> Noise in a housing company: when does sound become a nuisance? > Lähde: https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/noise-nuisance-in-housing-companies/ > Koko sivusto koneluettavana: https://huoneistokierros.fi/llms-full.txt [Knowledge base](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/) # Noise in a housing company: when does sound become a nuisance? Huoneistokierros · 2 October 2026 · 6 min read ![Warm living and dining room in the evening light](https://huoneistokierros.fi/_astro/olohuone-iltavalo.DaEsdFRB_HVs3Y.jpg) In this article 1. [Three different situations](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/noise-nuisance-in-housing-companies/#three-different-situations) 2. [Normal living has to be tolerated](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/noise-nuisance-in-housing-companies/#normal-living-has-to-be-tolerated) 3. [When does noise count as disruptive behaviour?](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/noise-nuisance-in-housing-companies/#when-does-noise-count-as-disruptive-behaviour) 4. [Not all noise comes from the neighbours](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/noise-nuisance-in-housing-companies/#not-all-noise-comes-from-the-neighbours) 5. [How a shareholder can proceed](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/noise-nuisance-in-housing-companies/#how-a-shareholder-can-proceed) 6. [What the board should look into](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/noise-nuisance-in-housing-companies/#what-the-board-should-look-into) 7. [Frequently asked questions](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/noise-nuisance-in-housing-companies/#frequently-asked-questions) In a block of flats, footsteps, children playing, showers, doors closing and cooking all carry through the structure from one apartment to another. Sometimes, though, a sound becomes a real problem. When that happens, the shareholder and the board first need to work out whether it is normal living, disruptive behaviour or technical noise, because that determines what the housing company can actually do about it. ## Three different situations 1. **The normal sounds of living** are part of life in a block of flats and have to be tolerated. 2. **Disruptive behaviour** can be grounds under the Limited Liability Housing Companies Act (asunto-osakeyhtiölaki, 1599/2009) for the company to intervene and, as a last resort, take possession of the apartment. 3. **Technical or structural noise** comes from the building services or the structure itself, and it is a maintenance matter. ## Normal living has to be tolerated The law sets no decibel limit above which a sound is automatically prohibited. In a housing company, residents have to put up with the sounds of ordinary life. Children playing, running and crying, people taking showers and other everyday household activities cannot be banned. The quiet hours in the house rules do not mean total silence. People can use the toilet and shower at night, and ordinary moving about and talking cannot be restricted by the clock. The purpose of quiet hours is to reduce unnecessary and disruptive noise. A shift worker sleeps during the day, a family with children lives on the children’s schedule, and an elderly resident may need to do things at different times from their neighbours, so the aim is reasonable peace for everyone. ## When does noise count as disruptive behaviour? Under chapter 8, section 2 of the Limited Liability Housing Companies Act, the general meeting may decide to take an apartment into the company’s possession for a maximum of three years, among other things where disruptive behaviour takes place in the apartment. However, the apartment may not be taken into the company’s possession if the breach is only of minor significance. The assessment is based on the situation as a whole. Relevant factors include how loud the noise is, how long and how often the disturbance recurs, at what time of day it occurs and how much it bothers other residents. Recurrence is key: a single party is a very different matter from constant, loud partying at night. ### Change in the law on 1 October 2026 An amendment to the Limited Liability Housing Companies Act (535/2026) came into force on 1 October 2026. A new ground was added for taking possession of an apartment: where short-term letting of a residential apartment causes the company or shareholders additional costs or nuisance beyond those of normal residential use. Serving the warning is now governed by a new chapter 8, section 3 a, which under certain conditions also allows the warning to be served electronically. Disruptive behaviour remains a ground for taking possession, and the restriction concerning breaches of minor significance is unchanged. In other words, an apartment still cannot be taken into the company’s possession on the basis of a single noise complaint. ### A written warning comes first Before any decision to take possession, the board must give the shareholder a written warning. If the apartment is let or otherwise occupied by someone else, the warning must also be served on the tenant or other resident. The warning must state its grounds and mention the possibility of the company taking possession of the apartment. If the disturbance stops without delay after the warning, the company has no right to take possession of the apartment. Even then, the shareholder must reimburse the company for the costs already incurred from the warning and from convening the general meeting. The actual decision to take possession is always made by the general meeting, never by the board, the property manager or a neighbour. ## Not all noise comes from the neighbours Sound can also come from the ventilation, pipework, heating system, doors, lift or other building services. A constant hum may be caused by the ventilation, knocking by the pipework, and a banging door by a door closer that needs adjusting. The sound insulation of the structure affects how loudly a neighbour’s ordinary sounds carry. If footsteps are exceptionally loud, it is worth finding out whether the problem lies in what the resident is doing or in the building itself. The housing company cannot ban normal living, but a technical defect is a maintenance matter. If the same sound can be heard in several apartments, report it to the housing company promptly. How ventilation works is explained in the article on [housing company ventilation](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/housing-company-ventilation/). ## How a shareholder can proceed The following approach is practical advice, not a procedure set out in law. 1. Find the source of the sound: is it coming from a neighbour or from the building services? 2. Consider whether it is simply normal living. 3. Keep a record. Note the date, start and end times, type of sound, the room where you hear it and how loud it seems. 4. Talk to your neighbour, if it is safe to do so. They may not realise how clearly the bass from a speaker, a washing machine or furniture being moved carries through the structure. 5. If necessary, make a written report following the housing company’s instructions and attach your notes. 6. Ask for a technical cause to be investigated if the sound seems to come from the structure or equipment. Keep the report factual and focused on what happened. “Loud music could be heard from 23.30 to 02.00” says more than “the neighbour is behaving completely irresponsibly”. There is more on reporting technical observations in the article on [residents’ observations](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/resident-observations/). ## What the board should look into The board does not act as a judge in a neighbour dispute. Instead, it assesses the situation impartially on the basis of the housing company’s powers and the law. Questions to look into include: - Is this a one-off report, or has the problem continued for weeks or months? - Does the disturbance happen during the day or at night? - Is it normal living or exceptional behaviour? - Could the sound be structural or technical? - Is there concrete documentation of what has happened? If the source of the noise remains unclear, a building or building services expert can help, along with sound insulation or noise measurements if needed. A measurement describes a technical phenomenon, but on its own it does not settle whether the conditions for taking possession are met. The legal assessment is based on the situation as a whole. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can the housing company ban all noise at night? No. Activities that are part of normal living cannot be banned just because they happen at night. ### Can the housing company take possession of an apartment because of noise? Yes, if disruptive behaviour takes place in the apartment, the shareholder has been given a written warning and the disturbance has not stopped, and the breach is more than minor. The decision is made by the general meeting, and possession can last for a maximum of three years. ### What if the noise comes from the ventilation? Then it is a maintenance matter, not disruptive behaviour. Report it to the housing company so that the cause of the sound can be investigated. Source: [Limited Liability Housing Companies Act 1599/2009, Finlex (in Finnish) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/2009/1599) (chapter 8, sections 2, 3 and 3 a, amendment 535/2026). This article provides general information and does not replace case-specific legal or technical advice. Free assessment ## Know what condition your housing company's apartments are in On a preventive apartment round we go through every apartment in a single visit at a fixed price and record our findings in an electronic report. The assessment is free of charge. [Book a free assessment](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/contact/#kartoitus)[Get a price estimate](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/pricing/#hinta-arvio) Preventive maintenance at a fixed price Every apartment on a single round. 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