20-year-old condominium. What needs to be done?

Hello,

I am currently considering the purchase of a high-quality condominium built in 1995 (well built back then) in a three-family house, on the ground floor with a garden.

The apartment is visually in good condition and has been very well maintained (first owner has lived there since the beginning).

Since this condo is supposed to be my retirement home (so it should last at least another 40 years), the question is what issues might arise and what should be done.

My plans were actually only to completely renovate the bathroom and install new flooring in the rooms. The tiles in the kitchen and living room are still all in top condition.

The apartment has a gas burner from 1995 and underfloor heating.

What about things like electrical wiring, water pipes, etc.?

Should these be renovated here? Or will these things easily last another 40 years?

Best regards

Hi, from a distance this is really very hard to assess. To know what will break in the next 40 years, you would need a crystal ball.....

- What does the energy certificate say?
- What do the consumption values say?
- What repairs have already been done on the house?
- Have there been any irregularities (water ingress, etc.)? See EV protocols / ask the property manager
- Which repairs are soon due according to EV protocols? Painting the house, etc.?
- Are there possibly additional charges for development / road maintenance, etc. pending? These things can get expensive quickly!
- Are the windows okay? Even if yes, I think they will need replacing in 10-15 years.....
- Roof windows likewise. They usually need replacing even earlier, in about 5-10 years.
- Have you read the declaration of division, is everything clearly regulated there?
- What is the relationship like among the parties in the building? (Look at the minutes, talk personally with the people). Has there been any litigation? Did it have to be mediated?
- Who manages the property, what does that person say?
- How is the reserve fund account filled (repairs for the exterior shell, roof, etc.)?
- Does the current owner still know details about the sanitary basic installation? Which pipes were installed (plastic?).

- Electrical system: Should definitely hold up for the foreseeable future if no major errors were made
- Underfloor heating likewise, but at least take a look at the manifold and its condition, a plumbing specialist can judge this better. How was the heating maintained? Was care taken to avoid using water containing lime for refilling the circulation loops?
- The gas burner is clearly and decisively a candidate for replacement soon! Because at almost 21 years old it has already exceeded its intended lifespan

Best regards, Thorsten

PS: What I forgot to mention. The basement. During some house and apartment viewings for a friend, I experienced quite a few surprises with a moisture meter... damp basement walls are a common phenomenon. You need to measure that, you don’t necessarily have to see it directly! However, there are often visual clues already...

If you have clarified all points so far: Then the current (seemingly nice) owner will surely be so kind and have no objection to you conducting an inspection with a building expert. The documents/reports/etc. that he must have completely since he has always lived there will surely be made available to you without reservation.

For such an investment, the effort of a few hundred euros for the expert should definitely pay off. Then you have your own impression and also a professional opinion. And then you can decide.

We currently still live in a rental apartment - built in 1995 - apparently also well constructed... but if you look closer, you notice that the windows partly let drafts in and are hard to open, and the floor coverings and interior doors would need to be replaced. The bathroom is fine - simply white. So tolerable. What bothers me more, however, is the sound transmission - the bathroom fans are all connected, noises from the courtyard disturb, when people are in the stairwell you sometimes wonder if you left your door open, when the neighbor’s phone vibrates upstairs I look at mine, etc. Before you buy, spend some time in the apartment and listen. I believe the pipes shouldn’t be a problem yet... but I’m not an expert on that either. Usually it’s not worth renovating things energetically before they are really broken... even if people tell you that the new heating is 20% more efficient and the windows save 10% energy.