Decision Report 201302543

Summary

Mr C said he was experiencing problems with noise in his house. He said that although the council had installed soundproofing boards there were gaps, and a sound test had shown that there was a weak spot in the living room next to the window. He said the council had told him that his kitchen met the current standards for soundproofing and that his living room was just below the standard, so they were not prepared to carry out any further work.

In response to our enquiries the council said that there were no building regulations on standards for noise transference on older properties such as Mr C's. Although they noted that there would always be an element of day-to-day living noise in such properties, they said they were prepared to arrange for an inspection of the gaps in the boarding and to carry out any necessary repairs. We considered this reasonable and did not uphold the complaint.

Recommendations

We recommended that the council:

• ensure that an officer from building services inspects the gaps in the boarding and carries out any necessary repair work, as promised by the chief executive.