Experts warn: poorly maintained apartment balconies can lead to serious accidents
2024.05.30
This week’s fall of a balcony in Vilnius’ Gediminas Avenue has once again reminded us of the dangers of poor balconies for both passers-by and residents of apartment blocks. Povilas Lysiukas, a specialist in building maintenance at Civinity Namai, a company that maintains and manages multi-apartment buildings, warns that about a quarter of all balconies in the capital’s Old Town are considered to be in poor condition, and residents who look past this are risking their own safety and that of passers-by.
The responsibility for keeping balconies in good repair lies with all residents of the apartment block
Balconies, like other structures in a block of flats, are part of the common property, and all owners of flats and other premises in a block of flats are responsible for their maintenance.
This means that residents, whether or not they have a balcony in their apartment, are responsible for the proper technical condition of the balconies in the apartment block and pay for their maintenance.
Balconies, like other structures in an apartment building, are maintained and assessed by the apartment building’s maintenance supervisor. He/she shall carry out regular inspections of the balconies and make recommendations on their maintenance and management.
Balconies in a state of disrepair must be repaired immediately
A balcony in a state of disrepair shall be determined in cases where the erosion of the balcony structures is documented, the protective concrete layer of the balcony’s load-bearing structures is cracked, broken or chipped, the balcony railings are severely corroded, detached from the anchorage points, are slipping, and are unsafe for use.
Balconies in this state of disrepair must not be used and must be repaired immediately. In addition, balconies in this condition shall be supported by special structures to prevent them from falling over, in order to protect residents, passers-by and material assets.
According to Mr Lysiukas, in all cases, the residents are firstly encouraged to decide to clean up their balconies in an emergency condition, but if they do not agree, the administrator must order a technical expertise, which must then immediately undertake the work of cleaning up the balcony once the initial findings are confirmed.
“While residents’ approval is not legally required for balconies in a state of disrepair, we always suggest that residents decide on the management work themselves, as the additional cost of the mandatory expertise is between €1,000 and €3,000. As the condition of such balconies is obvious and visible to the naked eye, we recommend that the cost of the expert examination is rather spent on the management work itself,” says Lysiukas.
Legislation imposes strict liability on administrators and associations if emergency balcony cleaning work is not carried out in time. If a balcony collapses or if its condition is found to endanger the health, life or environment of people in the building or in its vicinity, fines of up to €1,500 and criminal prosecution are possible in case of injury to people.
Residents are responsible for dealing with balconies in poor condition
In cases where balconies are not in a state of disrepair but are in poor condition, it is up to the residents themselves to decide when and how they will be repaired by voting.
Poor balcony condition is defined as the presence of detached concrete or architectural elements, exposed steel support structures exposed to the elements, uninstalled or disintegrating waterproofing leading to water seepage into the base of the balcony, and corrosion of railings.
When the poor condition of the balcony is detected by the building’s technical supervisor, it is covered with netting to prevent falling parts from damaging people and property. According to a Civinity Namai expert, such netting is only a temporary solution and a balcony in poor condition needs to be treated completely:
“A netted balcony does not eliminate the problem, but only temporarily prevents potential damage to passers-by and property near the balcony. We do not recommend keeping netting on balconies for more than a year, as moisture accumulates under the netting over time, which further damages the balcony structures,” says Lysiukas.
If the condition of the balcony is poor, but not in an emergency condition, it is not recommended to overcrowd balconies with plant pots and other objects and to plan in advance for repairs together with the building administrator.
Poor balcony condition is often overlooked
According to Mr Lysiukas, the maintenance of balconies in apartment buildings is the responsibility of the residents themselves, but their poor condition is often overlooked, even when renovation is clearly needed:
“It is still common for residents to look down on the poor condition of the balconies in their apartment building and avoid dealing with the issue, either by failing to attend meetings where the issue is raised, or by voting against the work. The main reason for this is their reluctance to pay for the repairs: legally, the balconies belong to all the owners of the building’s flats and other premises, and everyone has to pay for the repairs, even though only the residents of specific flats use the balconies,” says a representative of Civinity Namai.
Old Town residents can benefit from support
Residents of Vilnius City who are faced with balconies in poor condition can benefit from the support provided by the Vilnius City Municipality for the renovation of building facades, roofs, balconies, authentic wooden windows and doors, which compensates up to 80% of the cost of design and renovation works for balcony renovation.
P. According to Mr Lysiukas, in order to carry out the aforementioned balcony renovation works, the first step is to contact the administrator of the building or the community in order to organise a residents’ meeting or a written ballot to decide on the design of the house and the scope of the works, and to empower the administrator to organise a tender for the design services. Once a designer has been selected, the management project shall be prepared.
Once the design is prepared, a tender for the contract works is launched, the residents choose the contractor, a contract is signed with the contractor, an expert estimate is organised and submitted to the Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency together with the request for support.
Once the documentation is in place, the contract work starts, is accepted by a certified heritage specialist and a construction supervisor, the completion of the work is reported to the Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency and the payment of the grant is expected.