AC and your building manager: consent, votes and what to prepare

Before installing an AC in a Latvian apartment building, inform your building manager and check their procedure — the external wall is common property, so apartment-owner agreement (50% + 1 votes under the Apartment Ownership Law) applies. Riga's largest manager RNP publishes its own AC guidance, and many HOAs have their own rules. Managers mainly want to see safe mounting, legal facade placement and correctly routed condensate.

Why the manager is part of this at all

Under the Apartment Ownership Law (Dzīvokļa īpašuma likums), the external walls of an apartment building are common property — every apartment owner owns a share of the wall your bracket goes into. That has two practical consequences:

Co-owner agreement. Decisions on using common property are taken by the apartment owners — 50% + 1 votes. Many buildings have adopted standing rules for ACs so individual installations don’t each need a vote.
The manager is informed in every case, even for work that touches no structural element and needs no city coordination.

Skipping this step creates the worst failure mode: a neighbour complaint after the fact, with the burden on you.

What managers actually check

Concern	What satisfies it
Mounting safety	Professional installation, anchors matched to the wall type
Facade legality	Būvvalde coordination where placement requires it (details)
Condensate	Routed to a drain or collection — not dripping on the facade, walkway or a neighbour’s window
Noise	Reasonable placement away from bedroom windows; anti-vibration mounting
Facade integrity	Sealed penetrations; on renovated facades, compliance with the renovation warranty terms

Arrive with these answered — placement sketch, installer’s name, condensate plan — and the conversation is usually short.

Manager-specific rules exist — check yours

RNP (Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks), which manages a large share of Riga’s housing stock, publishes its own guidance on AC installation in its buildings. If RNP manages yours, that page is your checklist.
HOAs publish building-specific rules — for example, the Ilūkstes 103 association’s published AC procedure. Rules can cover permitted facades, unit models’ noise limits, even colour.
If you don’t know who manages your building, it’s on your utility bill.

The order that works

Read your manager’s/HOA’s AC rules (or ask for them).
Confirm whether your placement needs city coordination.
Secure the co-owner agreement path your building uses (standing rules or a vote).
Only then order the installation — see what a proper quote contains.

Frequently asked questions

Can the manager forbid my AC?

The manager administers; the decision on common property belongs to the apartment owners (50% + 1). But a manager can require compliance with the community's adopted rules and with city coordination — and can act against an installation done without them. Working with the manager beats working around them.

How do I get 50% + 1 of apartment owners to agree?

In practice communities handle this via an owners' vote (in person or written survey), and many buildings have adopted standing rules for AC installations so each unit doesn't need a fresh vote. Ask the manager whether your building already has such a decision.

What does RNP specifically ask for?

RNP publishes its own guidance describing what to consider and how to coordinate an installation in buildings it manages — placement, mounting and condensate are the recurring themes. Check their current page before ordering installation in an RNP-managed building.

My building is renovated and insulated — anything extra?

Yes: drilling through a renovated facade touches the renovation's warranty, so managers require approval and proper sealing of every penetration. Brackets need extended anchors reaching the load-bearing wall; budget for a slightly costlier mount.

This page is informational and is not legal advice. Requirements change — always verify with the official sources listed below.