8 Answers on concierge or doorman

Useful answers about concierge or doorman in the Owners Community (hereinafter OC):

1. Is concierge the same as doorman?

No. The company Bluetietar explains the difference:

"While the concierge has a working day and when this ends, the doorman lives in the OC building. He/she does so in a room set aside for him/her or in an apartment owned by the OC where he/she lives for the duration of his/her work contract". 

2. Which is more usual to have: concierge or doorman?

Concierge.

The figure of the doorman was the traditional one. It has advantages: first, it creates a very strong link with the neighborhood, second, it will attend eventual emergencies and, finally, it assures two elementary qualities for its profession:

- Being a discreet person who, in addition, knows everyone on the OC. 

- He/she inspires confidence

There are several reasons why there are currently fewer doormen than concierges:

- An underlying social change: jobs for life are shrinking in sight.

- A question of cost: an OC with a concierge has to commit to assume the cost of doing maintenance work at the concierge's house. That is, as long as these are not aimed at repairing a misuse directly caused by something that can be proven due to the action of the same employee.

- A question of complexity: as we will explain later "to disaffect" the dwelling, that is to say, to agree unanimously that the doorman's dwelling passes from a common element to a private one is not at all easy.

3. Who is concierge or doorman must be vigilant at the entrance of the building?

The professional attitude has to be the extreme attention. However, this fact has to be compatible with moving to fulfill his/her tasks.

At Finques Feliu we recommend that when you leave the entrance you leave a message indicating the time of absence.

4. What are the specific functions of a concierge or doorman?

As Mapfre points out they are:

"a) To watch over the entrance to the property: he/she must make sure that no one from outside the OC is able to enter. 

To complement the work of surveillance of the worker, Finques Feliu suggests opt for active and passive security measures in the building. The active ones are those that provide a reaction to the intruder (cameras that record, alarms, motion or temperature detectors, insulation systems inside the house). On the other hand, the passive ones are those that "delay, hinder and intimidate the burglar so that it is costly for him to commit the crime he has in mind".

b) Opening and closing the door: he/she is responsible, by delegation of the OC, for the keys that allow access to the common areas of the building.

c) Helping people with heavy loads, pregnant women or people with disability: It must be said that many workers do this. In Finques Feliu we wanted to separate it to emphasize the willingness to serve all people. 

d) Ensure that the evacuation route is always clear.

 
e) Turn on and off the heating and lights as requested by the CP.

f) To assume the general cleaning of the property: as requested by the Community of Owners you may have to take out the garbage containers in the street.

g) To deliver mail to the neighborhood.

 
In relation to the correspondence, in Finques Feliu we go further: in case the OC does not want commercial correspondence, it can be indicated with a small sign attached to the intercom or in a mailbox in which we recommend a text such as "we do not accept commercial mailing". The writing must be visible from the outside of the property.

h) Make a long list of small repairs: changing light bulbs or switches, fixing: doors, faucets, windows, etc.

i) In case of speaking of a doorman, to the previous functions is added that of attending to emergencies".

5. Who can hire a concierge or doorman?

It depends on the property regime of the building where the OC is located.

In a OC of Horizontal Regime no owner can unilaterally decide to hire the employee because this operation has to be approved by the Board of the OC. This is like this because in the Horizontal Regime: "the property is conferred exclusively on the private elements and in community with the others in the common elements".

On the other hand, in a Vertical Regime OC where an owner is the sole owner of a building, he/she could hire him/herself.

6. Has the concierge or doorman the right to protection against occupational hazards?

Of course he/she is. It must be clear that when he/she is hired, he/she becomes a worker of the OC. Moreover, the OC must provide him/her with the appropriate training against occupational hazards.  Neither as a co-owner represented in the Board of the community nor as a worker you have nothing to fear: In Finques Feliu we will advise you.  Here we explain everything you have to keep in mind in this topic.

7. In time of COVID-19, how does the concierge or doorman have to clean the common areas of the OC (question updated to 2021)? 

The first thing to remember is that, unlike in 2020, the importance of transmision via surfaces has now been greatly reduced in favor of that produced by aerosols - transmitted through the air by talking, shouting or singing without protection.

In this sense, Initial.com specifies that within the essential disinfection of common areas, special attention must be paid to: "disinfect the inside of elevators, handrails or door handles on a daily basis". Remember: everyone in common areas must wear a mask.

8. We are owners with the right to vote in the Owners' Meeting. We have decided to sell what used to be the janitor's apartment -because we no longer have anyone hired for that function-. Once the Meeting has been convened according to the law, what steps must be followed to complete the sale?

Gironablog.apialia.cat/ -to whom we thank for the text- explains it in three steps:

1. "The Board of Owners must unanimously agree that the doorman's house goes from a common element to a private element.

2. As the concierge's apartment has become a private element, a new quota is assigned to the owner or tenant and the rest is distributed proportionally.

3. The Community of Owners president has to approve the agreement, reflect it in the Book of Minutes and formalize the deed of sale. If the doorman's house is mortgaged, it would be necessary to ask for permission to the bank with which the credit has been subscribed".

We hope that with this information you know what you can expect from the concierge or concierge. Share this article: knowing what the employees do in the CP in which you live matters.