, @ECP, for your suggestions.

I have to decide whether to renew my lease by next Tuesday. If I choose not to renew, I would not need to move out until next October, which marks the start and end of the annual rental period. As you probably know, notices to renew or not are typically issued about three to six months before the yearly term begins—unless I am forced to leave earlier because of noise, of course.

I already did something similar last September. I had to leave for four months due to renovations above my unit, which ended up costing me $20,000 in hotel stays. And now, just my luck, another worrisome noise issue is coming up. I knew it would happen eventually, since the local government had been postponing new construction for two or three years. But now, it is finally happening.

As for talking to the construction workers, I am hesitant. I have already had to approach them multiple times for minor repair issues, and they generally are not very approachable. However, I do have a contact in the government, and I will ask him if he knows anything about the upcoming plans. It might annoy him, since people are not used to dealing with someone who has hyperacusis.

Subletting could be a possibility if I renew and then realize I cannot stay. But it is unlikely the owner's assistant would agree to it. He hates me for neglecting the apartment last summer, during a very bad period I went through with hyperacusis that nearly killed me. That situation happened to coincide with the beginning of the renovations above me—unbelievable bad luck.

I tried to explain to him that I was sick, but he did not care. Then he even threatened me with a possible eviction. I told him to get lost, that he had no case. So, if I have to leave, all he has to do is collect the checks I would owe—$1,000 per month. I would not lower myself to try to get his approval for any sublet I might find.

Yeah, I am pretty tense. I have not eaten anything at all today.

 

[ECP]

Oh, I see now. You are on a yearly lease that runs through October. For some reason, I thought your lease was ending on July 31.

It sounds like you might be better off making a fresh start somewhere new, especially since your building management has been difficult to deal with and the construction crew has not been very approachable. I hope you find some promising leads on a new apartment soon. You have already spent an astronomical $20,000 on a temporary hotel stay, so I completely understand why you would not want to go through that again.

In your city, is it difficult to find apartments with quarterly or monthly leases instead of yearly ones? I prefer shorter leases myself, since they carry less financial risk in the event of an unexpected move.

 

[Marc22]

Hi again,

I would like to share what happened to me last summer and fall, even if it is not directly related to my current dilemma.

At that time, starting in the spring, my hyperacusis got much worse over the summer after 29 years of it being relatively moderate. I posted about that. But what I did not mention was that, at the same time, I was told there would be extensive renovations in the apartment above mine, starting sometime during the summer. I was going to have to leave my apartment temporarily, but the janitors never knew when the work would begin. I would only be given two or three days' notice.

So, after worrying about this all summer—on top of my worsening hyperacusis, which was even more distressing—I became extremely tense. I could barely eat for three months and was mostly just drinking beer. After spending countless hours looking for a suitable place at peak season, I finally went to a hotel. I ended up staying there for four months. The total cost was around $25,000, which also included the rent I continued to pay for my unused apartment.

Can you believe the bad luck of those two things happening at the same time? And can you believe I now face a similar situation again, just a few months later, with construction happening near me? It honestly feels like something is out there purposely trying to torment me. I do not believe in God or the Devil, but I swear, I feel like I am losing my mind over all of this.

Thankfully, I had enough money for the hotel, or I would have been homeless. And naturally, I knew no one well enough to offer me a place to stay. I asked a cousin—her answer was, "Forget it." My sister lived too far away, and the one friend I had lived 60 miles away in a noisy area. Thank "God" for that friend, though. He truly felt for me, even though he had normal hearing. He understood my distress and helped me so much with logistics.

All the social workers and the psychiatrist I consulted for psychological support were completely useless. And yes, I even went to a psychiatric ward for a few days because I was feeling so overwhelmed. That turned out to be a huge mistake because I could not tolerate the sound of people talking constantly in the ward. I had not considered that beforehand because my thinking was so clouded and I was desperate. When I asked to be discharged, they nearly refused. The psychiatrist looked at me like I was a criminal. He was the one who had the power to release me, and he just sat there with a deep frown. I told him, "I will be okay, just let me go." He barely agreed. A little compassion would have gone a long way, but in my experience, you should not expect much of that in a psych ward—at least not with most staff.

So now, what is going to happen to me?

There is only one bright spot. My hyperacusis is better than it was last summer and more stable. Last summer, it kept getting worse, and I had no idea how bad it would become. But even now, when it is better, it does not take much for it to shift from barely tolerable to extreme.

Interestingly, my hyperacusis started to improve after I went to the hotel. Yet the sound levels were not that different, except there were no lawnmowers nearby. I was also right next to a very noisy highway, but the windows there were soundproof. Without that, I could not have stayed. The room itself was actually quite comfortable. But I did not leave it for four months, except to go downstairs to pay my fees, and once when there was a major alarm that forced me outside. Luckily, I found a little nook that shielded me from most of the outdoor noise.

I cannot believe all of this is happening. It truly feels like a nightmare.

Oh, I see now. You are on a yearly lease that runs through October. For some reason, I thought your lease was ending on July 31.

It sounds like you might be better off making a fresh start somewhere new, especially since your building management has been difficult to deal with and the construction crew has not been very approachable. I hope you find some promising leads on a new apartment soon. You have already spent an astronomical $20,000 on a temporary hotel stay, so I completely understand why you would not want to go through that again.

In your city, is it difficult to find apartments with quarterly or monthly leases instead of yearly ones? I prefer shorter leases myself, since they carry less financial risk in the event of an unexpected move.

Dear @ECP,

Thank you for your reply.

I am leaning toward renewing my lease. I have until tomorrow night to decide.

I have listened to conflicting opinions from people with hyperacusis and others without it who have experience with construction, and this seems to be the best option.

It really feels like a gamble.

This bloody hyperacusis has almost destroyed my life repeatedly over the last 30 years, and I am sure most people reading this know exactly what I mean. And now, here we go again. Being 70 years old does not make it any easier.

Even though I am better than I was last year, I still have bad days—like today. First, I had a call with a friend of mine who has construction experience, just to get some advice, but 15 minutes on the phone burned my ears for three hours. Then, stupidly, I forgot that around noon on Mondays they mow the lawn around my apartment building. I was all prepared to leave when it started, but as I walked out, I ran straight into the lawnmowers. Of course! How could I be so careless? Of course that was going to happen. So my ears got worse. Usually, I just go into the hallway to avoid the lawnmower noise, but not today.

I am feeling a little better now, but I am going crazy with indecision about all of this. Honestly, if I had a bottle of vodka, I think I would down it. But two to four beers will do for now, and maybe some tranquilizers will help too.

I really understand why people with very bad hyperacusis might think about leaving this world. I am not that far gone, but I get it.

Thanks again for your help.

Marc 22