What can be done against excessive noise at home?

Excessive sound affects us all year long and everywhere. The harmless sound limit according to the World Health Organization is 65 decibels (abreviation 'db').  The fact of suffering acoustic contamination is more frequent than you imagine: Do you know that in Barcelona 88% of the blocks of flats are exposed to a noise superior to 65 db?   

As we have told you can act both against noise itself: improving acoustic insulation, and against or in cooperation with people who cause too much noise. Let's be clear: Townhall regulations protect you. So, according to these, public authorities have the power to sanction. Moreover,  several courts have established that excessive noise is an attack on the constitutional right to privacy. 

In this article we will speak about individual housing as well as the actions that can be undertaken within the framework of the  neighbors community to solve the conflicts arising from the problem dealt. We want to emphasize that your priority has to be to avoid that a nuisance it comes first, to an intrusion in your house, secondly an element of disruption and, in the end, an open conflict. 

With our experience and the help of Legalitas, we recommend what gradual actions you should take if you feel that you are suffering from excessive noise:

Friendly phase:

1. Dialog with empathy: listen to the person who makes the excessive noise to know your motives and expose yours.  

2. Try to reach an agreement: for the cessation and / or scheduling of noise cause. When we talk about scheduling we think, for example, in the case of a neighbor pianist who wants to train. Keep in mind Mill's principle: 'your freedom ends where the other's begins'.

Contentious phase:   

3.  Only if the neighbor persists in his or her behavior do you have to speak with the president of the community.

4. Wait a reasonable  time lapse for the president to require the neighbor to abandon his or her action.

5. If the neighbor, following the previous steps, does not cease in the disturbing action you can denounce. In order to do so, two ways can be taken: 1. the inclusion in the agenda of the community meeting of the petition initiates a procedure against the one who carries out the annoying activity or, 2. to make the denounce individually with lawyers advice.

 It is time to get familiar with Barcelona's regulations: "noise thresholds by time zone and room":   

Lapse 1: 7 to 21h:

Dining room/living room: no more than 35 db
Bedroom: no more than 30 db
Kitchen and bathroom: no more than 40 db

Lapse 2: 21 to 23h :

Dining room/living room: no more than 35 db 
Bedroom: no more than 30 db
Kitchen and bathroom: no more than 40 db

Lapse 3: 23 to 7h:

Dining room/living room: no more than 30 db
Bedroom no more than 25 db
Kitchen and bathroom: no more than 30 db

The complaint has to be filed with the  district Citizen Attention Office where you live. In this link we show you where the Municipal Attention Offices are. Opening hours of these offices: in summer they open only in the morning, while the rest of the year they open from 8 am to 6 pm. 

In order to fill the complaint, public servants will ask you your address  and your ID card or passport as you are the complainant. From here begins the process by which the public administration sends a technician to your home to measure the db and initiate, if appropriate, the file for a complaint of excessive noise.

Your well-being: our task!