Source: https://www.alblawfirm.com/articles/sound/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 21:17:12+00:00

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As a result, noise complaints have become popular and common, and, as such, noise litigation has spiked. Like the flash of a neon light,2 this article attempts to explain both the noise laws and remedies in New York.
While case law establishes that municipal violations are not a prerequisite to establishing private nuisance,8 Noise Code violations are generally prima facie nuisances. Experience teaches that while police are trained to detect that a barking dog or a television violates noise laws, it is generally a matter of pure luck when a building inspector detects that a unit violates the acoustical isolation requirements. However, several acoustical engineers in the city specialize in making just such determinations and are available as expert witnesses, although it may require a court order to get the access for them to perform their necessary tests.
In Brown v. Blennerhasset Corp.,16 the occupants complained of the neighboring unit producing noise including heavy footsteps, snoring, and a dishwasher. The First Department, Appellate Division held that such noises were not unreasonable as they were incidental to normal occupancy. However, because the plaintiff’s expert stated that the noise could not be abated via carpeting or padding because the penetration of noise was attributable to the construction of the building, the court granted leave to amend the complaint so as to allege breach of the warranty of habitability against the co-op corporation. If there were proof of violation of §27-769, the court should have awarded an injunction mandating the amendment of the building so as to isolate the noise.
Recently in 150 West 21st v. Doe,17 the First Department, Appellate Term found there are was no “actionable nuisance.” Here, the landlord brought the action against tenants that allegedly made a “handful of of complaints over the course of more than one year” to the upstairs neighbor. The court found that this “did not constitute a recurring or continuing pattern of objectionable conduct that threatens the comfort and safety of others in the building,” and that the landlord failed to submit evidence to support the allegations.
In the case of rentals, the First Department has held that where a landlord had surrendered control of the unit to another tenant who was causing the nuisance, a cause of action for nuisance could not be sustained against the landlord because the landlord did not create the nuisance.18 However, that speaks to the generation of the noise, not architectural failure to sufficiently prevent its transmission.
While condominium boards are not subject to the implied warranty of habitability, condominiums boards are required, pursuant to RPL 339(v)(1)(i), to include by-law provisions “that are designed to prevent unreasonable interference with the use of their respective units and of the common elements by the several unit owners.”19 Unit owners can therefore obtain relief from noise interference through private nuisance claims and injunctive relief.
Unlike condominiums, co-ops and rental units are bound by the statutory warranty of habitability.20 They are required to ensure that there is no unreasonable interference with shareholders’ and tenants’ ability to use their premises for residential purposes.
In contrast, the plaintiffs in Nostrand Gardens Co-Op v. Howard24 were successful in establishing their claim that the landlord breached the warranty of habitability and obtaining an abatement of rent. The plaintiffs provided evidence showing the nature, scope, and duration of the of the breach and that the noise emanating from the apartment neighboring the tenant was excessive and occurred during unreasonable hours.
Where liability is found for breach of warranty of habitability, the “measure of damages is the difference between the fair market value of the premises if they had been as warranted and the value of the premises during the period of the breach.”25 In co-ops, these numbers tend to be vastly lower than in conventional landlord-tenant housing.
Utilizing expert testimony and conducting sound tests is helpful in establishing liability. In the case of Hohenberg v. 77 W. 55th St. Associates,26 the plaintiffs resided in the unit as tenants until the building was converted into a condominium. As such, the board of managers became responsible for common areas of the building. The plaintiffs showed that they made numerous complaints to the board and that they expended a considerable amount of money to change the layout of the apartment to ameliorate the penetrating noise and vibration. The court found that the board failed to take actions to correct the interference complained of and awarded damages to the plaintiffs. Similarly, in JP Morgan Chase Bank v. Whitmore,27 the owner of a condo unit produced expert testimony. The Second Department Appellate Division accepted the unit owner’s expert testimony and awarded damages in her favor.
1. To see a properly drafted, effective and tested carpeting provision drafted by the authors for BlumbergExcelsior, Inc, go to https://www.blumberglegalforms.com/Forms/59.pdf, paragraph 20(p). or http://albpc1.wpengine.com/forms/.
5. The “Noise Control Code” is also known as “The Noise Code.” See http://www.nyc.gov/html/ dep/pdf/noise_code_guide.pdf.
23. Armstrong v. Archives, 46 AD.3d 465 (1st Dept. 2007).
24. Nostrand Gardens Co-Op v. Howard, 221 A.D.2d 637 (2d Dept. 1995).
25. Id. (citing Park West Management Corp. v. Mitchell, 47 N.Y.2d 316).
26. Hohenberg v. 77 W. 55th St. Associates, 118 A.D.2d 418 (1st Dept. 1986).
27. JP Morgan Chase Bank v. Whitmore, 41 A.D.3d 433 (2d Dept. 2007).
28. Constantiner v. Sovereign Apartments, Inc., 126 A.D.3d 532 (1st Dept. 2015).

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