The situation, affecting a protected rental apartment on Camí del Nord street, poses a health risk and forces the tenant to hire a specialized cleaning company monthly. This company is responsible for cleaning both the interior terrace and the rooms, which become covered in residue every time the building's heating or hot water, powered by a biomass boiler, is activated.
The chimney is located directly above the apartment's interior patio, causing soot and ash to accumulate not only outside but also to enter the interior, affecting furniture, sofas, mattresses, and even the residents' personal belongings.
The resident has been demanding action from the property owner for years and has sought help from public administrations, but states that her requests have been ignored. Due to the lack of response, she commissioned a technical report on habitability and environmental health, which concluded that there is an “overriding technical uninhabitability situation”.
“"There is no cleaning measure that can repair the combined error of design, illegal location, and lack of dynamic dispersion."
The report suggests that the only solution is to move the chimney to the central axis of the roof to prevent soot from falling. Furthermore, during tests, high levels of formaldehyde, a toxic product, were detected inside the home.
