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[voltron666]

Hi all

Can anyone recommend an acoustical engineer in Sydney NSW?

We're in a mixed block, and one of the shops has 3 commerical refrigeration units installed underneath where our bedroom is. There's a garage in between but we share a common wall. It sounds like the noise from the units is being transmitted through the walls, and we can hear this constant penetrating humming, especially through the night. The landlord swears it couldn't be the source, even though there's no other significant machinery in the building, and the strata manager is unwilling to move without more.

The manager quoted some figure of $5000 for an engineer's report to the Executive Committee which is understandably reluctant to spend that much. He also says he did an inspection of the garage and heard nothing, which seems a little doubtful as there's certainly some noise from the units and he didn't contact either us or the committee to say he'd done an inspection. So we're looking at getting our own report or offering to contribute/pay for it.

Also any other thoughts on how we might deal with it would be appreciated. We're also looking at talking to a lwyer about it if anyone can recommend a good strata one.

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[Jimmy-T]

This is the landlord's problem and you should not be the one chasing acoustic consultants and strata lawyers – certainly not in the first instance.  Talk to Tenants NSW about your options.

By the way, the solution may be as simple as one of the special noise-deadening plasterboards attached as an extra layer on the adjoining wall – but this would also be done at the landlord's expense.

If you want to be alerted when anyone replies to your posts or responds to this topic, please register and login, then you will be able to subscribe to the topic. The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers. NB: Longer threads may spill over to additional pages - look for the numbers on the bottom right, under the last post.

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[voltron666]

Thanks Jimmy, for your advice. Unfortunately it’s been a long running thing, with the landlord proving very stubborn about even conceding the issue might be his tenant, so it’s been difficult to move forward. The landlord’s the developer and he also lives in the building. That’s what the frustrating thing is, it’s probably a pretty simply fix.

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[Jimmy-T]

You can apply for a rent reduction via Fair trading back-dated to when you first complained about the noise and up to when the problem is fixed. And you can't be evicted for exercising your legal rights. have a look at this fact sheet and you'll see you have plenty of options.

If you want to be alerted when anyone replies to your posts or responds to this topic, please register and login, then you will be able to subscribe to the topic. The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers. NB: Longer threads may spill over to additional pages - look for the numbers on the bottom right, under the last post.

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