A neighbour is having work done: rights, hours and limits

The drill at 8 a.m. on a Saturday. Before the war, the framework.

What the owner may do

Carry out work inside their own home without the community's permission, provided it does not alter common elements or the structure, or affect the safety of the building. They must notify the chair beforehand (a legal obligation almost nobody complies with — and worth asking for, gently).

What does need permission

• Touching common elements: the facade (windows with a different pattern, enclosing a terrace, flue outlets), the structure, courtyards, main downpipes.
• Those changes require a resolution at a meeting (three fifths generally; unanimity if it alters the deed).

Hours and disturbance

Set by the municipal by-law (typically weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., restricted on Saturdays, nothing on Sundays). The local police are the route for breaches — the community can remind people of the rule, not fine them.

Collateral damage

Dust on the stairs, scrapes in the lift, a skip in the entrance: whoever caused it repairs and cleans. Healthy practice: when the work is notified, remind them in writing that cleaning the affected common areas and any damage are on them — said beforehand, there is less arguing afterwards.

The record, again

Work notifications, complaints and damage: in writing and dated. If it escalates, the history makes the difference.