If you are planning to open a business premises or you already have one in operation, you must ensure that you comply with the relevant rules and regulations. Among these requirements, acoustic measurements play a crucial role, especially when obtaining opening and first occupancy licences.
In this article, we explore in detail how to obtain acoustic certificates for commercial premises and the procedure of entering the neighbour's house to measure.
What is an acoustic measurement?
When applying for a opening licenceIn order to ensure that the project has been properly executed, it is essential to present an acoustic certificate validating that the project has been properly executed. This involves taking accurate measurements of several sound insulation parameters both inside and outside the establishment.
Insulation measurements:
- Airborne noiseCapacity assessment of roof and wall insulation of the premises. Measurements required from the neighbour's house to assess noise penetration.
- Facade noiseMeasurement of the noise emitted from the front door to the outside to assess its impact on the environment.
- Impact noiseNoise impact assessment: Assessment of the noise impact generated by activities within the premises. It is measured from the perspective of the neighbour's home.
Immission measurements:
- Interior noiseMeasurements inside the premises of the ambient noise with normal operation of the system.
- External noiseOutdoor measurement of ambient noise from the premises to the street.
For the licence of first occupation there is a case-by-case methodology:
- At single-family homesfollow the same procedure as above. In the case of adjoining dwellings such as terraced or semi-detached houses, the appropriate measurements will be taken at the neighbour's house.
- At residential buildings measurements shall be made in at least 10% of the dwellings in the building, at least in 2 dwellings. Impact noise is measured in all the adjoining dwellings below, above and at the sides.
In the event that the business premises do not have dwellings nearby it shall not be necessary to access the nearby premises to measure the above parameters, except in specific cases required by local councils.
When and how to take an acoustic measurement in a neighbour's house
Access to the neighbour's house should be gained in order to measure the parameters of airborne noise y impact noise. These measurements need to be made in a specific time and mannerThe specifications of the municipality's town hall shall be taken into account.
Commercial activities are divided into daytime hoursfrom 07:00h to 22:00h and night timefrom 22:00h to 07:00h. Therefore, the measurement inside the neighbour's house will have to be carried out during the same hours in which the activity of the premises is carried out.
The owner of the business premises will be responsible for contacting the neighbour.explaining the procedure to be performed, the timetable, the time, which is usually about 30 minutes, and the reasons for the measurements.
Measurements may only be carried out, in order of priority, in the following areas bedrooms and/or living room that abuts the ceiling of the room. In no case shall it be possible to carry out measurements in other areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, corridors, landings or lifts, as the echo and spaces could alter the results.
What to do if you are not allowed to measure in your neighbour's house
In exceptional situations where access is denied, the following protocol shall be followed:
- A burofax with the request of the local council, the measurements to be taken, the parameters and, in addition, the times of availability to enter the dwelling will be consulted. 30 days to wait for a response.
- If there is no reply, another burofax will be sent. accompanied by a notary. This will provide information on the work to be carried out at the home, the timetable to be followed and, in cases of redundant refusal, access will be granted to the police.
- If the refusal persists, shall be recorded on the certificate and the neighbour will not be able to claim future noise nuisance damages.
Acoustic measurements in Malaga
The acoustic measurements are an essential tool to comply with regulations and in PBM Engineering we are specialists. If you have any doubts about this or any other related subject, you can call us or send us a message so that we can solve your particular case.
Find out about our skills in Engineer Malaga - Miguel Pulido Bendavid - Chartered Engineer
