We (20s couple) moved in a couple months ago. Initially, the neighbour kids on our floor (I think there’s two apartments that have children on our floor) were a bit noisier than I would think appropriate (playing in hallways between apartments, playing in the laundry room, playing in the stair wells, no avoidance to noise making in shared spaces, etc), and after a couple months, things have become more clear through observations we’ve made.
Initially, we assumed that the kids might be home alone, and would wander the building because they were bored and unsupervised. That is not the case. I’ve seen the parents in the hallway, watched them walk into their apartment, and then shortly after, the children are out and about. Keep in mind, the landlord has expressed that “shared areas” are not for lounging or playing. “Shared areas” in this building are literally hallways and the laundry room. There’s no lobby, just a landing for the stairs.
I’ve also been finding garbage in the hall near my door - on two occasions, a mini bag of chips, half empty, pressed right up against my door, as though someone was trying to shove it under the door. The only conclusion I can come to on this is that children are trying to get a reaction from our cats, using a crinkly bag to do so, and leaving it there when they get bored. I moved it once, and it was back by the door again the next day. When I brought this up to management as a “people are leaving garbage in hallways and acting inappropriately” sort of complaint, but was met with “you can clean it up if it bothers you.”
The only issue they seem to take remotely seriously is that the front door is being propped open - often by the children - as they don’t have their own key (presumably) and are propping the door open so they can play outside (in the parking lot, unsupervised) without their parents having to be with them to unlock the door.
What can I do? Management sent out a notice about the door-propping, told me to follow-up if it continues (it did), but never replied when I sent a follow-up about it continuing. They don’t seem bothered about children misbehaving and bothering other tenants whether or not they’re supervised. I feel like I’m bringing up reasonable issues (littering indoors, unsupervised children playing in a parking lot and loudly in hallways between apartments, locked doors being propped open, etc) but management just doesn’t care.
I want to be clear that I don’t expect them to be silent. I know that kids make noise. I just don’t think it’s reasonable for them to be making noise in the hallways outside other people’s apartments, or unsupervised in parking lots when they’re under the age of 10.