How to do the maintenance of the air conditioner

If you think that the air conditioner should be cleaned only on the outside, think again. If you want your air conditioner to work properly and last many years, you must do the corresponding maintenance.

Before doing it, you should check the type of maintenance you need to do, according to the type of air conditioner you have. The types of air conditioner could be split, compact, central air conditioning, window type, fan coil, among others.

Even though, you need to check if there is are special steps to follow for the maintenance of your particular air conditioner, we will now mention a few things that you could do in order to keep you air conditioner running smoothly.

First, you must always clean the filters. It is recommended to clean them every 15 days with water, soap and a brush (you should take the filters out to clean them). This will prevent funguses and mold to grow, since the humidity conditions that are created on the filters are ideal for its formation. Fungus and all sorts of dirt prevent the air conditioner to work as it should.

Moreover, in order to clean the interior of the air conditioner, it is advised that you remove the front cover of the air conditioner, and clean the interior with a dry piece of cloth. If the unit is too dirty, you can use a moist the piece of cloth. Do not use any corrosive cleaning product, chemical or alcohol, since it can ruin the air conditioner.

On the other hand, when cleaning the exterior unit of the air conditioner, you should clean the radiator, in order to remove the dust that gets stuck onto it. If you don’t know how and you are afraid of doing something wrong, you could call a specialist in order he/she can do it and explain you how to do it, so you can learn and do it yourself in the future.

Last, in order to keep your air conditioner in good conditions, remember to fill up the gas, check how the pressure is working, and its electrical consumption. All these things should be checked by a specialist. Remember that if you have any problems, you should call someone who knows about air conditionings; trying to solve it on your own could break the machine.

So, remember to do the proper maintenance of your air conditioner so it works properly, it doesn’t use too much electricity, and lasts longer.

5 key questions to ask before renting an apartment

As we all know, searching for the right apartment to rent can be hard and you need to be looking at all the details, and like it at the same time. For this reason, we are going to give you 5 key questions you need to ask when searching for an apartment to rent.

1- Security and location: Even though insecurity can be anywhere in Buenos Aires, and around the world, there are places which are more dangerous than others. That is why, it is important that you find out about the neighbourhood’s security. To do this, you can ask a neighbour, or someone who has a shop near there. Since we’ve mentioned the word shop, you may also check out the supply of shops you have within the surroundings.

2- Lighting: Whether big or small, an apartment with exterior lighting makes a great difference. An apartment with good lighting will make you save on your electricity bills, besides adding life to the place. Otherwise, you will have to have the light on all day long. So, you should ask and check if there is any building or something that will prevent the sun from entering your apartment.

3- Rent price: Even though the rent price is usually mentioned at the beginning, in Buenos Aires, the rent price usually goes up during the second year. For this reason, you should check in which percentage will the price increase after the first year (or when is it going to increase).

4- Administrative fees: This a key point when you are about to rent an apartment, since there is no use in getting a cheap rent price, if the administrative fees equal that price and double your expenses. Before renting an apartment in Buenos Aires ask how much you will have to pay on administrative fees.

5- Age and maintenance: Last, you shouldn’t forget to ask and find out how old the building is. Old buildings are usually more expensive, since you may spend a lot in maintenance. Nonetheless, you should check who is in charge of paying maintenance fees, since generally that is the owner’s responsibility. Still, you should ask about that, in order you don’t have any surprises.

A last tip that it is always important and for which you need to have found an apartment is that you should always read the whole rent agreement, and to understand it. If you need help, you can always ask a specialist to explain it to you.

5 key questions to ask before buying a house

When you are about to buy a house, there are many things to have in mind. We all know it is not an easy task since, besides finding "the" place, you need to check that everything is in order and in perfect conditions, in order to avoid future headaches. For this reason, we will now mention 5 key questions you need to ask before choosing a house to buy.

First, you should check the whole construction. You need to check and find out about the conditions of the plumbing system; the conditions of the walls; check if there is no damp; etc. A recommendation is that you ask a friend who knows about this (an architect of civil engineer) so he/she can find out about this stuff.

Secondly, before buying a house you need to check its location. Not only do you need to check that it has good access to the rest of the city, but also if it is safe, if you have shops nearby, if it is not too dark (due to lack of lighting), etc.

Third, you need to find about the administrative fees you will have to pay monthly. Apartments in Argentina and in other countries have a monthly fee used to pay the super, the person in charge of the administrative business of the building, to save for future repairs, etc. You should bear in mind that if the building has a swimming pool, a garden, and/or other common areas, you will have to pay more administrative fees each month for maintenance.

An important question for those with a car is if the building offers parking. If so, you will also need to find out if you need to buy it separately, and if there is one available, since sometimes people from outside the building own the spaces. Moreover, if the building does not have parking, you need to find out if you may park on the streets, if you may have trouble finding space, etc.

Lastly, you may want to find out about the building's rule of conduct; for example, which are the rules over loud noises, pets, general repairs of the building, etc.

Anyway, you should make all the questions you can think of, since you will buy the apartment and you need to know all about it before doing so. Moreover, you should ask a specialist, find out opinions from different people, talk to neighbors, and make sure you don't have any doubt before making this big step of buying your new house.

Who is in charge of controlling constructions?

In the City of Buenos Aires, the entity in charge of controlling the constructions is the “Dirección General de Fiscalización y Control de Obras y Catastro” (DGFyCO). This entity is in charge of controlling, supervising, and registering the civil constructions, both the constructions done from zero and the constructions for remodelling (whether public or private) within the City of Buenos Aires.

Through these controls, the entity tries to make the “Codigo de construccion” [construction code] (Argentine law no 257) and other related current and future laws to be obeyed.

Besides controlling constructions, the “Dirección General de Fiscalización y Control de Obras y Catastro” is in charge of controlling the electrical, bathroom, mechanical, and electromechanical installations; the elevators installations; the thermal and inflammable installations, among others.

More specifically¸ the organization in charge of the supervision of the civil constructions is the “Agencia Gubernamental de Control” (through the DGFyCO).

In 2010, there were two major collapses in the downtown area of Buenos Aires and in the neighbourhood of Villa Urquiza. Due to these, the entity in charge of controlling constructions has implemented new rules in order to have a better control. One of these rules is that, from January 2012, every person who is doing a construction must deliver a construction plan before the DGFyCO, including the exact dates in which any demolitions and excavations are going to take place. This way a clearer inspection can be made during these stages of the construction, which are the most dangerous ones.

Another interesting way of controlling is the new system launched by the city’s government. This system gives all neighbours the chance of complaining of those constructions that are not complying with the law, in cases such as lack of protection (wood or metal) sheets, when the sign that mentions that the construction is authorized to be done is missing; if the sidewalk is blocked; or if there is rubble on the streets. Any neighbour who sees one of these things is taking place may take a picture and report it on the Web of the government of the City of Buenos Aires. This was done in order the neighbours can get involved and avoid future collapses.

 

Noisy neighbors: how to handle the problem

There is nothing worse than having a neighbor who enjoys making noise. Even though it is inevitable that the neighbor throws parties, or plays the piano, it is not good when they enjoy doing it every day at any time of the day. For starters, the Argentine Civil Code establishes that the emission of noise must not exceed the “normal tolerance”. It is estimated that the normal tolerance should not exceed the 45dB, although this level will vary according to the area of the city.

Now, the question is, what can I do if my neighbor likes making noise? First, you should try talking to him. If you go directly to his/her house, and explain the situation nicely, you may come to an agreement. You may have to do it more than once, although it is not ideal that you have to do it every day. If the noise continues, you could start telling your noisy neighbor that if he doesn’t stop making noise, you will have to call the police.

If this doesn’t work, you will need to take further actions. The City of Buenos Aires offers a service in which you may report your noisy neighbor in the “Centros de Gestion y Participacion” (Administrative agencies around the city), and a “community mediation” will be done. During this procedure, a notification will be sent to your neighbor and you will meet, together with a mediator, so you can negotiate the times and days where the neighbor can make (bearable) noise.

If you still have problems, you will have to make a judicial intervention. It is not the idea that you need to go this far, but there are some cases when people don’t have other choice. If you are going to sue you neighbor it would be best if you do it together with other neighbors that find the noise annoying.

Still, before filling a suit against your neighbor you should call 911, or the nearest police station and request the radio electric squad to go to your house, in order they can measure the decibels of noise. Moreover, you may also report your neighbor’s noises to the “Justicia Contravencional y de Faltas” [department of contraventions], at 0800-333-47225, or by sending an email at denuncias@jusbaires.gov.ar o in the Web: www.mpf.jusbaires.gov.ar. If you decide to file a complaint over the internet, you should add some type of evidence (a recording or something similar) to show how loud the noises are.

How to make the division of constructed property

Thanks to the creation of the “Ley de Propiedad Horizontal” [Argentina law over horizontal property], the division problems of certain property that does not reach the minimum width has been solved. Although each municipality has different minimums in property width, in those cases where said minimum is not reached, you can make a units (in Spanish, “unidad funcional”), instead of separate properties.

These units (separated in one same property) are owned by an exclusive owner; still, the property usually has some common areas, where all the owners of units work as co-owners. Each horizontal property must have established co-owner’s regulations which set up standard rules over the property. In these rules, the division of the property and its units is described. The divisions are detailed in percentages.

The subdivision of a property in order to turn them into units, in Argentina, is in charge of a surveyor, or an engineer (specialized in measurement). It is very important that the draft of the Horizontal Property coincides with the municipal plan/draft, and this applies both to already built properties and future ones.

In order to understand how horizontal property works, the clearer example is an apartment building. Apartments in buildings are described within the Argentine law of horizontal property. In the case of apartment buildings, the person who buys an apartment has full proprietorship of that unit, and co-owns the common areas of the building (like elevators, halls, swimming pools, and any other amenities that the building has).

To conclude, the subdivision of the units in a horizontal property must be done by a specialist, and divisions must be done according to the corresponding measures established by each municipality. And remember, there must be a co-ownership regulation.

Should I seal the rent agreement?

In Argentina, there is a tax over some seals, which is a tax of local nature, that means that, if applicable, the tax varies in each province, at different values. In the case of the province of Buenos Aires, the tax over seal applies to all cases where the contracts have a compensation (in money or in services); when it is done through a contract (public or private); and it has to be within the province of Buenos Aires.

Nevertheless, some contracts are exempt from paying this tax, as it is the case of those leases that are for living purposes. Still, those sub-lets or lets of furnished apartments destined for tourism are not exempt from the tax.

Those who have to seal the contracts the have celebrated (i.e., pay the tax) will have to register and complete the information needed in Arba’s website [Agency in charge of taxes in the province of Buenos Aires]. In order to do this, you need all the information of the property and the data of the people who will intervene in the contract signing: CUIL, CIT or CUIT (Employees Identification Code in Argentina), full name, domicile, postal code, etc. In Arba's website, you will have to produce an affidavit with the information of the property. Once you upload all the required information, you will be able to print the form R-550P and then, you will be able to pay the tax over the seal in one of the following banks: Banco Provincia, el Banco Nación, Banco Ciudad or Provincia Pagos.

That means that all those that celebrate a contract will have to pay the tax over seals and make the corresponding procedure; still, there are some exemptions and you should see if you apply to one of those. Moreover, if you have any doubts on paying this tax or if you may be exempt from doing it, ask a specialist on the matter or Arba itself, since each case is very particular.

Is it profitable to buy a parking space and rent it?

Nowadays, many people in Buenos Aires ask themselves if it is a good idea to buy a parking space and rent it. This is because many people have some savings but they don't have enough money to buy an apartment or something of the sort. Still, the profitability of having a parking space for rent isn’t 100% defined.

First of all, even though there are new cars on the streets every day, this does not assure you will be able to rent your parking space every month.

In order to clear some aspects, let’s make a comparison between buying a parking space and renting it, and putting your money on a fixed-term deposit with interests. Due to the inflation that the country is going through, the first option could be the best, since, if you have you money frozen and the currency depreciates, you will loose money. Having a parking space for rent allows you to increase the rent price according to the inflation rate, and you may also sell the space if you need the money too. On the contrary, a fixed-term deposit does not adapt to changes, or at least the interest rate is usually lower, so it does not increase accordingly to inflation.

Moreover, many people now choose to buy a parking space before the building is made, and so they can sell it afterwards at a higher price. Of course, they can also rent it, but they will have to find out if they can rent the parking space to people from outside the building.

As we have mentioned previously, many people that have some savings but cannot afford to buy an apartment, choose to buy a parking space. One of the advantages of renting a parking space is that, in case the person that rents the space does not pay, it is easier to move him/her, than if you have the same situation on an apartment. Moreover, the maintenance fees of a parking space are less than the ones of an apartment (but still there are maintenance fees over parking spaces; remember that). On the other hand, a disadvantage of renting a parking space instead of an apartment is that the first is more unstable, and you don’t have the certainty of having the space rented each month.

Last, if you choose to buy a parking space and rent it, try to find a place where there is plenty of traffic and few parking spaces (and make sure they are not planning to construct one in the near future).

To conclude, buying a parking space is not as profitable as buying an apartment, since the profits of its rent (of course) are less. Still, if you want to do it, instead of having to put your money on a fix-term deposit, you may do so, but you need to do it in a place were there will be demanded; otherwise, it will mean loosing money.

Soundproofing your house

We are all used to living surrounded by noise; still, this doesn't mean that it is not disturbing or that we would miss it if it wasn’t there. Unfortunately, we can’t get rid of noise. There is always an argument between the neighbors, someone who plays the piano (or the drums), someone who listens to music, or simply the traffic from outside your window. All this noise is annoying and does not leave us alone.

For this reason, we will mention some ways of soundproofing your house in order you don't have to suffer any more.

For starters, you should bear in mind that furniture and objects absorb noise, so an empty room will mean a louder environment. So, it is recommended you you have some furniture or things that would absorb some of the noise. Moreover, if you put carpets on your floor, you will be having the perfect material for noise absorption.

If these things do not work, nowadays you will find many methods in order to make your house sound-free. In the first place, if you have many windows, you should probably have them with double-glazing which will avoid the excessive noise to enter the room (or at least it will make it softer).

Moreover, some of the soundproofing materials that are used nowadays are fiberglass, cork, soundproof foam, polyurethane foam, wood shaving panels, plasterboards, among others. All these materials can be used in roofs and walls, and most of them are generally installed in the middle of the wall. This way they work as insulators of sound and heat and they don’t break your house’s beauty. If you want to make your already-built house soundproof and you don’t want to break any walls, you may put one of the aforementioned materials over the wall and then add plasterboards in order to cover the other material. These plasterboards are not too difficult to install.

Moreover, if you are about to build you new house and you want it to be soundproof, you may look for insulated panels that are sold everywhere and they serve directly as walls (instead of using wood, bricks, or the usual materials).

So, every day there are more materials that are good for soundproofing your house, and many of them are eco-friendly as well, so you can make your house sound-free and at the same time, take care of the environment.

New ways and materials for construction

Many years ago, the ways of building houses in most Argentine cities were not too varied, since the typical way was to build with bricks. There were also some adobe houses, and similar materials, but those tend to be much older. Now, there are plenty of materials and other ways of building houses that are much simpler to use, and so houses and buildings can be built faster. Likewise, each day there are new eco-friendly materials and ways of construction.

Within the new materials that can be use for construction these days, there are the following:

- Insulted panels: Nowadays, there are many companies that sell panels which protect the constructions against fire, sound, or are thermal insulators. These panels are easy to install and so, it takes less time to build a place. Although these panels are popular in the industrial business, many specialists also choose them to build houses and small shops.

- Houses with steel structures: Many people are choosing to build their houses with steel frames and structures, since they are stronger and cheaper than other materials; plus, they are easy to install.

- Wood and stone: These two elements have always been used for construction. Nonetheless, during the last few years, they have become popular again, especially because they tend to be eco-friendly. Moreover, stones are great natural thermal insulators.

- Ecological concrete: These days, many specialists are trying to make concrete less pollutant. There are some elements and materials that are being changed in order to replace the cement and other materials so they can be safer for the environment.

- Glass: Many houses are being built with a great amount of glass, specially the “green houses”, which are prepared to make the most of the natural light. Plus, there is double-glassing which is perfect to insulate houses against cold and heat.

Every day, new materials appear in the market, and so new ways of construction appear. Definitely, the construction business renovates each day and will continue doing so.