As per the thread, I’m hoping someone on here can help me understand what is deemed reasonable by my local authority environmental health department.
I’m currently renovating the father-in-law’s flat, which is on the second / top floor of a 60’s build low-rise (concrete floors, cavity walls, external stairways). It’s not been decorated in years so everything is being changed. Works started in November time and Covid has meant that I’ve been working there alone, and that some jobs have dragged whilst I’ve waited on merchants getting stock back on to the shelves.
I’d informed the neighbour on the first floor - who’s noisy - about the impending works. She knocked one Wednesday morning complaining about me taking up the carpet grippers on the stairs, and so I agreed to start work at 0900 and not 0800.
I then received a letter from environmental health informing me that a complaint of power tools being used had been lodged and that works must only take place during permitted hours.
I telephoned the council and informed them of the situation, told them where we were with the works, and was told that all sounded well and I shouldn’t worry.
Since then I’ve kept to those hours, and would spend the occasional evening or Sunday there only doing silent works (measuring, painting etc).
I then get a visit from the council last Thursday. I was using an oscillating tool at the time, which seemed to have upset him. I showed them around and informed them of what works were left (partial bathroom tiling, a room to plaster and paint, and stairs to sand and varnish) and they calmed down.
Their issue is the time that is being taken to complete the works, it seems.
I told the council that I couldn’t give a specific time frame, reminded them I could only work on my own in between shifts at work, and reminded them that the flat would often be unoccupied (and therefore silent) so up to six days a week at times.
I’ve still got plenty to do and so am keen to learn of any experience anyone has, either side of the fence, to help me understand exactly what reasonable is.
