Guitar Shop Soundproofing Law for Flat Above If you want to know how your DIY projects could be affected by building and planning regulations, click here to post questions and view answers

[hach]

Hi. I was wondering if someone knew if it is required by law for shops to have adequate soundproofing?

We live above a guitar shop that has no soundproofing what so ever, I would have thought that such a shop being below residential dwellings would need to have some sort or soundproofing? I have checked online but i am unable to find anything helpful.

Many thanks for your time

Hach

[arbco]

Sound proofing and building regulations only apply to new flats/dwellings formed by change of use or new build. Presuming the shop and flat have been in place for many years then the answer is no but you possibly could peruse environmental health for nuisance, but I am not 100% on this as it is a shop. You could research the local authority records to see when the flat was converted and if after 1985 then some sound precautions would be in place but after 2004 would mean that they should be comparable to modern standards.