Air conditioning consent issue for flat

moromir

mart.vader wrote: »

How does your TV signal reach your flat ? Does it come through a cable through the exterior wall of the flat ?

How can the HA or the lease, allow a hole for a TV cable, but refuse a hole for AC ?

Because most leases contain specific clauses relating to the provision of service cabling for television signal...

picklepick

How big a hole are we talking here?

mark7144

Pickle: Really small at 3/8". That's not much bigger than a thick cable.

picklepick

That's what, just under a centimetre?

Can it go through something already existing? An extractor fan pipe?

I'd have just drilled the hole by now! I don't think it would have even crossed my mind to ask permission for something so small.

mark7144

picklepick wrote: »

Can it go through something already existing? An extractor fan pipe?

That's what I'll try when I move in.

picklepick wrote: »

I'd have just drilled the hole by now! I don't think it would have even crossed my mind to ask permission for something so small.

Exactly, it's pretty unfair.

This is why I might have to do it without consent. What's the worst that could happen? (genuine question)

rpc

Exactly, it's pretty unfair.

The wall doesn't belong to you, why should you be allowed to drill holes through it? How many holes of what size should be permitted? What happens if water starts getting in and the cavities get damp (or similar)?

The freeholder is liable to look after the fabric, so he isn't going to be prepared to let people damage it in an uncontrolled manner. As far as he is concerned, you might not even know which end of a drill to point at the wall. You may get a better response if a professional company with some sort of accreditation and insurance were doing the install (but that doesn't solve the issue of you uninstalling it).

If you wanted aircon, you shouldn't have left this until after the purchase to sort out. You have spent a very large sum of money on a property you consider to be uninhabitable.

If you wanted to be able to drill holes in the fabric of the building, you shouldn't have bought leasehold.

This is why I might have to do it without consent. What's the worst that could happen? (genuine question)

Freeholder puts it right at your expense. While you can't be sure I wouldn't think of a bloke with a can of putty squirted in, I'd be thinking scaffolding tower up the outside etc. Expensive.

They will almost certainly notice - aircon units aren't invisible.

mark7144

rpc wrote: »

They will almost certainly notice - aircon units aren't invisible.

Not in my case, it would actually be invisible unless my property was inspected.

I'm at the top and there is a wide terrace around my flat. So my flat has its own external wall while the floors below share the same.

You place the external units against the wall and it's not visible to anyone, including my neighbours.

So really, where's the harm in a drilling a tiny hole and then filling it up when I come to sell? No one would know.

BitterAndTwisted

Read your lease and pay particular attention to the bits that refer to being in breach of the terms and conditions to ensure you wouldn't be in danger of having your lease forfeited.

It seems that you are determined to go ahead with this foolhardy plan regardless of any dire warnings, so I wish you good luck with it.

I always thought that the purpose of double-glazing was to keep heat in during the winter and heat out in the summer. That might be a more sensible option than damaging the freeholder's asset without permision.

UnitedSum

I come from an extremely hot corner of the world, and, believe me, London ain't it. Even the top floor of an apartment building with floor to ceiling windows.

A/C units are, indeed extremely noisy, and your neighbours will notice and most likely not be very appreciative that, when they follow the rules of their lease and open their windows/doors for airflow, they're bombarded with the thundering sounds of your unit.

Good luck that they don't report you. I would.

mark7144

Eton_Rifle wrote: »

Your neighbours will know because they'll hear it. I have permanent air conditioning and it's noisy. This isn't like a satellite dish, people will notice.

Perhaps a neighbour will be inspired to make the same request or has even been denied already. Another may be unable to sleep at night because of the noise of your unit. Sooner or later, it will be brought to the attention of the freeholder/management committee.

You'll have to come up with a solution that involves permission being granted.

My neighbours will not hear it - my neighbours are behind me, not next to me. It's quite a distance for those sound waves to travel.

We're also talking about the latest technology from the best brand in the market, Mitsubishi, who were also first choice for the Olympics this year. The external units should not be loud.

Regardless though, when I was on the phone to management, they told me the issue wasn't the external units, only the the drilling. So based on that, it looks like that aspect of the operation is allowed.