A pet shop with a dog grooming salon in Amsterdam-Zuid has been ordered by the court to take measures against the noise nuisance experienced by the neighbours. The owner must also pay 1000 euros per year that the nuisance occurred to the neighbors because of ‘loss of living enjoyment’. It is a total of three years.
The grooming salon is on the ground floor, below the living room and next to a bedroom belonging to the neighbours. The business is open six days a week and dog owners can drop off their dogs for a haircut and wash.
The business has been in the building for a long time, but since the relocation of the grooming salon in 2020, the neighbors have been experiencing problems with the ‘howling and barking’ of the dogs and the noise of the machines. The shop owner would also have promised the neighbors to install insulation, but did not honor that agreement. At the trial, the owner said it appeared his ceiling was already insulated.
Due to the persistent nuisance, the neighbors had an investigation into the noise, which showed that several exceedances of the standard were measured. For example, peaks of 70 decibels were occasionally measured, where the maximum may be only 55 decibels. During the case, the owner indicated that the neighbors also have to tolerate the noises, because they live in the city and because the grooming salon was already there before they came to live there.
The judge did not agree with the owner’s statements and is of the opinion that measures should have been taken when the groomer was moved. The owner has to do that now. The court decides for itself what measures the shop owner must take. For example, he can better isolate the salon or move it. He has a total of three months to do so. If he does not do so, he must pay a fine of 500 euros per day, with a maximum of 20,000 euros.