Sound Insulation Testing in England: Developer Route Choice

For an England residential project, first agree with building control whether to use pre-completion testing under Approved Document E (2003 edition incorporating 2004, 2010, 2013 and 2015 amendments) or, for an eligible new-build attached dwelling, Robust Details; agree sampling before appointing a tester.[2][4]

Choose pre-completion testing or Robust Details

Approved Document E covers sound insulation in dwelling-houses, flats and rooms for residential purposes in England. Other UK nations have separate requirements and testing arrangements.[1][2][4][5]

Requirement E1 concerns resistance to sound from adjoining buildings and other parts of the same building. Testing therefore covers relevant separating walls, floors and stairs, not ordinary internal partitions within one home or external-façade noise.[2][4] A detached house without a separating wall or floor to another property will not normally require E1 testing.[3][4]

Robust Details can replace routine testing for eligible purpose-built attached dwellings registered before the relevant work and built to the approved specification. It generally does not apply to conversions, extensions or refurbishments.[3][4][5]

Compare the four routes

NOVA Acoustics

Eligibility and scope: NOVA offers pre-completion airborne and impact testing, scope advice, reports and building-control submission.[3] Accreditation and reporting evidence: the company reports UKAS accreditation No. 8568.[3] Coverage and turnaround: NOVA lists offices across England and says it deploys testing teams across England and Wales.[3] It says formal reports normally follow within a few working days.[3]

auricl

Eligibility and scope: auricl offers sample and readiness reviews, testing arrangements, result explanations, design reviews, construction inspections and post-failure advice.[4]

AF Acoustics

Eligibility and scope: AF Acoustics offers airborne and impact tests, certificates, consultancy and design advice.[6] Coverage and turnaround: AF states nationwide UK coverage, particularly London, and advertises adaptable dates and next-working-day reporting.[6] The cited AF page carries a © 2015–2018 notice, so confirm current terms.

Robust Details

Eligibility and scope: this is an alternative to routine testing for eligible, registered new-build attached dwellings constructed to an approved detail; it is generally unavailable for conversions.[3][4][5] Accreditation and reporting evidence: evidence follows the registration and approved-detail process rather than a testing provider’s report.[3][4][5] Coverage and turnaround: testing-provider geography does not apply.[3][4][5]

AF Acoustics offers a free quote and says it will try to beat a better quote.[6]

Agree separating elements and test sets

Relevant elements include party walls between houses, walls between flats or residential rooms, floors between flats or hotel bedrooms, and separating constructions in converted homes or student accommodation.[4]

Divide the development into groups and sub-groups according to building category, wall and floor type, flanking construction, room layout and significant construction differences.[4] Under Approved Document E sampling programme, the first properties ready for completion or sale in each group or sub-group are normally tested. If there are no failures, at least one further set is tested for every ten properties in that group; testing on larger developments should be spread through the construction period.[2][4]

Building control should agree the programme and select the properties without restricting the sample to units thought most likely to pass.[2][4]

• Houses: two airborne wall tests—one between suitable living-room pairs and one between separate suitable bedroom pairs.[2][4]
• Flats with a separating floor but no separating wall: two airborne and two impact tests through the floor.[2][4]
• Flats with separating walls and floors: two airborne wall tests, two airborne floor tests and two impact floor tests, normally involving at least three flats.[2][4]

Rooms for residential purposes include hotels, hostels, boarding houses, halls of residence and residential homes. Their programmes may need adapting to the layout and use, with the final sample agreed with building control.[2][4]

Specify measurements and acceptance limits

Airborne testing uses loudspeaker noise, levels in the source and receiving rooms, background noise and receiving-room reverberation time. It reports DnT,w + Ctr, where higher is better.[4] Impact testing uses a standard tapping machine above and measurements below. It reports L’nT,w, where lower is better, and applies to floors and separating stairs rather than walls.[3][4]

Approved Document E sets these England acceptance values:[2][4]

• Purpose-built houses and flats: airborne performance of at least 45 dB for separating walls, floors and stairs; impact performance no higher than 62 dB for floors and separating stairs.[2][4]
• Houses and flats formed by material change of use: airborne performance of at least 43 dB and impact performance no higher than 64 dB.[2][4]
• Purpose-built rooms for residential purposes: walls at least 43 dB, floors and stairs at least 45 dB airborne, and impact performance no higher than 62 dB.[2][4]
• Such rooms formed by material change of use: airborne performance of at least 43 dB and impact performance no higher than 64 dB.[2][4]

auricl identifies BS EN ISO 16283-1:2014+A1:2017 and BS EN ISO 717-1 for airborne testing and rating, and BS EN ISO 16283-2 and BS EN ISO 717-2 for impact testing and rating.[4]

Make both sides test-ready

Approved Document E calls for testing before occupation, when rooms on both sides are complete except for decoration and the separating construction and associated flanking elements are finished.[2][4] For impact tests, soft coverings such as carpet and foam-backed vinyl should be absent, while the floor construction and acoustic treatments should be complete.[2][4]

NOVA says carpet and loose-laid LVT should be removed but glued-down LVT should be installed where it forms an integral part of the floor build-up.[3] Its readiness instructions also call for finished partitions, closable doors and windows, installed services, access to both sides, quiet rooms and removal of loose items. Fans, mechanical ventilation and nearby noise should be stopped where practicable.[3]

Have the appointed tester approve a project-specific checklist covering:

• completion of the separating construction, flanking elements, services and required floor build-up;[3][4]
• access to the source and receiving rooms;[3]
• removal of soft or loose finishes where required;[3][4]
• control of background and mechanical noise;[3][6]
• the provider’s power requirements—AF Acoustics specifies a 240V supply.[6]

Verify competence and report traceability

Approved Document E recognises UKAS-accredited test bodies and members of the ANC Registration Scheme for Sound Insulation Testing. ANC provides tracked reports and ADvANCE verification information for building control.[2][4]

As procurement checks, request the tenderer’s exact UKAS accreditation number or ANC scheme details, confirmation that its scope covers the required measurements, a redacted sample report and instructions for authenticating the final report. Check the evidence rather than relying on an accreditation logo or generic certificate.

A building-control-ready report should identify the address, property type, test date, testing organisation, third-party accreditation, tester and rooms tested. It should state the measured and required values and the pass-or-fail outcome for each test before being supplied to the relevant building control body.[2][4]

Plan investigation, remediation and retesting

Under Approved Document E programme, one airborne result below its applicable limit or one impact result above it causes the whole test set to fail.[2][4]

1. Diagnose the cause. Review drawings, inspect the construction and commission diagnostic testing where necessary. Possible causes include gaps, unsealed penetrations, back-to-back sockets, missing boards, incorrect insulation, rigid bridges, defective floating floors, continuous voids, substitutions and flanking transmission.[4]
2. Remediate and retest the failed location. NOVA says a pass elsewhere does not show that the failed location has been corrected; that area needs remediation and a passing retest before sign-off.[3]
3. Review related properties. Ask building control whether units sharing the same wall, floor, construction or flanking details need inspection, remediation, additional testing or an increased testing rate.[4]
4. Close the evidence trail. Submit the traceable passing report and any supporting evidence agreed with building control.[4] Approved Document E does not set a universal report-submission or retest deadline, so the project documents should set dates.[1][2]

Responsibility should be allocated expressly. NOVA’s guidance assigns commissioning to the owner or developer, although a contractor may manage it; Trade2Base’s guide assigns arranging and payment to the person carrying out the work, commonly the builder, developer or main contractor.[3][5] The cited official guidance does not resolve this contractual allocation.[1][2]

The building contract, consultant appointment and testing order should identify who will notify building control, investigate the failure, authorise opening-up, approve remedial work, review similar units, commission additional tests and pay for investigation, remediation, aborted visits and retesting.

What to confirm with each provider

The cited NOVA and auricl pages do not state fixed prices, cancellation terms or contractual guarantees; AF Acoustics lists next-day report turnaround among its guarantees (confirm current terms) but does not state fixed prices or cancellation terms; the Robust Details pages cited here do not give the registration fee, inspection timing or refund terms.[3][4][5][6]

• total fee and included fee components;
• quote validity, deposit and payment schedule;
• cancellation, rescheduling and aborted-visit charges;
• retest rates and report-delivery deadlines;
• warranties and professional-indemnity limits;
• the precise commercial service area;
• the accreditation or ANC identifier used for the report; and
• for Robust Details, registration, inspection and refund terms.

References

1. Resistance to sound: Approved Document E – GOV.UK (gov.uk)
2. The Building Regulations 2010 (service.gov.uk)
3. Pre Completion Sound Testing Explained | Nova Acoustics (novaacoustics.co.uk)
4. Pre-Completion Sound Testing: Part E Explained | auricl (auricl.com)
5. Building Regs Part E (Sound) Explained — A 2026 Compliance Guide for UK Trades (trade2base.com)
6. Sound Insulation Testing in London – AF Acoustics (af-acoustics.com)