ULPT Request - Neighbors illegal business
Posted by Kellybelly5200@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 40 comments
My downstairs neighbor has a nail salon in her connecting garage. I smell heavy acetone in my apartment and it’s making my living situation unbearable. I’ve reported it to management who explained that there is very little they can do aside from send out emails (even though it’s clearly stated as a violation within the lease). What can I do to make them move or get the smell to stop? Please help.
MezzanineSoprano@reddit
Call your local Fire Marshall & say that she is using lots of flammable acetone and the fumes are making you ill. Fire Marshalls have very limited patience & lots of authority.
AdequateSteve@reddit
Fire Marshalls take their job VERY seriously. I've never met one who didn't. They will fuck you up if you're fucking around.
kvtnink@reddit
I once had a family of squirrels nesting in the roof above an apartment I was renting. They get zoomies at 4am like cats haha. Landlord didn’t do anything, the city didn’t respond, guess who did. Fire marshal was out the next day and required the landlord to hire Wildlife Control to safely remove the squirrels.
brainhack3r@reddit
They will at LEAST investigate.
YSoSkinny@reddit
This isn't even unethical. It's the right thing to do!
parkerino24311@reddit
I always say the only laws I believe in are (most) traffic laws and fire related laws
MTheOverlord@reddit
Have sex with her boyfriend. Then call the fire marshall.
SaltyPopcornKitty@reddit
You know, cooking meth and acetone smell Very similar…
swakins@reddit
Do I want to know how you know?🤣
SaltyPopcornKitty@reddit
I was in a hotel room with the room next door having the overpowering stench of acetone. I called the front desk to complain. Police broke in and found a guy cooking up a batch of meth. This wasn’t some dumpy motel, it was a nicer commuter hotel that catered to business men and women who travel for work.
Such-Mountain-6316@reddit
I agree with calling the fire department. But if you have the number for the shop, sign it up for everything you can get.
Kellybelly5200@reddit (OP)
Unfortunately I can’t find it online!
eml_raleigh@reddit
Ask the Board of Cosmetology in your state if she has a license and is following the sanitation standards.
swakins@reddit
This is the best choice. She really is running an unlicensed business. There are sanitary rules around a nail salon that may not be met in a home environment. Like she may not be able to prepare food on site, does she have adequate alarms, has she been fire inspected, have her bathrooms been inspected, does she have adequate points of egress? None of this is unethical. She is also probably evading taxes, too.
Kellybelly5200@reddit (OP)
Oh I’m sure it’s incredibly illegal in many ways. A little shocked that management doesn’t seem to think it’s a big deal.
Strongbow_Wolfrider@reddit
All the ethical responses are correct and you should do them.
Listing "giving away everything my cheating boyfriend owns, I'm piling out up in the garage" on Craigslist with her address would be unethical.
Kellybelly5200@reddit (OP)
😂
Undrwtrbsktwvr@reddit
Do they really use that much acetone at a nail salon that the fumes are constantly wafting? Seems excessive for one nail tech, no?
Kellybelly5200@reddit (OP)
I honestly don’t know how much activity is happening. I’ve been piecing things together. There is heavy foot traffic. Spacing of guests is consistent with the amount of time it takes. She also opened her garage once (to let a client in) and I saw what appeared to be a setup of a nail salon.
Ohaibaipolar@reddit
I'm not exactly convinced it's just a nail salon.
lr99999@reddit
It’s the other chemicals they use, not straight acetone.
icedgoatmatchalatte@reddit
over all of this, i would personally just contact city/county code enforcement and explain your situation. it's easy enough to find the contacts on your local govt website. can also look up local regs while you're at it but quite simply - everywhere requires some sort of permit/license to operate out of a home.
i had a neighbor who wanted to tattoo out of a project rv in front of his apt, plus do mechanic stuff with his engines. city shut that down so fast.
SidTheGoblinKid@reddit
If it's truly noxious enough to invade your apartment, your local OSHA department should know about it. Afterward, write a formal email to management stating OSHA has been called. This will likely entice them to end your neighbor's lease quickly.
YouArentReallyThere@reddit
OSHA gives zero fucks
Code enforcement and Fire Marshall are sure bets
RatherRetro@reddit
And health dept
parkerino24311@reddit
it's state by state in the US, we have great OSHA near me
IAmTheLizardQueen666@reddit
Does she have a mercantile license?
Is your building/neighborhood zoned residential?
Is she paying tax on her income? Is she collecting and submitting sales tax?
Does she have a license?
Report her illegal business everywhere and anywhere you can. Including the fire department. And the public health department.
RatherRetro@reddit
Yes health dept because any nail salon has to be inspected
Reclining720@reddit
Are we to assume in what country you live?
mamabear-50@reddit
Go on the IRS website and get a form to report undeclared income from business. I’m betting she doesn’t report most if not all of her income.
And I second calling the fire marshal.
Zailema0s@reddit
If you are smelling fumes you might want to call the fire department 😁
Capable_Victory_7807@reddit
report them as a suspected meth lab?
lr99999@reddit
A nail salon robably has methylmethacrylate fumes. That’s what artificial nails are made out of. So this is perfect. A logical person could smell that awful smell, and think there might be a meth lab.
Creepy_old_man_in_IL@reddit
Open a massage parlor in your unit.
Any_Act_9433@reddit
ULPT would be to install smoke detectors adjacent to the garage make them go off and call 911 stating there are fire alarms going by the nail salon and a strong chemical smell emanating from there.
SidTheGoblinKid@reddit
Acetone is flammable.
3X_Cat@reddit
And acetone fumes are flammable. She obviously doesn't have proper ventilation and the fire marshal will shut her down post haste.
Iamdrasnia@reddit
Not unethical - many states have a licensing authority over nail salons. Odds are high they are working without a license. Make a complaint.
Unethical - hire homeless people to panhandle at her front door. Make sure they are equipped with piss disks and know how to use them.
OutinDaBarn@reddit
To make this a little less ethical call the licensing authority and claim to be someone else every few days. Tell them you think she has 6 employees.
jerkstor@reddit
Code enforcement while seemingly slow and no real reporting on your complaint can be highly effective all the sudden