Installing air conditioning in a flat

Air conditioning in a flat is the best way to cope with hot days. Not everyone realises, however, that installing it requires the consent of the homeowners' association. What is worth knowing before we decide to buy the device?

Air conditioning: a lifesaver on hot days

Air conditioning is a device that helps effectively fight the heat. Which of us does not dream of walking into a cool flat when very high temperatures persist outside? Besides, units located high up, for example on the eighth or tenth floor, tend to heat up quickly in summer. Staying there on warm days can be very tiresome. Hence more and more people are choosing to install air conditioning, which solves this problem effectively.

It may seem that installing air conditioning is nothing difficult: a decision, buying the equipment and fitting it in the flat. Unfortunately, it is not quite so simple. When living in a block of flats, one must remember the necessary consents that are required before installing the device in such a property. So before we even buy the equipment, we must first check carefully what formalities will be necessary.

A multi-family building and air conditioning

In a multi-family building there are so-called common parts. These are the land, equipment and those elements of the building that are not used exclusively by the owners of individual flats. A device such as an air conditioner is installed outside, where it releases heat. Placing the equipment will therefore mean putting it on the facade, which is a common part of the property. What permissions will we need in such a case? It will be either the consent of the building manager or of the homeowners' association (wspólnota mieszkaniowa). Without it, installing air conditioning in a flat is not possible. These formalities must not be forgotten; they are essential.

It should also be noted here that for properties in Katowice and in every other city, the balcony belonging to the unit will constitute a common part. Even though it is, in a way, an element of the flat, any installation of air conditioning there also requires appropriate consent.

Sometimes the members of the homeowners' association decide how the building's common parts may be used by adopting appropriate resolutions. Then any rules on whether air conditioning may be installed can be found in such a document.

Choosing a suitable device

Let us remember that an air conditioner makes noise while running, which can be a nuisance to neighbours. Hence the homeowners' association may set out in a resolution that consent to installation will be given if the device has a suitably low noise level. Before buying the equipment, it is therefore worth reading such documents. It is important to choose a device that meets the stated standards, and so obtain consent for the installation.