Soundproofing that normally needs no notice
- Acoustic panels or boards screwed to your side of the wall
- Resilient bars or clips carrying plasterboard
- A separate stud wall built in front of the party wall
- Sealing gaps around sockets and skirting on your side
When it can need notice
- Removing a chimney breast to make room for the system
- Cutting deep chases or recesses into the wall
- Rebuilding or thickening the party wall itself
- Anything that bears on the wall, such as a new loft floor built into it
Be a good neighbour anyway
Fixing into a party wall is loud on the other side. A quick note telling them when the work will happen goes a long way.
Building regulations
Improving sound insulation in your own home is not normally controlled, but it is when it forms part of a material change of use, such as turning a house into flats.
Common questions
Do I need to tell my neighbour I am soundproofing?
Not formally, where no notice is needed. It is still courteous, as the drilling will be noisy for them.
Does soundproofing alter the party wall?
Systems on your side leave the party wall as it is, which is one reason they rarely need notice.
Where this comes from in the Act
Links go to the official text of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 on legislation.gov.uk.