Strata noise complaints: a step-by-step guide for owners and councils

Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.

What the bylaw says

Standard Bylaw 3(1): an owner, tenant, occupant or visitor must not use a strata lot, the common property or common assets in a way that:

• causes a nuisance or hazard to another person,
• causes unreasonable noise,
• unreasonably interferes with the rights of other persons to use and enjoy the common property, common assets or another strata lot,
• is illegal, or
• is contrary to a purpose for which the strata lot or common property is intended.

Many stratas add their own bylaws: quiet hours, flooring requirements, limits on renovation hours. Read your filed bylaws.

What makes noise "unreasonable"

Living in a strata means hearing some of your neighbours' ordinary life. The question is not whether noise can be heard but whether it is unreasonable, judged objectively: would a reasonable person in the same setting find it intolerable? Factors the tribunal commonly weighs:

• Time of day. Night-time noise is treated more seriously.
• Volume, duration and frequency. Occasional versus nightly.
• Type. Normal living noise such as walking and talking, versus amplified music or dropped weights.
• The building. Older wood-frame buildings transmit more.
• What the person did once told: rugs, felt pads, moving a treadmill.

Evidence from a neutral observer, such as a council member who listened from the complainant's unit, or a professional sound test, carries weight.

If you are the one disturbed

1. Talk to your neighbour once, politely. Many people do not know.
2. Keep a log: date, time, duration, type of noise, effect on you. Add recordings if they help, knowing phones capture low-frequency noise poorly.
3. Complain in writing to council or the manager. Name the bylaw, attach the log, and ask council to investigate. See how to file a bylaw complaint.
4. Invite council to listen from your unit.
5. Follow up if nothing happens: request a hearing under section 34.1, which council must hold within four weeks.
6. Civil Resolution Tribunal. If the strata does not enforce its bylaws reasonably, you can claim against the strata corporation, and in some cases against the neighbour.

Municipal noise bylaws and, for serious night disturbances, a police non-emergency call are separate options.

What council must do

Council's duties include enforcing the bylaws (section 26). That does not mean fining on every complaint. It means dealing with complaints reasonably:

1. Acknowledge the complaint.
2. Investigate. Speak to both sides, check the log, have a council member attend at the times complained of, and consider whether the cause is the building.
3. Give written particulars to the person complained about, with a reasonable opportunity to answer, including a hearing if they request one. If the person is a tenant, notify the landlord and owner too.
4. Decide at a council meeting: no contravention, a warning, time to comply, or a fine.
5. Give written notice of the decision as soon as feasible.
6. Tell the complainant that the matter has been dealt with, without disclosing more personal information than necessary.

The tribunal has ordered stratas to pay damages to owners where council ignored repeated, credible noise complaints for long periods. It has equally dismissed claims where council investigated properly and reasonably concluded the noise was ordinary living noise. Either way, the investigation needs to be visible in the record.

Hard flooring

Replacing carpet with hard flooring is a leading cause of noise complaints. Many stratas require council approval for flooring changes and set underlay standards by bylaw. Where an approved alteration later causes unreasonable noise, the nuisance bylaw still applies. See renovation approval.

Fines and continuing noise

Fines are limited to the maximum in the strata's bylaws, and by Regulation to $200 for a bylaw contravention. For a contravention that continues without interruption for more than 7 days, the bylaws may allow a fine every 7 days. Noise is usually intermittent, so each incident may need its own particulars. Fines that do not change behaviour can be followed by an application to the tribunal for an order to stop. For a tenant, repeated or continuing contravention of a reasonable and significant bylaw can also be grounds to end the tenancy (sections 137 and 138).

Privacy

Complaint letters are correspondence the strata keeps. Council should not publish the complainant's name unnecessarily, but cannot promise anonymity: the person complained about is entitled to particulars sufficient to answer, and records may be requested. Minutes should use lot numbers only.

Questions councils and owners ask

What counts as unreasonable noise in a strata?

Noise a reasonable person would find intolerable in the circumstances, considering time, volume, duration, frequency and the nature of the building.

Does the strata have to act on my noise complaint?

Council must investigate and deal with it reasonably. It is not required to impose a fine if it reasonably finds no contravention.

Can I complain anonymously?

You can ask council to keep your name confidential, but it cannot guarantee anonymity.

Can the strata fine my neighbour immediately?

No. The neighbour must first receive written particulars and a reasonable opportunity to answer.

What if council ignores my complaints?

Request a hearing, then apply to the Civil Resolution Tribunal.

This page is general information for BC strata corporations, not legal advice. Your strata's own filed bylaws may differ from the Standard Bylaws. See the current text of the Strata Property Act and the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws.

Related guides

Filing a Bylaw Complaint
Bylaw Enforcement
Strata Fines
When Council Does Not Respond
Renovation Approval
CRT Disputes