Guides for property managers · BRUXELLES
Communal heating and ventilation: the managing agent’s PEB file
Which boiler-room, hot-water and ventilation documents help prepare a PEB campaign for apartments in a Brussels co-owned building?
When apartments have communal heating, preparation for certification goes beyond the front door of each home. Some information is held in the boiler room and shared equipment records. The managing agent can make visits easier by preparing an organised technical file while keeping the assessor’s role separate from the work of installation specialists.
Establish which systems are actually shared
Separate space heating, hot-water production and ventilation. They may serve different homes and may not form one unified installation. For example, a building can have communal heating and individual water heaters. An extension may use separate equipment altogether.
List the known systems, their locations and the apartments served. Add recent alterations and unanswered questions. An existing diagram helps explain the arrangement, but do not draw an assumed connection as though someone has inspected and confirmed it.
Collect the available boiler-room records
Ask the technical manager or heating contractor what already exists. You do not need to recreate the entire archive before arranging an appointment. Start with an inventory, then discuss with the assessor which gaps matter.
- Generator identification, equipment references and technical documentation.
- Available PEB commissioning and periodic inspection records.
- Diagnostic reports and the installation logbook where applicable.
- Diagrams and information about controls, distribution and hot water.
- Records of recent replacements and modifications.
The official guidance on PEB inspections and maintenance distinguishes the acts relating to installations. Certification of an apartment does not replace those checks. If a required record is missing or unclear, ask the appropriately accredited professional to clarify the situation.
Separate certification, maintenance and service charges
These records answer different questions. The certificate assesses the home’s calculated energy performance. Installation records concern their specific checks. Service-charge statements allocate expenditure to occupants. Link these files where useful, but label them separately so they are not mistaken for one another.
A high heating bill does not directly identify which value belongs in a certificate. A recently installed boiler also does not guarantee a good rating for every apartment. The building envelope, the home’s position and other features remain relevant. Our guide to PEB ratings and energy bills explains calculated performance versus actual consumption.
Document ventilation without guessing from a photograph
Gather available plans, system descriptions, equipment references and relevant maintenance information. Explain whether a shared extraction system is known, whether apartments have been altered and whether commissioning documents exist. A visible vent alone does not explain the entire network or establish how it operates.
Do not ask occupants to dismantle grilles or change settings for the visit. Describe what is known and let the professional determine the observations needed. The residential certification resources, including the technical-installations protocol, provide the assessor’s methodological reference.
Arrange supervised access where necessary
Identify who is authorised to open technical rooms and any applicable safety instructions. Confirm availability ahead of the visits. If access depends on a contractor, arrange that appointment separately and check any conditions attached to attendance.
After inspection, keep a short list of remaining questions. Give each one a contact and an expected document. The resulting file will be easier to reuse when equipment is replaced or another managing agent takes over.
For the building envelope, our roof and façade evidence guide explains how to organise the other shared documents.
Our property manager building model shows how communal equipment connects with several apartments. Describe the known systems and available evidence when requesting a quotation for your building. Linked official resources are in French.
Prepare your file, then choose the level of support that fits your building.
Prepare my communal systems file