Next-door neighbor's construction dust

One of the flats on my floor is undergoing major renovation. The contractors leave the door open when they do their work and the entire floor is covered with a layer of white construction dust all over the walls, floor, and doors. It's pretty suffocating in that common hallway during the day.


Is this legal? If not, who do I call to complain? Thank you.

Gandalf, I think you should report to the Fire Services Department if their rubbish is blocking the fire escape stairwells, coz that is pretty serious. In Hong Kong the tougher you are the better you are treated. No need to give way to this kind of sh*t people. Good luck.

Thank you for the advice. I'll try my best with the building management tomorrow. I just can't believe that the other residents on my floor haven't been complaining.

Since living in HK (two years) we have had a constant problem with apartment renovations around us - lots of the same problems you have had - we have complained to building management, security and even the police. NOTHING was ever done for us and one day it blew up when we actually approached the builders ourselves. One came insidethe door of our apartment threatening to punch my husband but unfortunately my husband hit him first and the worker then feighned all innocence. My husband was arrested, charged convicted denied any kind of 'being held over' and now has a criminal record. We have since had all kinds of immgration visa problems. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't but we couldn't help but feel like victims of racism. I was present for the full thing and I truly do feel the police did everything they could to be unhelpful - even telling us there was no need for a lawyer. All the best to you! We have totaly given up on making any complaints about noise or anything else that infringes on our rights here and just 'suck it up' and collect our pay checks thinking about what we can do with them when we eventually move home. I cannot understand why other residents do not complain - or maybe they already know the futility of it!

I spoke to building management a few days ago after coming home from a week away to a fine layer of dust throughout my flat. They agreed to ask the construction workers to keep the door closed. That worked one time. The building manager basically told me that he himself has no recourse against the flat owner's construction crew and that I was the ONLY complaint so far. That the common hallway is perpetually covered in dust doesn't seem to matter. He mentioned that I could always call the police, but that they are helpless to do anything.


Well, it gets even better or rather worse. Not only is my next-door neighbor doing full-scale renovation (with even more construction dust and toxic fumes), my downstairs neighbor just put up bamboo scaffolding outside his windows. I live in a corner flat, so I'm basically surrounded by construction on two of three sides. The noise from downstairs hasn't started yet, but I am just bracing myself for the next wave. Just praying that my upstairs neighbor likes his flat the way it is.


With a baby on the way soon, I am also praying that my neighbors are incentivized to complete their renovations as quickly as possible. In the meantime, I have to start looking for a new 3-br flat ASAP in case the construction doesn't end.


I guess I'm posting this to warn potential renters/buyers about moving into an old building. We knew that this place was old and ugly on the outside but we liked the interior and the external view. It just never occurred to me that constant renovations would be an issue when I moved in last summer. It also never occurred to me that I could not buy any Western-style furniture since the lifts, stairs and doors are all too small to squeeze anything in. Just something for newbies to think about.

Flat Living in Hong Kong is always brutal. If it's not renovations it's dogs barking or the neighbour who cannot control his/her TV volume or children volume. You have to "Suck It Up Here" or move, that simple but who can guarantee the next place is any better. Try making your Flat more airtight using door seals which can reduce dust and noise. Have someone who does it for a living complete the work and charge it to your landlord under pain and suffering. If convenience, take your your high priced island flat, compare to a New Territories Flat or even get a single house for the same price. We did!

I empathize with all of you. We went through a HUGE nightmare dealing with the exact same thing when we were in Shanghai. I won't even go into details because what happens there is 10 times worse than what goes on here. So after we moved back to HK, what do you know? More construction!! Good thing my hubby is a lawyer, so he made sure he read the building regulations on construction work and used their working in their own regulations to complain to the building manager. Where we live, construction workers are not allowed to leave their doors open when they work. Hubby simply pointed to that on the regulation listing and the doors were shut from then on. Miss D, I feel really bad about what you guys went through, but in the end, your hubby did punch the guy. I swear if I could, I would have inflicted pain on the building manager myself in Shanghai, but considering where we were was the sole reason that stopped me. So tsuiwah, have a good look at the building regulation and use that to your full capability. Make sure you write down everything that has happened such as dates, things said, promised, etc and when its still remains the same, tell your landlord about it and threaten to cut short your lease or something. We also live in an old building and thank god construction has finally stopped below us. The only good thing I have taken from this experience is now my son can sleep through his afternoon nap with loud drilling in the background.

in malaysia they build a entire shoping mall next to our flat i know how you feel i recomend that you try and wait it off. Good luck