Anti social neighbour in condominium

You need to contact the Polizia Locale and make a complaint about the barking. That is against the law and the police will visit, check out the situation and give a warning. You should also contact the ASL in your area - they have a section for domestic animals - here is a page about one of these in Piemonte, but they are the same in most places...  ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2009/08/01/sportello-nelle-asl-anche-per-gli-animali.html   If you don't understand it (it's in Italian), say so and either I or someone else will doubtless translate it for you.  They will arrange to monitor the situation and then deal with it.

I totally agree with Carole, you need to lodge a complaint as the animal is obviously unhappy and this person does not know the basic rules of living in a community.Good luck and keep us posted.

Hi Marcella Try this website:www.missionerumore.itFrom what I can see it contains plenty of info about noise abatement and the legal background eg Article 844 of the Italian Civil Code and the latest situation regarding what household noise (from TVs, dogs, music etc) is considered tolerable or intolerable (a nuisance) under Italian Law and a lot more.  The law is in Italian; if you do not understand you could always take up Carole's B's offer of translation.  I hope it helps.You may need to keep a diary of all the disturbing events as evidence of the nuisance,  This would be case in the UK.Modern flats in Italy have to comply with soundproofing regulations, eg floors and windows.  Soundproofing floors to prevent you from annoying your neighbours with impact noises and windows to prevent you from annoying your neigbours with noises from normal living.  It is always good when buying a flat to check whether it complies with the Government's minimum soundproofing legislation.As regards the dog defecating on the lawn and the rights of the members of the condo you should check the condo's rules and the role of the admistrator.You do not mention whether the young man is the owner or a tenant.  It may be his parents' flat, then in this case a quiet word with the parents will suffice, if he is the tenant then a word with the landlord may do the trick.  If he is the owner then it will depend on his character and I would suggest you talk to the other owners who are affected and agree a strategy.  You may persuade the admistrator to act as a mediator.  It is always difficult in these situations: fear of a confrontation should guide your action.As you mention the UK for your information 42% of domestic noise disturbance in the UK is from playing loud music and TV, 15% from noisy pets.I am not a lawyer: this information is based on my experience. Good luck! Serge    

Many thanks for all your advice. I will look at the links you've sent Carole and Serge and will ask for help if I get stuck with the language.

Have a good read through the condominium Rules and bring up these issue with the administration. If you dont have a copy ask for one from the condominium administration.I would put things in writing to the administration if there are issues he / she has a duty (and  is paid) to resolve them. If no luck then go further to the police or comune however this is something the administration should deal with.   

I so sympathise with your predicament as I am very sensitive to noise myself. Most noise is caused by thoughtlessness and it's probably the thoughtlessness that winds me up, more than the noise itself.What I would ask is whether your neighbours generally agree with you, or are you a lone voice? If it's only you who have complained to the administrator, he is unlikely to give much weight to your complaints. Particularly so if you are not Italian, as it seems to me that Italians are generally more relaxed about noise than, for example, the English, especially as regards barking dogs.I think you would need to get the rest of your neighbours onside if you are to get swift action out of the administrator.

I agree with SirTK's comments. We had a similar problem with dogs barking, particularly at night. At a condominium meeting, everyone complained and the administrator wrote to the dog owner and ordered her to keep the dog indoors between 23.00 and 07.00 and to mend fencing to stop the dog escaping. Following this, the owner also took more care of the dog during the day. 

Having only now read this thread, I do wonder how this matter panned out. My husband and I are currently being driven crazy by neighbours in a small condominium. We are on the 2nd floor and they are on the ground floor, and they literally 'take over' especially in summertime.. with their kids running around and swimming, yelling and screaming (often crying) at all hours of the day and evening. The parents and a number of frequent visitors themselves 'yell' their conversations, so it is no wonder that all their kids yell too and never stop to think for even a moment of the neighbours all around them. These are mostly Italian too, but not one neighbour (that we know of) has felt outraged enough to complain; perhaps, as SirTK said, they are more tolerant. The 'offending' neighbours do make a point of being quiet during the 'quiet times' imposed by our comune, but I don't think that should give them free reign to make as much noise as they like at all other times. The situation is getting worse, as they acquire more friends (or, apparently, hangers-on), and I see no end to this. 

PS I did complain to our amministratore, soon after these people bought & moved in. He, I think, reported my complaint (identifying me) to the neighbours, who then (unsuccessfully) tried to stir up a little bit of trouble for us, after which they have carried on precisely as they wish for the past three years. I don't think, by the way, that they are people I have a hope of negotiating calmly with--they're shown so clearly how totally indifferent they are to others' feelings and rights.

My view is - "If you live in a condominium you must try to moderate your noise so as not to disturb other people".My noisy neighbour's attitude is - "If you live in a condominium, you must expect it to be noisy".Which view is right? - probably the view voiced by the majority of occupants. Both views are valid, in a way.However, one difficulty lies in getting people to voice their view, particularly as noisy people tend to be both vociferous and intimidating, while quiet people are often the opposite.He told me to go and live in the mountains. Nice....