Reply from Victoria.
I hear you loud and clear (sorry for the play on words). I battled my OC for 3 years over the nuisance behaviours of three sets of neighbours on common property on the driveway immediately outside my home as related to unreasonable noise that reverberated around my “architecturally designed” (but not acoustically designed) townhouse. The driveway was too narrow and created a canyon for sound to echo.
I got all three sets of neighbours completely off-side and the daily behaviours targeted us and us alone – so much so the neighbours taunted me personally from the drive as they yelled and played basketball games, damaged our car with their basketball bouncing off the bonnet and roof, and littered our car port with paper aeroplanes, tennis balls and anything else kids throw around. They had loud music and the television at 100% volume.
The Victoria Police were no help. The EPA is a weak Act. The manager and the OC were impotent in enforcing the bylaws that clearly addressed this behaviour. These neighbours were schoolyard bullies, plain and simple. I’m not against kids and playing, kids need to play – I’m against bad parenting and people who are simply not nice neighbours.
The OC were weak and so I joined the OC one year in, only to find that the Chair would block everything and the manager seemed to enjoy seeing others miserable.
The bullies did not win. I sold up at the market peak and moved out. Easier than pursuing them through VCAT or the courts. Sorry this is no easy solution. I have moved on, life is too short, and they can just continue to live their lives. I’m so much happier just putting this behind me.
Not a solution for everyone. Best of luck, sincerely, I feel for your predicament and hope you get some resolution.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by .