Dampness problems in apartments again!

We have just found out that the dampness problem appears to have returned to our apartment.  Has anyone else found this to be the case or has the problem been resolved for you.

Linda

Hi Linda

I hope the dampness hasn't appeared again in our apartment as we are heading out there on Saturday. It was rectified (well so they said) last November but I don't think they replaced the tiles to the solarium which they did in other apts under duress. If there is dampness it will be a major problem for us as myself and my 7 year old daughter are asthmatics. I can see myself setting up camp at Customer Service!!

Lucy

I think this is a problem all over Spain. It is in my opinion inevitable since there are no ventilation in the apartments. The windows should at least have some ventilation. Anyone knows why this seems to be lacking in the Spanish building regulations ?

when you leave do you leave all of the doors open to allow the air in the property to circulate, leave wardrobes open slightly, its also a good idea to have a keyholder to visit your property weekly to open the windows and shutters to let a little fresh air in.  if you email me direct I can give you a number of a keyholder who does not charge much and WILL visit weekly, lots say they will but only turn up when you are due to arrive.  I have used them for the past 3 years and never had a damp problem.  We are moving to pw condada on 6th March into a villa jana and they will be looking after our new property for us and they look after several others on pw.

Hi All,

The 'damp' problem initially refered to here is not a condensation issue due to properties being shut up but a problem with leaks from the solarium.   A number of properties, mainly on the Jardines, had this issue and PW had to take up the tiles on the solarium and stairs and reapply the waterproofing.

No that the airing of the properties and having weekly checks my keyholders is not an important point

Phil

As Phil says it is a problem coming from the solarium and the stairs to the solarium where Polaris did not seal these areas properly.

Thank you for your suggestion of a keyholder but we already have one and it was not for them we would not know about it until we go out again in April!

Linda

 Hi Linda, I'm so sorry to hear that your problem has returned again. We had a major leak from the steps to the roof top terrace and the rain had come into the apartment that way,though I understand other leaks were something to do with the roof terrace drain.

 They sent pics of the completed work in my apartment, but I am very aware that if they can't get it right from the beginning and there's a leak from the start, there's a good chance it might come back. So I can only hope that it's been fixed completely in my apartment.

 We're completing POA this Thursday, so you've just pointed out a reason to try to get somebody to inspect it before Thursday.. I'm Jardine 2, which are you in? Best wishes. Geoff.

Hi Geoff

We are in Jardin 10.  It seems that the problem is the stairs and the drain on the solarium as the damp marks are in the bathroom and in the alcove in the lounge.

Will keep everyone posted on what Polaris are doing about it.

Linda

Hi Linda & All

When I did the first Snagging inspection in September 2008 I could see evidence that some kind of repair had been done to the head of the stairs on the solarium as the sealant used in expansion joint at the head of the stairs was beige and the rest of the joint across the solarium was grey. This suggested to me, that a repair to this area had at some time before September 08 been undertaken.

However I first new of any problem with damp some 3 months later when I noticed damp in the bathroom in our apartment in December 2008, this was on the ceiling under the head of the solarium stairs. I reported this to Customer Services and workmen came and painted over the damp in the bathroom and pointed some small cracks in the joints at the top of the access stairs to the solarium, the evidence of this pointing is still visible to this day, showing no other repair has been done to this area of the stairs since. I informed PW customer services the actions they have taken would not in my belief have solved the problem and ask them to reassess the situation.

Some two month later having been informed by PW that the problem had now been resolved, I returned to the apartment in February 2009 and found that damp is still showing in the bathroom and now also in the under stairs recess in the lounge, this I reported to PW customer services. The next day but whilst I was out, workmen came to our apartment and once again painted over the damp in the bathroom and lounge, with no other work being done to resolve the issue. I went back to PW customer services and again informed them that to the best of my knowledge no proper action has been done to solve this problem and asked they investigate this issue further.

Having then retuned home to the U.K. I received an email the next day from customer services informing us that the above has now been repaired and the case is now closed. I have wrote to PW suggest that in the 24 hours since I spoke to them in the office and for the reasons I have given above this is not likely to have been resolved. I have asked they revue the record of work undertaken on our property to establish from them exactly what repairs have been done and when, and see if their records agree with the information I have provided, to date I have received no reply.

Unfortunately I fully expect to return in March when we are going back to furnishing the apartment, to find more evidence of the damp returning.

Regards

Phil

Hi Linda and all

Like yourself we had problems with damp in the apartment.  It was first found in the understairs cupboard and reported to Polaris at the back end of last year.  When we next visited the apartment we noticed that nothing had been touched on the outside and had our suspicions they had just given it a touch of paint.

We weren't surprised when the damp resurfaced again this year but this time it was much worse.

The second time we reported it I spoke to Fernando at customer services and he told me that he would speak to the builders himself and get it sorted.  It was also handy having Carol overseeing the job.  When we visited in January they had stripped the steps right down and put another coat of the damp proof coating on and replastered the understairs cupboard and bathroom. On our latest visit they had painted the external walls of the apartment again.

Hopefully the problem has now been resolved.