Noise, Dust and Neighbours During a Condo Renovation in Vancouver

The rule: Standard Bylaw 3

Standard Bylaw 3(1) says an owner, tenant, occupant or visitor must not use a strata lot or the common property in a way that causes a nuisance or hazard to another person, causes unreasonable noise, or unreasonably interferes with the rights of other persons to use and enjoy the common property or another strata lot.

The bylaw's only test is the word "unreasonable", which the strata council applies to the facts of each complaint. Hours of work come from your building's own bylaws, rules or alteration agreement. Ask the strata manager for them in writing before the schedule is set, and keep to them.

Bylaw 3(1)(d) also forbids a use that is illegal. The City of Vancouver has its own noise by-law. We could not read it on October 4, 2026, so we state none of its hours here. Check it with the City before the work starts, and follow whichever limit is tighter, the City's or the building's.

Who answers a complaint

The owner answers it. Section 130(1) of the Strata Property Act lets the strata fine an owner when a bylaw or rule is contravened by the owner or by a person the owner admitted to the premises for business reasons. A contractor and each of its workers are such persons.

The council decides. Section 26 of the Act makes the council responsible for enforcing the bylaws and rules. Under Standard Bylaw 20(4), the council may give many of its tasks to a strata manager, and it must keep for itself the decisions on whether a person contravened a bylaw, whether to fine, and the amount.

What the strata must do before a fine

Section 135 of the Act sets the steps. The strata must have received a complaint. It must give the owner the particulars of the complaint in writing, and a reasonable opportunity to answer, including a hearing if the owner asks for one. Section 7.2 of the Strata Property Regulation defines that hearing as an opportunity to be heard in person at a council meeting.

After that, the strata must give its decision in writing as soon as feasible. Section 129(2) also lets the strata give a warning, or time to comply, before it enforces a bylaw.

How large a fine can be

A building sets its own maximum fines in its bylaws, up to the limits in the regulation. If your building never changed the Standard Bylaws, the lower default amounts apply.

A fine can repeat. Standard Bylaw 24 allows a fine every 7 days when a contravention continues without interruption for longer than 7 days, and section 135(3) lets the strata fine a continuing contravention without repeating the complaint steps. Section 133 separately lets the strata charge the reasonable cost of fixing a contravention, such as cleaning dust from a hallway.

Dust: what the safety regulation requires

WorkSafeBC says cutting, breaking, drilling or grinding concrete or stone releases silica dust, which can cause silicosis, a lung disease that cannot be reversed. It lists tiles, cement and mortar among the materials that contain silica.

The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation sets rules to protect workers from this dust. Section 6.112(2) requires a risk assessment by a qualified person before the work. Section 6.112.1 requires an exposure control plan when the assessment shows a worker may be exposed. Section 6.112.2 ranks the controls: dust reduction systems and containment come first, then changes to work practices, then protective equipment in addition.

The regulation's list of dust reduction systems includes an enclosure that contains the dust, ventilation that captures it at the tool, and water that keeps it out of the air. Dust that is captured at the tool also stays out of the hallway. Dust that reaches a hallway or a neighbour's unit can be the subject of a complaint under Bylaw 3(1).

Tell the neighbours before the work starts

Telling the neighbours is our own practice, and we recommend it to every owner. A neighbour who knows the dates and has a phone number can call the contractor first. Your building may have a notice rule of its own, so ask the strata manager.

Before the first day, we prepare a written notice for the units beside, above and below. Where the building handles notices itself, we give the notice to the strata manager. It lists:

• The start date and the planned end date.
• The days of demolition, cutting and drilling, which are the loudest.
• The hours of work the building allows.
• Any day when shared water will be off.
• A name and a phone number at our company to call during working hours.

When a complaint arrives during the job

Act on the day you hear of it. These are the steps we follow with the owner.

• Ask the strata for the particulars in writing: the date, the time and what was heard or seen. Section 135 entitles you to them.
• Tell the contractor the same day. We check our daily record of hours worked and loud tasks against the complaint.
• Change what can be changed. Loud tasks can be grouped into fewer days, and the neighbour can be told which days those are.
• Answer the strata in writing with the facts: the approval letter, the building's work hours, and the hours worked on the day in question.
• Ask for a hearing in writing if you want to speak to the council in person.
• Keep every letter. The Province of BC's page on enforcement says an owner can dispute a strata's enforcement of its bylaws at the Civil Resolution Tribunal, where an online strata claim costs $125.