Construction next door in Malaysia: noise, dust, cracks and who to complain to (Johor Bahru guide)

中文 · Bahasa Melayu · Bahasa Indonesia

By Jason Lim, REN 84424 · IQI Realty · Checked on 13 November 2026

This guide is for owners and tenants in Johor Bahru and elsewhere in Malaysia, including owners living in Singapore or abroad, when a building site starts next door. The short answer: the site works under council permits with conditions, so raise problems with the site office first, then the council (MBJB, MBIP, MBPG or MPKu, through MyAduan Johor). Use the Department of Environment (DOE) for dust and pollution, DOSH (JKKP) for unsafe sites and CIDB for failed construction works. Before work starts, make a dated record of your home’s condition, because any claim for cracks rests on it.

Who controls what on a building site

Concern	Main agency	Basis
Building permission, permit conditions, working hours, hoarding, mud on roads, damage to drains and roads	Council: MBJB, MBIP, MBPG (Pasir Gudang) or MPKu (Kulai)	Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133); council by-laws and guidelines
Dust, silt, open burning and other pollution	DOE (Jabatan Alam Sekitar)	Environmental Quality Act 1974; complaints through e-Aduan JAS
Falling objects, scaffolding, cranes, risk to passers-by	DOSH (JKKP)	Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, section 17: duties to people who are not employees
Failure of construction works; contractor registration	CIDB	Act 520: CIDB regulates safe and quality construction and attends to complaints about failed works
Damage to your property	The developer, contractor and their insurers; the courts if needed	Civil claim; take legal advice

The safety duty has teeth: breaching section 17 of the OSH Act carries a fine of up to RM500,000, up to two years’ jail or both (section 19, as amended). If you see loose materials over a walkway or a crane swinging over homes, report it the same day.

Noise: working hours and limits

Johor’s councils attach conditions to each development’s approval and temporary permits, and enforcement follows breaches of those conditions. When Johor ordered the Iskandar Puteri site to stop work in August 2025, the conditions it had to meet within two weeks included halting earthworks, installing hoarding, stopping night operations and keeping roads clean. MBIP was told to step up monitoring under the Street, Drainage and Building Act.

Kuala Lumpur shows what a written rule looks like. DBKL’s guideline on site working hours (April 2013) allows work from 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday, extra hours to 10pm only by application with residents’ consent and a noise management plan, a 24-hour site hotline, and no noisy work in residential areas between 10pm and 7am. Johor councils may set different conditions, so ask yours what applies to the site next to you.

Receiving area (existing built-up areas)	Day	Night
Low-density residential, noise-sensitive receptors, institutions	60 dBA	55 dBA
Suburban and urban residential, mixed development	65 dBA	60 dBA

You do not need a sound meter to complain. A dated log with the time, what you heard and short phone recordings shows the pattern a council officer needs. Note any work on Sundays, public holidays or late at night, and photograph floodlights or concrete trucks arriving after dark.

Dust, mud and site hoarding

• Hoarding. Since 1 March 2026, MBJB’s guideline requires site hoarding 2.4 to 3.0 metres high in dark blue metal deck, fully enclosing the site, with covered walkways where the public passes. Applicants must keep the site clean and repair damage to roads, drains and street lights at their own cost.
• Earthworks. MBJB requires notice to start earthworks (Form E-2) at least four days before work begins, and the project signboard must show the developer’s licence number for housing projects.
• What good practice looks like. Water spraying on haul roads, covered lorries, wheel washing at the gate and netting or covers over exposed soil. If you see none of these on a dry, windy day, say so in writing.
• Who to tell. The site office first; the council for mud on roads, blocked drains and hoarding; DOE’s e-Aduan for dust clouds or silt running into drains and rivers. If anyone at home has breathing problems, speak to your doctor.

Cracks and pre-construction condition surveys

A pre-construction condition survey, also called a dilapidation survey, is an inspection by a building surveyor of the properties around a site before work starts. It records existing cracks, settlement, seepage and spalling with photos, video and notes, so later damage can be compared with the starting point. Malaysian research describes it as increasingly common and as evidence for both sides in a claim (Malaysia Architectural Journal, 2022; UiTM study, 2015). I found no general Johor rule requiring one for every neighbouring home, so ask the developer whether your home is included and request a copy.

Make your own record anyway

1. Photograph every wall, ceiling, floor and the outside walls, porch, fence and drains, with dates visible. Put a ruler or coin beside existing cracks.
2. Note doors and windows that already stick, and any existing leaks.
3. Email the set to the developer or contractor before work starts, so there is a timestamp both sides can see.
4. Repeat during demolition, piling and excavation, stages that research links to damage in nearby buildings.

If damage appears

• Write, don’t just call. Send dated photos to the developer and contractor and ask for a joint inspection.
• Ask about insurance. Ask whether the contractor holds contractors’ all risks or public liability cover that responds to damage to neighbours, and for the insurer and policy details.
• Get an engineer for serious signs. Widening cracks, doors that suddenly jam, tilting walls or ground settling need a professional engineer’s report, and the council should be told if there is any safety risk.
• Check your own policy. Your houseowner or householder policy may respond in some cases, with the insurer then pursuing the party at fault. See my home insurance guide.
• Don’t sign a release too early. Read any settlement letter with a lawyer before you accept repairs or money.

In a condo, damage to walls, car parks or other common property is for the management body to pursue; report it to the JMB or MC and ask for the reply in writing.

Step by step: when work starts next door

1. Read the signboard. Note the project name, approval and permit references and contacts.
2. Record your home’s condition as above.
3. Ask for a contact person at the site office, and the expected programme for piling and heavy works.
4. Keep a log of noise, dust and night work.
5. Raise it with the site first, in writing. Many problems are fixed quickly once a supervisor knows.
6. Go to the council. MyAduan Johor covered MBJB from 1 August 2025 and MBIP, MBPG and MPKu from 1 April 2026; by 14 September 2026 it had received 16,265 complaints and resolved 13,030 of them (The Star, 28 September 2026).
7. Use the specialist agencies for their areas: DOE e-Aduan, DOSH and CIDB.
8. For damage, get an engineer’s report and legal advice before you settle.

Noise from renovation inside your own condo is a different matter, handled under the strata by-laws; see my guide to noisy neighbours in condos. For a dispute with the house next door, see neighbour and boundary disputes.

Buying near a site or vacant land

An open view over empty land lasts only as long as the land stays empty. Check the zoning in the local plan with PLANMalaysia@Johor or the council (see my guide to checking zoning and the local plan), visit at different times of day, and ask how long any nearby project is expected to take. When choosing a unit, the side facing the site matters most; my guide to choosing a condo unit for facing and noise covers this.

Where to look in JB if quiet matters to you

• Tebrau, Setia Indah and Molek: established neighbourhoods with fewer empty plots, though redevelopment still happens.
• Skudai, Tampoi and Kempas: older suburbs; check main-road and infill projects.
• Mount Austin: mostly built up, with some new high-rises still going up.
• Iskandar Puteri and Bukit Indah and Gelang Patah: growth areas with more active sites, so check what is planned nearby.
• Kulai and Senai: newer townships near industrial and infrastructure projects.

Compare them on my JB property map.

More Johor living guides: Noisy neighbours in condos · Renovation permits in JB · Damp, mould and wall seepage · Living near industrial areas in JB · Earthquake tremors and Johor homes

Frequently asked questions

What hours can construction work happen in Johor Bahru?

Johor councils attach conditions to each site, and I did not find a published Johor-wide schedule. In Kuala Lumpur, DBKL’s guideline allows site work from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Ask MBJB, MBIP, MBPG or MPKu what applies to the site next to you.

Who do I complain to about construction noise in JB?

Start with the site office, then the council for the area, through MyAduan Johor. Use the DOE’s e-Aduan system for dust and pollution, and contact DOSH if the site looks unsafe.

What are the DOE noise limits for homes?

The DOE’s 2019 guidelines recommend 60 dBA by day and 55 dBA at night for low-density homes in existing built-up areas, and 65 and 60 dBA for suburban and urban homes. They are guidelines used by the authorities.

What is a pre-construction condition survey?

A building surveyor records the condition of neighbouring properties before work starts, with photos, video and notes on existing cracks, seepage and settlement. It becomes the reference point if damage is claimed later.

What should I do if my house cracks because of construction next door?

Photograph the damage with dates, notify the developer and contractor in writing, and ask for a joint inspection and their insurance details. Get an engineer’s report for serious cracks, tell the council if safety is at risk, and take legal advice before you settle.

What does CIDB do about construction problems?

CIDB registers contractors and, under Act 520, regulates safe and quality construction and attends to complaints about failed construction works, including those affecting public safety. Permits, working hours and nuisance go to the council.

Worried about a site near a home you own or want?

Tell me the address or project. I will check what is planned on the neighbouring land, what the signboard shows and how other units in the area face, so you can decide with the full picture. You can also book an appointment for viewings, or a Zoom consultation if you are abroad.

Sources: FMT (Bernama), Iskandar Puteri project first in Johor to get stop-work order, 21 August 2025; DBKL, Waktu Kerja di Tapak Bina di Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (site working hours guideline), 8 April 2013; Planning Malaysia journal, vol. 22, issue 6, 2024 (reproduces DOE, Guidelines for Environmental Noise Limits and Control, 2019, Second Schedule); MBJB, guideline on hoarding boards, effective 1 March 2026; MBJB, OSC checklist and Form E-2 notice to start earthworks, updated January 2023; Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, Part V (as published by the National House Buyers Association), checked November 2026; DOSH, Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), reprint as at 1 June 2024; CIDB, functions under Act 520, checked November 2026; DOE, Sistem e-Aduan JAS, checked November 2026; The Star, “Johor steps up complaint handling”, 28 September 2026; Malaysia Architectural Journal, “Dilapidation survey and report: a case study”, vol. 4, issue 1, 2022; UiTM, “The importance of dilapidation survey before the commencement of construction work in Malaysia”, 2015; PLANMalaysia@Johor, list of development plans for Johor, published February 2025

Jason Lim, REN 84424, IQI Realty Sdn. Bhd. E (1) 1584/6. General information checked on 13 November 2026, not legal, engineering or insurance advice. Permit conditions and procedures differ by council and site; confirm with MBJB, MBIP, MBPG or MPKu, the DOE, DOSH and a lawyer or engineer before you act.