noise complaints

Kids in condos and noise complaints

B.C. story of family moving to escape ongoing fee has implications for Ontario
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
By Andrea Lusk

With a growing number of Ontario households raising children in condominiums, many in the condo industry may have read a recent news report from British Columbia with interest: A family — consisting of mother, father and two sons, aged two and five — facing a noise fee of $50 per week, decided to move rather than continue to fight with its strata council (the B.C. equivalent to an Ontario condo’s board of directors).

The B.C. family purchased their second-floor, wood-frame townhouse unit when their first child was born. Last year, their downstairs neighbour began submitting complaints that the sound of running back and forth, jumping and stomping, was constant through the day. While the neighbour recognized that there was a family with young children living above, the neighbour claimed that the noise could be heard two floors down in the basement and was affecting the enjoyment of the lower unit.

The mother in the upstairs unit was cited saying that her two-year-old screamed, had tantrums, but also that he was supposed to be loud and there was nothing she could do to stop that. She asked the strata council for suggestions on how to keep her children quiet, but claims to have received no response.

She placed a foam mattress in her dining room for her children to jump on quietly and agreed to an offer of mediation from her condominium (but claims to have heard nothing back). She reportedly felt bullied by her strata council because she had children and felt that she was prevented from parenting in the way she wanted because she had to put a virtual stranger’s comfort before the well-being of her children.

Many things jump out from this story which have implications for Ontario condominiums.

While the mother in the B.C. story may have had good intentions and no direction from her strata council on how to abate the noise, her children jumping on a foam mattress on the floor may have been an ineffective solution. The impact from the jumping would still be present and transmitted below.

With respect to the declaration and rules, in Ontario most condos have a provision in these documents prohibiting the transmission of noise and nuisance from one unit to another (which is usually measured at the discretion of the manager or board of directors).

Rules must be reasonable but declarations need not be, so long as they are consistent with the Condominium Act. Some condos will have a corollary declaration provision that a unit owner must, at his or her own expense, take all reasonable steps to abate noise transmission.

Many newer condos’ declarations allow the corporation to charge-back a unit owner for legal fees and costs related to the breach of a declaration, bylaw or rule provision. Rules may also contain charge-back provisions with respect to noise/breach of the rules.

Whether a court would uphold a charge-back related to noise depends on whether the authority to charge-back is explicitly set out in the declaration and how the provision is worded. The Act is very clear that “common expenses,” by which a condominium would charge-back expenses to a unit, can only be specified in the legislation, in the declaration, or be related to the performance of the objects and duties of a corporation.

A corporation wishing to add an amount to the common expenses of one unit, but not all others, must have authority to do so in the Act or its declaration. The Act allows for such “single unit” charge-backs for certain items (occupancy breaches; insurance deductibles/damage; maintenance or repair work done for an owner; in relation to alterations made by a unit owner to common elements; and if costs are awarded to the condominium by the court or an arbitrator in obtaining compliance with governing documents).

Otherwise, if a corporation wishes to charge one owner for something, but not all others, the wording in the declaration must be specific and explicit.

Rules may also contain fines and charge-back provisions, but rules cannot “create” common expenses. A declaration provision specifically allowing a reasonable charge-back for noise abatement is valid.  Collection via a general “indemnity” provision may be permitted but can be subject to the discretion of a judge or arbitrator (the court has commented that the general “indemnity” provision of a declaration is not a sweeping collection tool).

What about human rights? The definition of “age” in the Human Rights Code is “an age that is 18 years or more.” The Code does not protect against differential treatment solely on the basis of a person being under 18. However, “family status” is now used to challenge condo provisions which have the effect of restricting based on age. “Family status” is defined as “the status of being in a parent and child relationship.”

When human rights are raised to challenge a governing provision, the condominium’s defence is usually that the complainant has not proven a prima facie case of discrimination. In the alternative, if a governing provision is proven to be discriminatory, the corporation must show that it has accommodated the individual to the point of undue hardship.

A corporation’s duty to accommodate is considered and balanced in light of its obligations to other unit owners. Human rights complaints are decided on a case-by-case basis.

The above considerations all factor into families and noise complaints. However, what sticks out in a case that appears to have hit a standstill and left both sides unsatisfied is that mediation was not more swiftly availed. In Ontario, mediation is mandatory in most cases before a condominium can proceed to court for a compliance order and is also offered in human rights proceedings.

In the event a board is faced with a substantiated and persistent noise complaint, the best course of offence and defence is to gather all the evidence and immediately submit the matter to mediation under the Act. If mediation under the Act fails, the matter can proceed to arbitration.

If, in the meantime, the owner brings a similar complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal, the condominium can argue that proceedings have already been started under the Act, relate to the same subject matter, and, if not resolved by mediation, an arbitrator has the jurisdiction to deal with all questions of law, including human rights issues. The corporation can ask for a stay of a human rights complaint pending the outcome of mediation and arbitration under the Act.

If there is a delay by the condominium corporation in actually proceeding with mediation/arbitration steps, the human rights tribunal/court may not grant a stay and two similar proceedings may happen at the same time. Therefore it is best to commence the dispute resolution process as soon as a verified and persistent noise complaint is received. By doing so, the corporation sets the forum for the complaint (and a forum where costs can be recovered, as legal fees are not recoverable in human rights proceedings).

In noise disputes, hearing is believing. Mediation can include unit visits to objectively witness the noise and usually allows for simple and economical solutions to noise complaints before they make the news.

Andrea Lusk is an associate lawyer at Gardiner Miller Arnold LLP, a condo-focused law firm in downtown Toronto. She can be reached at andrea.lusk@gmalaw.ca.

9 thoughts on “Kids in condos and noise complaints

  1. Property managers and directors of a board just simply understand that unless wooden floors are banned or are permitted subject to strict supervision of installations of soundproof flooring, Young children – especially grandchildren should only be permitted as short tern visitors (single family residences) has to be enforced. “Shame” is the response! A home in every form should provide owners with accompanying rights of peaceful co-existence, peaceful and tranquil living. Many of us make the purchase of a unit our last big investment trusting that a well informed and caring body of neighbours will protect our vital needs.

    • You are right on the money when you say “strict supervision of installations of sound proofing”. I can’t tell you the quantity, its in the millions of square feet every year of 1mm Styrofoam allowed and approved by boards and property managers. This article is 5 years old, so perhaps in the hundreds of millions square feet – its a joke.

  2. Grateful for your article. I have just been told by my condo management office that tenants in a condo unit can make noise all day long and there is nothing that the condo management can do. Also was told that children in the Unit can drop things all day long and that there is nothing that the condo management can do. As well, the condo management lets children run in the hallways a and destroy common property areas. Your article has given me as an owner some hope. Thank you.

  3. I’m surprised at the intolerance towards children; we were once all young. Unfortunately, the cost of housing is forcing young families to be squeezed into tight quarters with neighbours. Perhaps the adults living in condos need to go someplace during the day (e.g. work, groceries, social activities); because when you’re busy you don’t have time to be bothered. I’m sure the parents try to take the kids out, but they need to come home for meals, naps, and the heaps of household chores.
    The intolerance these adults are showing towards children could come back to bite them; these kids could one day be doctors, politicians, etc. who make decisions on spending tax payer resources; perhaps they’ll decide not to “waste” time & $ on seniors programs or health care (e.g. a 70 y.o. has one foot in the grave so why spend $30k on a hip replacement or heart bi-pass?).

    • Some kids are so noisy they make all their neighbors mad. You as a parent should know to respect the comfort of neighbors.
      If you can’t discipline your kids and these kids wish to YELL all the time take them to the park or to the beach and let them yell and get the kick out of that.
      They may become doctors or even thugs one day. All that depends on how you bring them up.
      There are neighbors’ kids who may be studying for medical exams or some other courses.
      Your own kids and you yourself will complain about noisy kids in adjoining apartments in the years to come, when your kids are grow.
      So you better learn to be polite and ensure that your kids behave in a way as to keep their voices down.
      Remember to take your kids to parks often so that they could YELL and get the heat out.

    • I agree wholeheartedly. Intolerance is getting to be a fancy word. Our condo has specified times when kids can use the swimming pool. Only from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. How is that possible when they are at school till 4 p.m. On weekends & holidays,when it is their time to use the pool, adults are allowed to swim too and most of them bully the kids to get out of their way. I feel kids should be allowed to swim from 5 to 7 p.m. so adults can swim all day till 5 p.m. and also after 7 p.m. till closing at 10. p.m. Any comments ?

    • It’s not just intolerance to the noise, it’s about entitlement as a parent to allow your child to act however they please without concern for others. When a kid runs for hours, dropping things on the floor all day and night long, that’s a problem. Even though we lived in townhomes, mobile home, then finally a house, my kids were never allowed to run in the house…it’s not safe. When you live in an apartment, you have to live like you’re in an apartment…not a house. I walk more quietly in my apartment than I did in my house. I don’t work on noisy projects after 6pm, I don’t do laundry, vacuum, in early morning or after 6pm. it’s just common sense. Parents are in charge, not the kids.

      • You are amazing. Right now I am going through a lot of stress due to my upper neighbour child running. He runs like crazy and drops things bang bang. It all starts at 10 pm to 1am midnight. I complained to management. They just sent the letter. Did not help at all. And I put a sticky note on their door and asked please respect your neighbours. Looks like they are now doing it more louder. Seriously I wish I find neighbours like you.
        Any suggestions.

  4. Unfortunately, tenants have a right to peaceful enjoyment. You are sharing the building with other people and your particular family does not get “special treatment.” If your kids cannot play quietly, take them to a park. Even strata management have to bow down to tenancy rights. Even if they decide to lie and say children can scream that mimick certain mental illnesses, that is a lie. Most cities have laws to protect tenants when sharing building space.

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