Three new owners have together undertaken complete demolition and rebuilding of their internal units. This has resulted in tenants and an adjacent owner to live elsewhere at cost because of the noise, dirt and lack of any consideration by the trades people. How can this be addressed? – James ,QLD

Q: Three new owners have together undertaken complete demolition and rebuilding of their internal units.

This has been going on for 3 months starting from around 06:00 to up to 19:00, often 7 days a week inspite of by-laws prohibiting this outside 09:00 to 17:00 each day.

This has not been able to be stopped by the strata committee and assistance from the strata management company has been perfunctory. This has resulted in tenants and an adjacent owner to live elsewhere at cost because of the noise, dirt and lack of any consideration by the trades people. How can this be addressed IMMEDIATELY.

A: We recommend that you check your by-laws, especially around renovation rules.

It may be worth ascertaining whether the new owners have gone through the proper processes to undertake these renovations. By-laws can often have many restrictions on what can and cannot be changed/renovated, such as flooring and balconies. There may also be limitations due to noise levels. If noise is going to be an issue, the by-laws may require acoustic sound proofing to be installed before approval can be granted.

It’s recommended that you speak to the owners undertaking the renovations and letting them know that their renovations are disrupting the peace in the building, and causing angst. Talking it out and reaching an agreement or compromise will be the easiest solution.

You may also wish to contact your local council as they would also have regulations about noise restrictions that the owners may be breaching. If the issues are still unable to be resolved, you may consider taking the matter to QCAT (Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal). Be aware however that this process can be quite complicated, and take up both time and money.