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Air conditioning on an apartment building facade: what to sort out first

Installing an air conditioner on the facade of a residential building differs from installation in a detached house in one important respect: the facade and its surroundings belong not only to you but to all owners in the building. Before you start selecting units for flats it pays to sort out a few practical matters in advance: consent from the building's owners' association, suitable placement of the outdoor unit, operational noise and condensate drainage. We summarise what to ask and how it usually proceeds.

Why it pays to arrange consent in advance

An outdoor unit installed on a shared facade constitutes an intervention in the common parts of the building; therefore, in the vast majority of apartment buildings, this is resolved with the consent of the building's owners' association or the property manager. Obtaining consent in advance saves time and nerves, avoiding situations where the unit is already mounted but a neighbour or the SVJ board objects to its placement. Based on experience from dozens of installations in Prague buildings, it pays to communicate specifically and in advance, ideally before having the space measured.

Who usually issues consent

In buildings with individual flat owners, consent is usually issued by the SVJ board or an authorised manager following a meeting or vote among the owners; in rental buildings with a single owner, an agreement directly with them is sufficient. Processing time varies from building to building, in some cases it takes just a few days, while elsewhere you must wait for the next owners' assembly. It is therefore advisable to submit your request well in advance of the planned installation date, so that only a few days are not left for obtaining consent. If you are unsure who to contact within the building, we will advise you according to the specific situation already at the first point of contact.

What to include in the application from the building's owners' association

The application usually specifies the exact location of the outdoor unit (which façade, at what height), its approximate dimensions, information on operational noise levels and an indicative installation date. It helps to attach a photograph or a simple sketch showing the proposed location, this allows the SVJ committee and neighbours to better visualise how the installation will look from the outside. The more specific and clear the application, the faster consent is usually obtained. We are happy to help you prepare the supporting documents for the application based on a site survey.

Where to install the outdoor unit so as not to disturb anyone

The best location is where the unit does not point directly under neighbours' windows or onto a shared terrace or courtyard where people gather. It pays to maintain sufficient distance from windows on lower and upper floors and choose an orientation so that the air flow and any noise are directed away from living areas. For panel buildings and historic structures, we arrange placement so that no visible display case needs to be built or the façade appearance altered, in the vast majority of jobs this is resolved without any visible impact on the façade.

Noise: how to deal with it

The noise level of the outdoor unit is mainly affected by its location, distance from windows and whether it is mounted on anti-vibration pads that dampen vibration transmission into the building structure. Quality units also feature a night quiet mode with lower fan speeds, which is particularly useful for installations near neighbouring windows. When selecting a unit, it pays to ask about the manufacturer-declared noise level in decibels, especially for night-time operation.

Condensate drainage

During cooling, the unit continuously produces condensate that must be drained so it does not drip onto the pavement, your neighbour's balcony below, or the façade. Most commonly, it is led via a hose into a vertical waste pipe or rainwater drainage system, or to the gutter. We plan the condensate drainage route during the initial survey, together with the placement of both units, to ensure the run is as short and discreet as possible and does not cause problems for neighbours below or on the ground floor.

How TopKomfort Can Help You With This

We have completed hundreds of installations in Prague apartment buildings and know how to communicate with the building's owners' association and neighbours so that installation proceeds without unnecessary complications. We will assist with documentation for the application, propose a location sensitive to both the façade and neighbours, and our certified technicians will carry out the entire installation with due regard for noise and condensate drainage.