I have been fortunate in my neighbors for the 3.5 years I've been in my apartment. My old med student neighbor took up smoking when studying for his comprehensive exams. The smell would waft up through the vents. I hated to say anything--it seems like he ought to be able to smoke in his own home if he wanted, but my apartment reeked. So I called him and explained and he was really understanding about it and started smoking in his car (it was winter) instead. Later when it got warmer (the exams weren't until summer), it was kind of nice because he was regularly standing out on the driveway smoking, and I got to talk to him more frequently. He was normally only outside for the time it took to get to and from his car.

Your neighbors sound rather sketchy--it doesn't seem you're likely to get as good results from confronting them. Too bad. Does the landlord allow smoking in the apartments?

That sucks about the dog, too. When my current neighbor moved in downstairs, I was afraid her little dog would result in a poop-covered yard, but as our yard is equitably divided by the driveway, this hasn't been a problem. So now I only have to contend with deer poop. Stupid deer.

This is why cats are superior animals, by the way. When mine go outside, they go poop in the woods or underneath the bushes or in the weeds. Not in the yard.

the neighbors aren't really sketchy... just... not who i would exactly want as neighbors. what with the smoking and pooping and hanging about the parking lot for no reason.

i was under the impression that the apartments were no smoking/no pets, but apparently that was just a suggestion in the classified ad. it's nowhere in the lease. this makes me sad, but then, such is life without home ownership.

I think you should gather some of the dog "bms" [ha!] and put them in a brown paper bag on their front porch, light it on fire and then ring the doorbell. that will show them.