Because of the cost of having a building manager who is also responsible for cleaning and maintaining the building, some 2,000 buildings in Buenos Aires have given up having a permanent manager and change this figure for cleaning companies or part-time managers.
This trend has been growing at a rate of between 10 and 15% per year. For 2013 the salary of the doorman of a consortium had an adjustment of 33%, a salary that represents between 60 and 70% of the administrative expenses of the building.
Cleaning companies ensure that, within a few hours, the building is shiny; however, some people claim that the figure of the administrator is irreplaceable in cases of emergency.
According to Leadro Cardinale, assistant secretary of the Sindicato de Obreros de Maestranza (SOM), this trend "is a reality that is generated from the intention of the consortia to lower their costs. The maestranza left aside the old methodology of the broom and a floor cloth to clean. It is a profession, which is updated and specialized more and more."
According to the law in force in the Building Code, in its point 4.8.8.0 any new construction, consisting of 15 or more units or exceeding 800 square meters or having four or more floors, must allocate a dwelling to the person in charge of the building. This Code is essential for the building manager.
For many building owners this is a condition they could take advantage of: by hiring a cleaning company this unit would be free to generate additional income or to be transformed into a multipurpose salor.
