Due to the confinement by COVID-19, many of the reforms that had been started were paused during this period. It was only at the end of May, when the Government gave permission to resume the works, which has caused the increase of the works to become quite remarkable.
The dynamics of compulsory convocation of neighborhood meetings will be suspended until April 30, 2021. In Catalonia, it has been the Property Administrators who have proposed to change the legal regime of the Horizontal Property, in order to prevent contagions and outbreaks of COVID-19. This request has been accepted, so that by means of the Decree Law 26/2020, the obligation to convene meetings of neighboring owners has been stopped for approximately one year.
In recent days, the Government has made available to us a guide with recommendations for the use of air conditioning and ventilation systems as a COVID-19 prevention measure. All this, at the level of buildings and premises with some trade. This document has brought together a series of technical keys to protect the health of citizens, trying to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in places with air conditioning and / or mechanical ventilation. An example of this type of spaces are shopping centers or offices.
Taking into account the situation for COVID-19, there are many families who want to opt for a removable or inflatable pool to cope with the summer heat. These installations are usually designed to be installed on terraces and even rooftops. But, is it legal, can there be complications with the structure of the building, should the neighbors be informed before carrying it out?
As of 2018, the Government has had special concern in the fact of rehabilitating and making accessible all possible buildings. For this very reason, the Autonomous Communities have «plans and aids or subsidies». These are even reaching the provinces as such. Madrid is a clear example with its Madrid Recupera plan (Plan MAD-RE).
In 2021, a ban on the most polluting boilers in the communities of neighbors has been introduced. Therefore, the Madrid City Council intends to help in this by supporting the owners with subsidies that allow them to change their appliances. Specifically, it will help those communities that make their replacements between January 1 and December 31, 2020. This will also apply to SMEs, helping them for the first time in changing their air conditioning system.
A resident of a community of neighbors who uses a wheelchair has denounced the fact that he has been unable to enter and exit his home for 5 years due to the fact that his building lacks the necessary accessibility measures.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a total of 22,300 mailboxes have been installed throughout Spain, serving 250,000 people. There is no need to keep an eye on when a package arrives at your home. It will be as easy as entering your building, taking a look at the password of your order in the app corresponding to the mailbox company, picking up the package from it and taking it to your home.
During the months of quarantine and the State of Alarm the homeowners’ communities have been involved in a non-payment of up to 50%. The situation that has been developing over the last few months with COVID-19 has turned out to be a real nightmare. Not only in economic and health terms, but also in terms of people’s quality of life. Many families are unable to meet the monthly community expenses. Not to mention the expenses that may arise for any specific reason.
According to article 7.2 of the Horizontal Property Law, by placing three-pane windows instead of two-pane windows the aesthetics of the building has been changed, so the community can order the immediate demand and reinstatement to its previous state. On the other hand, if the neighbor who is required, by virtue of agreement of the meeting, to return the window to its previous state does not pay attention within the period given to do so, the community can exercise the action for cessation in ordinary trial.
