While flooring may seem like a low-risk update, in multi-story apartment buildings, one person’s floor is often the next person’s ceiling and changes can have a noise impact on the apartment below. These buildings typically implement flooring by-laws to ensure any changes from carpet to tiles, wood or laminate adhere to specific sound rating standards.

Townhouses or free-standing homes are less likely to have a flooring by-law, but you should still check your own in detail. If there is no flooring or acoustic by-law, interior flooring changes generally do not require approval.

Flooring changes to an external area like a balcony or entrance porch can often be seen by other lots and will often require body corporate approval.