We’ve recently had a string of hardwood floor complaints and are actively prosecuting CC&R violations stemming from illegal/improper hardwood floors for several homeowners in the Los Angeles area. Many HOAs have specific rules regarding hardwood floor installations in order to prevent circumstances causing a nuisance to homeowners in units below hardwood flooring. Unfortunately, sometimes the rules themselves are the problem. Often HOAs set minimum standards for hardwood flooring materials such as IIC ratings (Impact Insulation Class). However, an IIC rating for materials used don’t always translate to better sound attenuation because there are usually significant differences between the rating flooring materials achieve in the laboratory, which is controlled vs. in the field where floor/ceiling assemblies can vary from building to building and unit to unit.
Thus, if you are a homeowner contemplating installing hardwood floors in your condo, make sure you are first in compliance with the rules and second, maximizing the padding and sound insulation materials with your install so as to not subject yourself to a nuisance complaint or worse, being named as a defendant in a CC&R violation lawsuit. If you are a homeowner who is experiencing disturbances and nuisances stemming from hardwood floors from the unit above, contact one of our HOA Dispute Attorneys in Los Angeles for a free consultation and case evaluation.