Windows and doors

Window and door seals are subject to wear and tear as windows and doors are often opened. If you have the necessary skills to change the seals on windows and balcony doors, you are free to do so as required. Contact the maintenance company and ask them to provide you with the seals.

You should leave repairing the window opening mechanisms to professionals. If you are experiencing problems with the window opening mechanisms, contact your building’s maintenance company.

Broken window pane

If you notice that a window pane of your home or building is broken, please contact your building’s maintenance company. If the broken pane is an inner pane and part of your home, you as the resident are responsible for repairing it. If it is an outer pane, the replacement of the pane will be covered by the property’s assets.

Frosted over windows

The window pane frosts over, if the difference in temperature between a cold surface and a warmer surface becomes too great. The pane is frosted over on the side of the warm surface, as the airflow does not remove the humidity condensed on the surface of the glass.

Frosting over occurs in two places:

1. on the inner surface of an interior window
2. on the inner surface of an external window – i.e. between the frames

1. The inner surface of an interior pane frosts over, if the temperature of the inner surface of the innermost window pane is too low and humidity in the indoor air condenses on it – sometimes even freezes. Usually this only occurs at extremely low temperatures and is visible in the bottom edge of the window frame. This is a common problem, particularly in older buildings where the windows are located so deep inside the wall that airflow simply cannot reach the inner surface of the window.

• Is the indoor air particularly humid, for instance, because fresh laundry has been hung to dry? It is a good idea to remove sources of excess humidity.
• Check that the thermostat on the radiator is not covered (by curtains, a bed, a couch, etc.). The air heated by the radiator must be allowed to freely rise and circulate onto the window panes and then into the entire room space. Humidity in the indoor air will not then condense on the surface of the pane, because the inner pane will stay warm.
• Check ventilation. An A4-size sheet of paper placed against the air vent should stick to it. Air vents are located in the bathroom and possibly in a walk-in closet.
• Check that the supply air valves in the outer walls and the slot air valves in the window frames are clean and open. Please clean the valves as necessary.
• In the case of old windows, replacement air enters through the gap in the seal on the upper edge of the internal frame. Check that no one has blocked these gaps in the seals. The gap should be 5-30 cm long and is created on the upper edge of bedroom windows as well as the upper edge of the living room window or, alternatively, a balcony door.
• Please contact the maintenance company, if air does not exit through the air vents and a sheet of paper does not stick to the valve/vent.

2. Frosting over on the interior surface of an external window is the result of either insufficient insulation of the inner window, warm and humid air leaking in between the panes or because the insulation of the outer pane is too efficient: air cannot escape from between the panes, taking humidity with it.

• Check that all locks in the window frame are securely closed.
• Check that the inner frame is properly sealed. The seals on the inner frame can be replaced, if necessary. (Maintenance will provide seals upon request.)
• Please note that the outer frame is not sealed, because the gap between the outer frame and the inner frame must be ventilated.

Blinds and Venetian blinds

If you want, you can fit blinds, blackout curtains or Venetian blinds to cover the windows of your home. Permanently fitted equipment always leaves some marks, so please leave it in the apartment, if you move out. However, remember to be considerate enough not to leave behind curtains or blinds that are in poor condition to burden the next occupant; instead, remove them and repair all marks left.

Changing the name on the door

Name changes are performed by the maintenance company. If you need to change the name on your door or the list of names in the staircase, contact the maintenance company in charge of your building.