Croydon neighbours face off over constant sanding noise through ‘anonymous’ note
With much of Victoria’s labour force working from home under coronavirus lockdown, a pair of Croydon neighbours have faced off over DIY noise etiquette. So what are the noise restrictions on home projects?
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
With much of Victoria’s labour force currently working from home under coronavirus lockdown, a pair of Croydon neighbours have faced off over DIY noise etiquette.
A Croydon resident, who took offence to their neighbour’s constant sanding, dropped a letter in their mailbox but it spectacularly backfired when the neighbour called out their “anonymous” note.
“Hello, there are a lot of us trying to work from home at the moment and your very high pitched continual sanding is becoming an issue,” the letter said.
“This has gone on for weeks now. Can it please come to an end?”
But the anonymous letter appears to have annoyed the home handyman who wrote a reply and taped it to his mailbox for the rest of the suburb to see.
He crossed out “neighbour” which the author used to sign off and replaced it with anonymous.
“Next time have some guts and sign your name,” he wrote.
So is there a working from home DIY noise etiquette?
Under the Victorian Environment Protection (Residential Noise) Regulations 2018 electric power tools, chainsaws or circular saws are banned before 7am and after 8pm Monday-Friday and before 9am and after 8pm weekends and public holidays.
Lawnmowers or other grass-cutting devices, gas or air compressors, pneumatic power tools, hammers or other impacting tools or grinding equipment are also subject to the same restrictions.
There is no suggestion the handyman has breached these time limits.
The Environment Protection Authority, which enforces the restrictions, said under the Environment Protection Act 1970 it was an offence to make unreasonable noise from a residence.
“Noise can be unreasonable if a neighbour can hear it in a habitable room of their home,” the EPA said on its website.
“Residential noise can still be unreasonable outside these times. Other types of residential noise can also be unreasonable, even if they aren’t in the regulations.”
Musical instruments, electric audio goods, including stereos, radios, TVs and public address systems are also subject to noise restrictions before 7am and after 10pm Monday-Thursday, before 7am and after 11pm on Friday, before 9am and after 11pm on Saturday and public holidays and before 9am and after 10pm on Sunday.
An EPA spokesman confirmed there had been a rise in the number of inquiries about noise since social distancing took effect.
He said the authority and government had been supporting local councils to communicate with residents and businesses to help keep any disruptions to a minimum.
With academics predicting working from home could become the new long-term norm, it seems neighbours may have to get used to a little DIY noise throughout the day.
Interior architect and UNSW associate lecturer Iva Durakovic said widespread working from home was shaking up the role of the traditional workplace and highlighted what was truly valuable.
“It will break down what we need to come to a traditional workplace for, like face-to-face contact, and the way the future work environment looks – it will be very different,” she said.
“Organisations who have maybe struggled in the past with trusting that their employees, even if they’re not in the building, will still get their work done, will see that they’re accountable.”
To find out how to report noise pollution visit the EPA’s website or call their 24-hour pollution hotline on 1300 372 842.
MORE: LEADING CAUSE OF FIRES IN CITY’S NORTH REVEALED
WILD POLICE CHASE ENDS IN METRO RING ROAD CRASH