RUNNING the washing machine late at night or using the dishwasher early in the morning can be prosecuted under Spanish housing law.
Neighbours can report one another for noise during hours of rest under Spain’s ley de la propiedad horizontal (LPH).
When unbearable noises, such as loud music or drilling, extend into hours meant for rest, coexistence is disrupted and noisemakers can be punished for not respecting their neighbours.
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This punishment process begins with a notice to the offender that they must cease the disruptive action and if they do not, the community is allowed to hand the case over to a judge who can take further measures and juntas (regional governments) who can order offenders to appear in court.
There is no discrimination between the house owner and inhabitant – both are held accountable for the noise and if the occupant repeats the offence they can face consequences that affect their housing for up to three years.
If one aims to report their neighbour for persistent noise they are advised to log the noisy hours, collect supporting testimonies, and gather recordings where possible and legal.
It is also important to research what rest hours are in the location that they are in.
There is not a fixed national period of rest: rest hours are usually determined by communities or municipalities and what is allowed in one city may be completely different from what is permitted in another.
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If a building has no specific rules of its own, local regulations governing decibels and time slots in the area are used.
While the judicial route is not automatic or quick, this law is a real tool available to suffering neighbours – it confirms that the right to rest and relax is more than a desire, it is a legal demand, and proves that coexisting means respecting that everyone deserves some peace and quiet.
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