At what times can building work be done in a flat?

Question

José Manuel Alburquerque · Accepted Answer

There are no hours for building work common to the whole of Catalonia or the whole of Spain. Each town council sets them. In Barcelona, according to the City Council itself, the “Ordenança de Medi Ambient”, the city's environmental ordinance, only allows building work Monday to Friday from 8 to 21 h and machinery from 8 to 20 h. The owners' association (the “comunidad de propietarios”) can also set stricter hours in its internal rules, which also bind tenants. Even if the hours are respected, building work must not cause more disturbance than necessary. What the City Council sets In Barcelona, according to the City Council, the environmental ordinance only allows building work Monday to Friday from 8 to 21 h. Machinery must stop at 20 h. Those hours can only be varied in special cases. Before hiring someone to do the work, check with the City Council which hours apply to your work, for example on 010, the municipal information line. The contract with the firm should include them. If work is done outside those hours, the neighbours can call the “Guàrdia Urbana”, the city police, at the time and, if it happens again, report it to the City Council. Outside Barcelona, each town council sets its own hours in its ordinances. What the owners' association can decide It can set stricter hours for building work inside the flats, for example from 9 to 14 h and from 16 to 19 h. This is normally done in the internal rules, which contain the building's rules on community living. They are approved by a simple majority and bind owners and tenants. Before starting, the “Código Civil de Cataluña”, the Catalan Civil Code, requires works in the flat to be notified to the association's president or managing agent. It is also advisable to let the neighbours know the dates and times. If the works affect common parts, such as the façade or the structure, a resolution of the owners' general meeting is also required. That permission from the association and the building permit or notification to the City Council are two different things. One does not replace the other. If the works cause a disturbance Anyone doing building work must avoid unnecessary disturbance. An affected neighbour can demand that the most disruptive work be done on the day and at the time that cause least harm. If the association has its own hours and they are not respected, the president can formally require the owner to comply with them and, if the disturbance continues, the association can act as it would against any nuisance activity. To do so, it must be possible to prove the disturbance, with dates, photos, recordings or the evidence of other neighbours.