Hi,
I live in a non-regulated, 3-unit building. My unit is directly above my landlord's living room. I am a single working professional in my early 30s and moved in less than six months ago. I signed a rider to my one-year lease stating that I would not wear shoes in my apartment and that I would obey specific quiet hours.
Since moving in, I have received numerous complaints from my landlord about noise that I believe is reasonable - for example, complaints that I host too many loud parties, referring to occasional (semi-monthly) evenings when a few friends (no more than 6 or 7 at a time, usually no more than 3) sit in my living room (shoes off), talking in normal voices. Asks me to turn down music playing at a normal (30%) volume during non-quiet hours (e.g. 7:30 pm on a Saturday). Even complained that I was moving furniture too much during my first two weeks after moving in (no furniture was moved during quiet hours, but I had to unpack).
The most recent complaint is about overnight guests - I have hosted one pair of friends over a 4-day weekend and one of my parents over the subsequent weekend. This was deemed too frequent and "disrespectful" of the house's shared space and quiet.
All of these complaints are couched by a statement that this is "not a normal apartment building" and therefore I cannot expect to "have an active social life" here. (These are direct quotes.) The building is a brownstone that is privately owned, but as a tenant who signed a standard NYC lease and paid a significant broker's fee, I believe I am within my rights and the terms of my lease to have guests in reasonable numbers as often as I please and to go about my "normal" social life including playing music at a reasonable volume.
I have searched high and low for any statement of my rights and recourse options in this case, but most material out there seems to be about excessive noise, which I do not believe this is. I do want to keep relations civil between myself and my landlord, but I am beginning to feel harassed by the constant complaints about what I believe are the sounds of a normal person living a relatively quiet life. Is there any advice you can give me or any materials you can point me toward that might back me up as I stand up for myself in this case?
Many thanks.