Noise Complaints
Noise from neighbours or building services: AC, pumps, generators, lifts, music rooms
A guide for residents of houses, townhomes and condos facing noise from building machinery or neighbours' activities — understand your rights, the legal framework, the complaint process, and engineering fixes that actually work.
Common sources
- Air-conditioning condensers — hum and vibration through walls/floors
- Water pumps and pipes — water hammer, structure-borne vibration
- Backup generators/compressors — engine and exhaust noise
- Lifts/plant rooms — low-frequency tones and brake impacts
- Personal activities — music practice rooms, home studios, parties
- The legal framework typically references building-control law, local ordinances, condominium juristic-person rules, and the civil-law principle of unreasonable nuisance
Evidence to prepare
- Timeline: dates/times/frequency/impact (lost sleep, children, elderly)
- Photos/video of the machine location and questionable installation
- Measurement results: Leq/Lmax/percentiles + 1/3 octave + tonality
- Map and distance between the source and your room
Diagnose correctly: airborne vs structure-borne
- Airborne: clearly audible with windows open → fix with mass/sealing/façade
- Structure-borne: low-frequency hum/vibration even with windows closed → focus on vibration isolation, fixings, machine bases
- Use 1/3 octave + tonality to identify dominant bands and steady machine tones
Engineering fixes (match the fix to the problem)
- AC condensers: rubber/spring mounts, relocation, airflow redirection, local screening, flexible connectors
- Pumps/pipes: isolated bases, resilient clamps, pipe lagging, water-hammer fixes
- Generators/compressors: acoustic enclosures, exhaust silencers, isolated bases, absorptive louvres
- Lifts/plant rooms: added mass/absorption in plant-room walls, sealing penetrations, alignment/brake checks
- Music rooms: room-in-room, double walls with separated frames, double doors, quiet ducted AC
- Floor impact noise: underlayment/rubber layers (ΔLw), carpets, floating floors in severe cases
Steps: condo vs house/village
- Condo: notify the juristic person with evidence → inspection/warning and an improvement deadline → if unresolved, formal measurement citing condo rules/building law → escalate with an expert report to the local authority
- House/village: friendly communication with a proposed fix → notify the village juristic person (if any) → file with the local authority with evidence and measurements → for severe cases attach an expert report / seek legal advice
How Geonoise can help
- ✓Field measurements (Class 1) with submission-ready reports
- ✓Source and path analysis → targeted remediation plan
- ✓Engineering advice that is practical within building constraints
- ✓Expert support for complaints and disputes
Frequently asked questions
Measure inside the room or on the balcony?
Depends on local requirements — usually at the affected resident's receiving point (room or balcony) to reflect the real impact.
Who should pay for the fix?
For building or neighbour machinery, the owner of the equipment remediates under the authority's order. We help design cost-effective solutions.
How long does it take?
With cooperation, typically 2–6 weeks (measure–fix–verify); complex structural cases can take longer.
What if talking doesn't resolve it?
Collect formal evidence and measurements, then file with the local authority supported by an expert report.