Building maintenance, what regulations are applicable?

From the administrations, through different regulations, owners are promoted and obligated to properly maintain the real estate park. Do you know what the requirements are regarding building maintenance? In this article, we analyze the current legislation.

Building maintenance and applicable regulations

The LOE (Law on the Organization of Building) establishes that owners have the obligation to keep the building in good condition by making appropriate use and carrying out adequate maintenance actions. Users, for their part, whether owners or not, must use it appropriately according to the operating instructions in the Building Book, which includes a maintenance plan.

The Technical Building Code, relying on the provisions of the LOE, also emphasizes this issue, stating that compliance with the Code must ensure the safety of occupants, the sustainability of the building, and respect for the environment.

The EHE-08 Instruction for Structural Concrete insists that compliance with regulations must occur both during the project phase and during construction and its maintenance. The instruction, which takes into account all phases of the structure's life cycle, highlights that maintenance actions are preventive actions that avoid or delay the emergence of problems that could cause considerable harm to the building and a significantly higher economic cost.

The RITE, which establishes the energy efficiency and safety requirements that must be met by both new buildings and existing ones, also highlights the necessity of carrying out the necessary maintenance of the installations to keep the buildings in good condition. Likewise, it urges the monitoring of all interventions, recording them in the Building Book.

Other applicable regulations regarding building maintenance are the Conditions Document presented with the executive project, the Technical Notes on Building, and the standards for good construction.

Maintenance of ventilation installations

To renew the air in occupied spaces, there are various ventilation systems: natural ventilation, hybrid ventilation, and mechanical ventilation. The first depends on the user and does not have mechanisms, so no maintenance action should be taken. However, in the latter two, to ensure proper ventilation of the premises, maintenance actions must be carried out since the system consists of ducts, vents (inlet and outlet), grilles, mechanical extractors, and, in the case of controlled mechanical ventilation systems, devices for automatic startup.

How to ensure proper functioning of ventilation systems?

The user must consider the following indications:

• Ensure sufficient “draft” to guarantee proper air renewal.

• Avoid blocking the grilles or changing their location.

• Ensure that maintenance and cleaning actions of the ducts do not hinder their operation.

• Do not connect mechanical ventilation ducts with hybrid ventilation ducts (the systems must be completely independent).

• Do not carry out works that invalidate the ventilation system or alter the laying out of ducts. • Do not use the air flow outlet for purposes unrelated to ventilation itself.

• If modifications to the installation need to be carried out, assign them to specialized professionals.