Nuisance and neighbour disputes: what the condo board can do

The board is neither referee nor building police. But it is the only body able to establish that a nuisance is repeated — and that changes everything.

Sooner or later a board receives a complaint: music at night, a cluttered landing, bins left outside a door, works on Sunday. And immediately finds itself in an uncomfortable position, between two neighbours each expecting to be proved right.

First, what the board does not have to do

It does not arbitrate a private dispute, sanction an occupant, or go to anyone's home to inspect. The board assists and reviews the property manager; it holds no policing power, and attempting one turns a dispute between two people into a dispute with the board.

Its legitimacy lies elsewhere: in what concerns the condo rules and the common areas. A cluttered landing, a common area diverted from its use, an unauthorised installation — that is its ground.

The question that settles it: private or common?

• Does the nuisance concern the use of common areas? Then the association is involved, and the manager must act.
• Is it a breach of the condo rules — use of the unit, prohibited activity, unauthorised alteration? The manager is again the right contact.
• Is it a strictly private conflict between two occupants — occasional noise, a neighbourly disagreement? It is settled between them, possibly through mediation.

This distinction is not an evasion: it is what keeps the board useful. A board that handles everything loses all authority over what actually concerns it.

An isolated nuisance is a complaint. The same nuisance observed six times is a case.

Documenting, when it is the association's business

On matters that do fall under the rules, everything rests on repetition. An isolated complaint commits nothing; a series of dated observations, with photos of the common areas concerned, lets the manager write to the occupant about precise facts.

Record each observation like any other defect: date, precise location, factual description, photo. The method is the one in the issue log.

One essential precaution: never photograph identifiable people, and do not name an occupant in a description when it is not indispensable. See data protection in condo associations — a file built in breach of data protection rules turns against whoever built it.

Escalating, in order

1. A general reminder to all occupants, naming nobody: often enough, and at no relational cost.
2. A written report to the manager, with the dated observations, asking them to approach the occupant concerned.
3. A follow-up quoting the date of the first report — see the escalation method.
4. Taking it to the general meeting if the nuisance persists and concerns the community, with the facts quantified.

Preventing rather than managing

Many nuisances arise from ignorance of the rules rather than ill will. Clear communication at the start of the year about how common areas may be used prevents a good share of complaints — see how to communicate better with co-owners.

With CoproHarmony, each observation is recorded with its date and photos, visible to the whole board. Repetition becomes visible, and the case builds itself. Create your space for free.

Parking creates conflicts of its own: see what to do about an abandoned vehicle.

A daily presence in the building changes a lot: see the debate on the caretaker post.

Two sources of tension deserve their own treatment: pets and air-conditioning noise.

Two daily irritants are fixed by fit-out rather than rules: bulky waste and bikes in the hall.

Before invoking a custom, check what the building rules actually say.

One case is less about neighbours than collective sanitation: pests and bed bugs.

Two situations have their own method: commercial units and works inside a flat.

The most frequent noise has a precise technical cause: see impact noise and flooring laid without underlay.