Ventilation check in an apartment building

Who is responsible for ventilation in an apartment building

The owner, possessor or, if the management contract provides for it, the manager of the building is responsible for operating the shared heating and ventilation systems. Under the Residential Property Management Law, the mandatory management activities include inspection and technical maintenance of the building and its services, and ensuring that fire safety requirements are met. In a building with gas, the owner or lawful possessor is responsible for the condition of ventilation and flue channels in the common areas.

In practice the check is usually organised by the building manager. But it cannot be done fully without access to the grilles in the flats, so residents' cooperation matters as much as the work itself.

How often, and why a certificate is needed every time

• Flats with a gas cooker, gas boiler or gas water heater: at least once every five years.
• Other flats: at least once every 10 years.
• If the building has stove heating, the flues must be cleaned within the periods set in the regulations, depending on the fuel.

In the regulations a multi-flat property is any building with two or more flats. The exception that lets a private house owner clean without a certificate does not apply to it. So after every cleaning a certificate is drawn up with the name and number of the cleaner's qualification document.

How a check usually goes in a building with many flats

1. Date and notice The inspection day is agreed with the building manager, who notifies the residents, for example in the stairwell and through its own system, so that someone is at home in each flat.
2. Roof and attic We look at the tops of the shafts, remove nests and debris and clean the ducts from above with a brush and a weight.
3. Flats In every flat we check the draught at the kitchen, bathroom and toilet grilles and note whether a grille is covered or has been replaced with a fan.
4. Blocked ducts If a duct does not draw, the blockage can be located with a camera.
5. Inaccessible flats Flats that could not be entered are marked in the certificate as not checked.
6. Certificate The certificate records the condition of each duct.

What we most often find in apartment buildings

• A motorised kitchen hood is connected to the shared duct, and smells come back into the upper-floor neighbours' flats.
• The grille has been painted over or covered by a kitchen cupboard after a renovation.
• The duct is blocked with renovation debris after a wall was opened in a neighbour's flat.
• In the room with a gas water heater the duct draws weakly because the windows are airtight and no air comes in.
• Birds' nests or a collapsed head at the top of the shaft.

In rooms with gas appliances, weak draught is a safety issue, not just a matter of comfort. If we find flue gases being discharged into a ventilation duct, or a blocked duct in a room with a gas appliance, it is recorded in the certificate, and the building manager must know about it. On gas boiler flues: chimney check for a gas boiler.

How much does a ventilation check in an apartment building cost?

The price depends on the number of ducts and flats, the number of storeys and access to the roof or attic, and how many blockages there are. The specialist will name the price after you submit the form, before the work. On chimneys in such buildings: chimney sweep for apartment buildings.