With the dance studio situation,it's not so much about the plaintiff being a lawyer,she had a SOLID complaint that was difficult to refute given the neighbor was operating a business?The trickier complaints are the ones
about neighbors who feel you live in THEIR house,and it's usually ill advised to speak with them to tell them to quiet down.Where the board controlled security somehow hears "nothing" in their incident report
One option IF owners have a noise issue,contact 311.Get a reference number for your complaint,ask them to send you the paperwork to
document the complaint details,eg.stereo playing 2a.m.coming through living rm.wall ,movie coming through living rm.wall 4a.m.,neighbor loaning their place out to friends for "relations..."TIP,if you can record the noise,great,do it;call the police if you know the noise will last over an hour since a noise complaint's not a priority,take badge numbers to file in your 311 noise report.IF possible,a neighbor,friend can be your witness to the noise,this helps to support your case.
Building code,this IS the issue,period because builders are cognizant of the fact that you SHARE walls,and ceilings within your condo with strangers.The minimal code is most suited for a detached, single family dwelling.One can exchange words to share their displeasure about noise with those who are
within your four walls.Anyone in these circumstances can do just that: family,married,common law,house mates,children.OR even take it upon themselves to mitigate noise by using available products like
Quiet Rock and
Acoustiguard . The aforementioned products can easily be used by builders who build share wall,and flooring communities because they already use things like drywall,and can apply a layer of the Duracoustic or Acoustifloat to the bare cement since they already use
inadequate underlay below carpeting,or just
vapor barrier to meeting laminate,or wood flooring warranty. Before people assume the suggested products would add too much to the price of a condo,it won't because the developer
would buy this in volume,by the project.For a 10' wall for example,the
retail cost is around $300,think quote included labor, for something like
MLV.
Sound proofing is likely
much less than lawyering up by a condo owner/complainant,or the Corporation board handling owners' money.A good board would issue the letters to warn the complainee.Failing this,enforce the soundproofing,and the bill upon them in addition to the legal costs.This is within their power because the alternative is liening the complainee for legal letters,foreclosure,and litigation.
Children and noise: the Ottawa area
autistic boy story is an example of how even a child's noise level can be excessive.Where those who responded to the column
didn't blame the child, but overwhelmingly appeared to not side with parents John From and his wife Kerri Oastler.
Issue: Ontario minimum building code's
insufficient for shared wall,and flooring dwellings.
