Neighbor’s noisy pool pump creates disturbance
Q: I have questions about pool pump noise/nuisance:
The neighbor installed a pool pump that is located approximately 8 feet from our bedrooms and baths, running 24/7 and makes a noise that affects my wife and I. It is uncovered and makes a loud enough noise that we consider the pump noise to be a nuisance to our quality of living in our home.
1. Can a pool pump run 24/7?
2. How do we go about suppressing the loud noise that we are incurring on a day and night basis?
My wife and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in regard to this matter.
A: In order to prevent stagnant water, pumps are used to circulate the water. The rule of thumb is 8 hours depending upon the size of the pool.
You should consider speaking directly with your neighbor to see if he or she is willing to change the amount of hours and or change the schedule of hours by which the pool pump is running.
Your association may not be willing to become involved as this kind of problem is often considered neighbor to neighbor.
As a footnote, the commercial pools at associations are required to run 24 hours.
Q: I have been a homeowner in Las Vegas since 2012. I haven’t had any issues until recently. I received a bill for $821 on December 24, 2022. Out of that, $92 is the quarterly charge, while the balance forward is $729. The $729 on the bill is included as a total, and it doesn’t break it down into individual line items. The bill was shocking, mainly the balance forward, as I pay all my bills on time and have a credit score of 800-plus. I have always paid every invoice, especially my HOA bill. I figured something must be wrong, they might have not been billing me all of this time.
I immediately contacted the management company on the day I received the letter. I left a voicemail, no response from them. I contacted them again on Jan. 3, I left a voicemail and no response. My wife finally spoke to someone on Jan. 5 after a third attempt was made by us to get more information about the bill. Their claim over the phone is that they have been sending notices/invoices to us and that we have not paid since late 2021. The $729 includes late fees and a $300 collection fee. I would swear on a stack of Bibles that I never received one invoice or notice until the most recent one on Dec. 24. I check my mail daily, and I pay every bill on time as they come in, and this is evident based on my credit score. This is why all of this was such a shock to me. I also have no issue paying a $92 bill quarterly. It’s a small amount for an HOA fee.
My wife was able to get the email address from their billing person, and I emailed them yesterday with a written request to provide me with a line item breakdown of the $729, so I know what I am paying for, as well as copies of notices/invoices that were supposedly sent out to me as I have no records of it. I truly believe this is an issue with their management company’s billing system. I run an organization where we bill customers regularly, this company’s billing practices seem strange to me. This may be an attempt by them to collect additional fees or incompetence by their accounting department. They also did not attempt to contact me by phone or any other way.
I am ready to send them a check for the $821 and call it a day. However, I would like to know if there are any options for me to file a complaint against this management company. I am worried they are doing the same to other homeowners and might do it to me in the future.
A: If you have not asked for a hearing to dispute the late fees and the collection charges, you should request one. This would allow the board to hear from you as to why the charges should not have been assessed against your account. If you want to file a complaint against the association or the management company, you would need to contact the Nevada Real Estate Division located on West Sahara Avenue.
Barbara Holland, CPM is an author, educator, expert witness on real estate issues pertaining to management and brokerage. Questions may be sent to holland744o@gmail.com
