Buy a property from the Fund

The common parts are the responsibility of all the co-owners and are managed by the syndic. The private part concerns your home itself and is your responsibility.

You should contact the syndic for all matters relating to the common parts of the building.

The Fund's after-sales support service does not have an emergency number available at weekends, on public holidays and outside office hours. However, most maintenance contracts for collective equipment provide for breakdown assistance during these periods. Do not hesitate to ask your property manager, who is responsible for managing these contracts.

It is a housing whose construction is based on a concept that uses natural energies such as the heat of the sun (through the use of photovoltaic solar panels to produce electricity and hot water) and offers a very high level of thermal comfort (through extensive insulation of the walls and windows) and avoids heat loss as much as possible through a high level of air tightness.

In order to provide such comfort, good ventilation is essential. This is ensured by a double flow system which recovers heat from the utility rooms (bathroom, shower room, WC, kitchen, etc.) to distribute it to the living rooms (living room, bedrooms, etc.).

The main advantages of the system are :

• to provide a high level of thermal comfort
• to save energy
• being more environmentally friendly.

In Belgium, as in other temperate zones in Europe, modern buildings are designed to provide maximum protection against the cold and, at the same time, to offer the possibility of making significant savings in energy and, in particular, in heating.

The requirements for thermal comfort are therefore very high (especially for passive buildings).

This concept has been increasingly challenged in recent years.

Indeed, we are witnessing (particularly in summer) an increase in heat waves. These episodes, which used to be exceptional, are becoming more and more regular. During these heatwaves, temperatures reach records never before equalled in our usually temperate latitudes.

As a result, it can happen that during these periods, indoor temperatures are barely lower than those outside.

It should be noted that this change of vision in the field of construction must be accompanied by a change of mentality at the level of all those involved in the construction industry in Belgium and that this will not happen overnight.

It is obvious that in the future, this exponential increase in temperatures will have to be taken into account more in the construction sector in Belgium.

Some professionals are already working on this and the technology in this area is constantly evolving.

It is important to note that the "VMC" ventilation system is not a cooling system. It is in no way an air conditioning system.

In summer, you can reduce the temperature by a few degrees by using the bypass function, which allows the incoming air to block the heat recovery. On most units, this function is automatic.

The bypass system measures the outdoor temperature, the indoor temperature (via the extract air) and the set temperature set via the thermostat.

It cools the air in summer by suppressing air exchange during cooler nights.

This keeps the air refreshed during the day, provided you keep the windows closed during the day and use blackout blinds or curtains.

The double flow ventilation system works thanks to an exchanger installed on the roof. This exchanger recovers the heat from the air extracted in the "wet" rooms such as the bathroom, shower room, WC, laundry room. This heat is introduced by the forced air into the "dry" rooms, which are the living room and the bedrooms.

It should be noted that the extracted air is never mixed with the forced air.

The main advantage of the system therefore lies in this heat recovery, which reduces heating requirements and therefore saves energy.

Moisture and/or condensation problems should be reported immediately to the after-sales service.

There are several possible causes and an analysis should be carried out by the general contractor who should also remedy the problem.

Some of the reasons for this are (but are not limited to):

• Lack of watertightness at the sanitary joints (in this respect, it is important to remember that the sanitary joints must be regularly maintained by the owner)
• Broken pipes
• Poorly maintained cornices or flat roofs (blocked drains)
• Poor ventilation of the flat will lead to condensation (especially on the lower part of the walls).
• Some advice on this subject:
• It is essential to maintain your VMC filters (about every 3 months) and to change them at least once a year.
• It is also important to keep your ventilation system working. It is also important to keep your ventilation system working, because if it is not working, the stale air will not be extracted, the steam produced by the bathrooms and the kitchen will remain trapped in your flat and the condensation will settle on your walls.

In your home, it is mainly your ventilation system that allows healthy air to circulate.

It would therefore be counterproductive to run your ventilation and open the windows at the same time.

The system will have to use more energy to heat the air.

In order to avoid condensation and mould, it is therefore important (especially in winter) to run your ventilation system properly and leave the windows closed.

There are several types of thermostat.

The 2 main ones are :

• Roller thermostats. These are thermostats that are very easy to use. All you have to do is turn the small graduated wheel to set the desired temperature.
• Digital programmable thermostats. They are more complicated to use (and require careful reading of the user manual), but they offer several preset programmes and even a customisable programme. They generally operate in 3 different modes:
  • automatic mode, which is actually the default setting.
  • the "full power" mode (often characterised by a sun) which is, in principle, the one used when the demand for heat is the most important. For example, during the day when the flat is occupied. It is in this mode that personal criteria can be adjusted. Example: the desired temperature.
  • the economy mode, which is preset and is generally used when the apartment is not occupied for a long period.

It is important to note that, with some exceptions, the ventilation system is controlled from your thermostat.

Sometimes the thermostat is coupled with an independent wheel that allows you to adjust the ventilation speed. Generally, 3 speeds are available.

The appearance of micro-cracks (maximum 1 mm) in your flat is quite normal.

This is because every new building is built on new foundations. Underneath your building there is soil that has recently been disturbed and has therefore become loose.

The structure of the building, which is placed on this unstable soil, is therefore likely to move slightly (settlement).

This phenomenon lasts for a few years (about 5 years) before it stabilises.

It is important to stress that this does not represent any danger to the safety of the occupants.

It is of course important to come back to us when you notice that the cracks are larger than 1 mm. 

Will the cracks be repaired?

This obviously depends on the type of crack.

If the cracks are due to a construction defect, they are covered by the ten-year guarantee and will have to be dealt with by the general contractor.

If they are due to settlement of the building, as this is a normal phenomenon (and not a construction defect), they will not be covered by the general contractor.

The question of acoustics is very delicate because the perception and level of tolerance of noise depends on the individual. The subjective aspect of this issue makes it very complex.

Indeed, a solution to a problematic situation will satisfy some people, while others will not perceive any improvement.

In order to rationalise the problem and implement solutions that satisfy as many people as possible, it is generally accepted that the minimum satisfaction percentage should be 70%. In an apartment building where the direct neighbours are in the same structure, it is difficult to guarantee 100% sound insulation.

The ventilation ducts run through a common column for the flats in the same vertical line (from the ground floor to the upper floors).

In this column, on the one hand, there is the duct that expels stale air to the outside and, on the other hand, fresh air from outside is blown in.

If there is an inversion in a flat (i.e. the stale air duct is connected to the fresh air outlet), it is normal that the fresh air blown into the other flats will smell like cooking air from the flat with the inversion.

If you notice this kind of phenomenon (especially at times when the kitchens are in use), you can inform us.

In such a situation, we will alert the general contractor who will check for a possible reversal.

If no reversal is found, other possible causes will obviously be investigated.