Snow and ice in the building: responsibilities and survival kit

In half of Spain snowfall is an anecdote; in the other half it takes its toll every winter. A prepared community deals with it without any scares.

The responsibilities that surprise people

• The pavement: many municipal by-laws require buildings to keep the stretch of pavement in front of them clean and safe during snowfalls (yes, it is your job, not just the council's). A slip on the icy pavement "belonging to" your entrance can end up on the community's liability policy.
• Things that shed: snow or ice falling from the roof or cornices onto the street is the building's responsibility — in areas with serious snow, roof snow guards are not decoration.
• The entrance hall and internal accesses: wet floor plus marble equals the classic injury report. Large winter mats and a wet-floor sign (yes, it also works legally as evidence of due care).

The November kit

Salt or de-icer (one sack per entrance), a snow shovel, gloves — €40 all in, bought BEFOREHAND (on the day of the snowfall there is no salt left in three provinces). And agree who spreads it: the caretaker if there is one, informal rotas, or the cleaning firm with an agreed supplement.

Installations in the cold

Irrigation drained, external meters protected, and the garage door: the mechanism suffers in ice — silicone spray on the rubber seals is the veteran caretaker's cheap trick.

The seasonal message

A notice at the first serious cold snap ("kit is in the entrance hall, watch the garage ramp, help with the salt is appreciated") switches on cooperation — snowfalls show which communities are a team and which are twelve strangers under the same roof.