It may be true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but it’s also a fact that intrusive noise is in the ear of the listener.
Anybody who expects never to hear a sound out of their neighbours should maybe go and live in a house next to a cemetery as there is no way you are going to get that level of peace and quiet in an apartment block, regardless of how well insulated it is or how domesticated your neighbours are.
There may be lift bells, doors, footsteps from upstairs, music from down below, crying babies, barking dogs, caterwauling cats, balcony chats and gurgling water pipes.
These are unlikely to happen all the time or at the same time and if they do, they are issues that can be dealt with. But generally speaking they are signs of strata life and most of us can cope with them as long as they aren’t excessive.
But what if your neighbour is particularly sensitive to sound. And what if they are a serial complainer too?
Our Flatchatter has had enough of creeping around her own home like a cat burglar and still being bailed up by an obnoxious neighbour who, if you made your apartment so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, would complain about dropping pins.
However, there is a condition, especially among older people, that makes us more sensitive to noise, even while we are losing our hearing.
You can read more about the noise Nazi and the condition that might mean she suffers more than most HERE.
Elsewhere in the Forum
- Can a by-law about approval for changing locks be retrospective to cover locks that were changed years ago? That’s HERE.
- Do we need to pass a by-law to allow for a bathroom renovation? That’s HERE.
- Owner apathy has left one resident in charge but Vic law sets a minimum size of three for any committee. That’s HERE.
- The question of what committee members are supposed to do rolls on HERE. But it may soon be answered by changes to Fair Trading information and even strata law, as explained HERE.
- Another long-running debate is closer to resolution with a Flatchatter finding a ruling on who is responsible for painting a ceiling that has been damaged while repairing common property. That’s HERE.
How to ask and answer questions
Anyone can read our posts any time but now there are several easy ways you can search, access, ask questions and reply to others’ queries.
The best way these days may be to click on “Forum: Your Qs & A’s” on the top menu bar on a computer screen or on the drop-down menu (three lines) on the right of the screen on phones and tablets, under the Strata Choice ad.
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