Should we tell their landlord?

[BrianB]

Last night at 12:30 am we were awakened by repeated ringing of our doorbell and pounding on our door. Looking out we saw two police cars and four uniformed officers. We opened the door just a crack and they said they were responding to a noise complaint. Turned out they were at the wrong address - they wanted another townhome in our HOA that has just one digit different house number. After a mumbled apology they turned and walked away.

We know the address they were looking for. It is a rental. We know the owners because they lived there for several years before buying another house and renting out the townhome. The owners are nice people, and we have never had problems with their renters. We could not hear any noise but our home is about 100 yards away from the rental unit.

The parking lot didn't have a lot of unknown cars (we are a small association so we know most everyone) so it wasn't a big party. We couldn't see anything going on but we don't have a direct line of sight to the rental. After about 10 minutes the officers got in their cars and drove away.

It seems that landlords are not notified for police calls like this, but if I was the owner I would want to know. Should we send a text or e-mail to the owners?

[MBAustin]

I think it would be courteous to notify them of the police visit along with what you observed. If I was the landlord, I would want to know also.

[Brat]

It is possible that the renters were engaged in a loud argument. If it is an ongoing issue the HOA will contact the owners.

[euro]

Obviously, you are free to do what you want, but since you were not affected by whatever the complaint was (other than the cops banging at your door by mistake, I say: "MYOB!"

[Scrapr]

If I liked the LL I might drop a note. Esp since you were woken up. It doesn't happen often (ever?) but I am unlikely to open the door for a late night caller unless I know whom is on the other side.

4 officers for a noise complaint? Slow night I guess

[BrianB]

I should add: The police said it was a loud music complaint - not a person crying or fighting or yelling for help.

[Amethyst]

"Thought you might like to know" to the landlord would be enough, for one occurrence. We were landlords for 25+ years and while we didn't always like our tenants, none (to our knowledge) ever generated a police complaint, so yeah, our interest would definitely have been piqued.

As others have said, the HOA will hear about it if it happens again, and then the landlords will hear more than they want on the subject.

[ivinsfan]

Loud music I'd MYOB...however if you were sleeping and quiet why did the cops bang on your door.

[CaptTom]

I'm in the MYOB camp.

It was apparently resolved at the time. It may have been unintentional, or the complaint may have been bogus, or a thousand other things which have nothing to do with the interest of the landlord, or a reflection on the suitability of the tenants.

I would not want to be responsible for starting a lot of trouble between a neighbor and a former neighbor/friend.

It would be different if you had knowledge of an ongoing problem with these tenants. Something the landlord really did need to know about.

[Winemaker]

In one of my jurisdictions, it is not permitted for the police to notify a landlord that a police call was made at one of their apartments. One of my good tenants years ago, had a boyfriend that OD'ed in my apartment. While another tenant informed me, I asked the local PD why I wasn't given a notification by the PD, as I have a strict "3 complaints and you're out", the police said because of those policies, they cannot give notifications.

[Jerry1]

If you were certain that it was the other townhome, did you tell this to the police? Doesn’t seem like it because they drove away. I wonder how you can be so sure and therefore, I say leave it be. If you know the landlord and you were talking to him anyway, I might mention the police incident, but I’d put a whole lot of caveats on the conversation leading up to pointing to the other townhome.

[Sunset]

I'm a landlord, and no I wouldn't want to be notified of a noise complaint visit by police. Now if it was a drug bust, arrest, murder, then yes tell me.

Could simply be a noise sensitive person complaining about slightly too loud and too late music.

[Walt34]

If the police were gone in ten minutes it's no big deal and almost assuredly not worth bothering the house owner about.

It's only when you see multiple stretchers with covered bodies being carried out and the police are there for three days 24/7 that something noteworthy has taken place.

[Mdlerth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivinsfan Loud music I'd MYOB...however if you were sleeping and quiet why did the cops bang on your door.

Roger this. A "noise" complaint takes not one, not two, but four officers? Not a hostage situation, not an active shooter, not a terrorist bomb threat, but a "noise" complaint? Am I the only one who has ever heard of a party on a Friday night?

And when they arrive at a house where the only sound is of sleeping, they still feel compelled to roust the occupants out of bed?

Sorry, former law enforcement professionals, but this episode does the Thin Blue Line no credit.

[CaptTom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mdlerth Roger this. A "noise" complaint takes not one, not two, but four officers?

In my town, they'll send four officers, three squad cars, an ambulance and two fire trucks if you call to report a kitten up a tree.

I guess it's good to live in a place where the cops aren't all that busy.

[Winemaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptTom In my town, they'll send four officers, three squad cars, an ambulance and two fire trucks if you call to report a kitten up a tree. I guess it's good to live in a place where the cops aren't all that busy.

We had an officer ambushed and killed and another shot in 2017 when he responded to a report of a domestic dispute. There is evil lurking everywhere, even in what seems like an routine call. We now have any form of LE to act as a backup, game wardens, etc. Three squad cars were available when the registration expired on my wife's car was picked up by camera readers. We live in a low crime area in a middle to upper income area south of Pittsburgh.


https://www.wtae.com/article/two-pol...nsburg/8269288

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winemaker We had an officer ambushed and killed and another shot in 2017 when he responded to a report of a domestic dispute. There is evil lurking everywhere, even in what seems like an routine call. We now have any form of LE to act as a backup, game wardens, etc. Three squad cars were available when the registration expired on my wife's car was picked up by camera readers. We live in a low crime area in a middle to upper income area south of Pittsburgh. https://www.wtae.com/article/two-pol...nsburg/8269288

You have too many cops in your police department...