February 2026 update
Last Updated on Saturday, 7 March 2026 11:23 Written by Steve Dent Saturday, 7 March 2026 11:20
The Heights
February 2026 update
Presidents comments.
As per last months update, apartments we know that are being used as holiday lets, without a valid VV license have been sent a letter asking for the appropriate documentation, they now have 28 days to respond back to Universal Properties.
Thank you to the people who passed on information about apartments near them that are being used for holiday lets. We should have some updates to give you next month.
After reports of water leaks in some apartments, you really should consider leaving a key with a neighbour or friend, if you don´t live here full time, and make sure you have valid insurance to cover any issues that may occur.
Complex news/ issues/updates.
All 4 lifts on the complex recently underwent a compulsory 5 year inspection, unfortunately in order to bring them up to spec and to meet current/new regulations they need some updates, although the lifts are perfectly safe to use, the cost is in the region of 10,000 euros, we have agreed with Otis that the payment can be spread over a 6 month period, they are now 23 years old, the cost of a new lift car is more that 40,000 euros.
A large wooden cable drum was found dumped by the water machine, luckily there was a camera that covers that area, after going through the video footage we were able to capture the person responsible, this was sent to the owner of that apartment to deal with her tenant, who later took it to the Basuras, where it should have gone in the first place.
The other Sunday afternoon we had calls about very low water pressure on D and C blocks, B was also experiencing problems, we had problems with the float switches that control the water level in the storage tank for the whole complex, after moving the switches everything returned to normal, but we had the same issues at 10.30pm the following evening, John and I were down in the pump room trying to get the pumps running again, the problem has now been fixed by replacing a motorised control valve that supplies water to the storage tank.
You may have noticed our maintenance man has repaired and repainted the Basura doors.
An owner from B5 (Mario) went to the El Paso restaurant opposite us to speak to the manager, about the noise from the kitchen extract motor, this makes a strange sound from morning till night when the kitchen closes, they are going to get a technician to fix the issue, it’s nice to see an owner assisting the committee with complex issues.
The Swimming pool.
The 2 new replacement blinds for the pool arrived but they were the wrong colour, ( not sure how that happened !!), we are now waiting for the correct ones to come.
One of the heat pumps that controls the pool temperature, is not working 100%, the technician thinks it may need a re-gas, or compressor, if it needs replacing the cost will be around 4000 euros, fingers crossed !!!.
Library open every Wednesday from 10am to 11am, located by the post boxes . Not open on public holidays.
If you need to contact me, please call 683 16 54 16. Please do not knock at my home address, I always have my phone with me, Thanks.
Emergency night / Disturbance.
Starts 11pm till 7am, you can call them on 671 14 66 16. If you have a problem, please call them.
We now have a new night patrol man, his name is Jose Ramon, he speaks very good English. The complex has been quiet, with no major problems reported.
What’s happening in and around Los Cristianos.
With the Carnival just a few weeks away, there will be lots of entertainment in town by the Valdés Centre, the stage is already up, and the Carnival queens will be chosen for the big parade. A large fun fair has also arrived and is being set up on the waste ground by the crazy roundabout in town.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update.
Steve.
January 2026 update
Last Updated on Monday, 2 February 2026 05:00 Written by Steve Dent Monday, 2 February 2026 05:00
The Heights
January 2026 update
Presidents comments.
We have had a few comments about reinstating the charges for sunbeds….etc, however after explaining the reasons why, most accepted we needed to do something.
From a previous update, you will have read that the committee have been gathering information on apartments on the complex that are being advertised as holiday lets on .COM websites, and are not known to have a VV license, as you know this is illegal and causes many problems for resident owners. A letter has now been prepared and will be sent out to owners to give them time to respond with the necessary paper work, if they fail to comply, their details will be passed on to the relevant authorities to deal with. You have been warned !!!!!!. I would like to pass on my thanks to the committee who gave the input and wording to get this moving.
If you have a VV licence, please make sure you display it.
Can I remind you ( I know its early days yet), that if you can’t attend this years 2026 AGM in May, please pass your proxy vote to another owner or Etelina at Universal Properties, or me, and not to someone who rents a property on The Heights.
Complex news/ issues/updates.
We had a problem with the exit button for the gate in the postal area, it was giving a continuos bleep and did not lock , as it was a Saturday I did a temporary fix, and Nicanor changed the unit first thing Monday.
Previously we have had problems with B block lift, this time it was C block , a lady was stuck in the lift car on the ground floor and was very distressed, I managed to get her out, but then had a problem with Otis the lift company, accepting the fault as an emergency due to several people on the complex having mobility issues. It seems Otis did not follow the correct procedures for the problem, and the head of Otis is looking at the reason this happened, to make sure it will not happen again in the future.
Universal properties had a mail from an owner, who has had a VV licence plaque vandalised on the wall next to her front door, and wanted CCTV footage of the area, we do not have cameras that look down corridors of the apartments, so unfortunately it was not possible to comply, however we do not want vandals on our complex, this behaviour is not acceptable.
We are constantly issuing community rules to people who are renting apartments as holiday lets, they are leaving rubbish bags outside doors of the apartments or dumping them by lifts, this is due to owners not leaving our complex rules inside for their clients to view.
I was sent a video clip from a concerned resident , it was showing a huge amount of water gushing from a pipe around the side of restaurant Don Quixote, I had to call Nicanor at home as it was gone 7pm in the evening to come back to the complex, a float switch had failed to stop the water reservoir over filling, it had flooded the pump room and was emptying the water out through a drain vent, we lost a large amount of water.
The Swimming pool.
As per the earlier note we are now charging again for sunbeds….etc. at the pool, we are getting some income from the sales, but due to the poor weather not as much as we want, the next coming weeks/months should see this improve as the weather improves. This might also keep none residents out of our complex now they have to pay.
The storm we had the other week, damaged one of the pool blinds, we have had a quote to repair or renew, and it will be replaced soon.
Library open every Wednesday from 10am to 11am, located by the post boxes . Not open on public holidays.
If you need to contact me, please call 683 16 54 16. Please do not knock at my home address, I always have my phone with me, Thanks.
Emergency night / Disturbance.
Starts 11pm till 7am, you can call them on 671 14 66 16. If you have a problem, please call them.
We are having difficulty in finding a reliable replacement for Juan Louis, so he has agreed to stay on for another month, to provide cover until we do.
What’s happening in and around Los Cristianos.
With thanks to Colin Kirby for the following info.
Arona Carnival 2026, starts 7th March, this year the theme is SPACE,
The Grand Parade is on Sunday 15th starting from the Arona Grand Hotel, followed by the burial of the Sardine on Los Cristianos beach on Monday 16th.
La Laguna, 23rd May, marking the 50th anniversary of the “ Alan Parsons Project” . Front man and vocalist, he will be performing live on stage,
Tickets are available from several companies, check out prices on line.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update.
Steve.
December 2025 update
Last Updated on Wednesday, 7 January 2026 02:45 Written by Steve Dent Wednesday, 7 January 2026 02:45
The Heights
December 2025 update
Presidents comments.
The complex was fairly quiet over the Christmas period, with minimal problems, just the usual of people on terraces in the early hours.
Sad to inform you, Matilda’s (our cleaner) father died just before Christmas.
Complex news/ issues/updates.
Once again we had prostitutes in apartment B 216, this is the second time this year, we tried everything to get them out, putting pressure on the agent/owner, speaking to the police who were not really interested. This apartment is becoming a problem, the neighbours below are also having to put up with noise and rubbish going over the balcony walls.
We are putting the finishing touches to a letter that will go out to all owners of apartments we identify as being advertised on the web for holiday lets, without a VV licence. They will have a fixed period to respond, after that time we will be contacting the Tourist Board, and the Tax Office to deal with.
Apartments on D block Level 3 have had issues with the complex lights, this was due to some electrical relays failing, all seems to be OK now.
I have had calls on the emergency number, about children running about inside apartments, from neighbours, to me this is not an emergency, its the same with the large construction sites across the road, I cant tell them to stop work.
Again we have had terrible problems with B block lift, it was going up and down on its own, going to the wrong floors, and not opening the doors if it did reach the correct floor, I called OTIS several times a day over a 2 week period, on Christmas night at 12.40am I was speaking to their office in Madrid, trying to get an engineer out to fix it, as its the only way to reach C and D blocks apart from the stairs, it’s a massive problem for anyone with mobility problems, it seems to be working correctly now ( fingers crossed).
You may have noticed we have refreshed the signage on the complex, the old ones have been up for many years and were looking a bit tatty, also signs at the top and bottom of the ramp from garage B to garage A parking, to remind drivers to sound their car horns when going down or up to avoid any collisions.
The Swimming pool.
No issues with the pool, we had 2 umbrellas ruined, due to a high wind and people not putting them down when they leave the pool, I put the sunbeds back into line each Sunday morning .It’s crazy the amount of rubbish people leave by the beds, beer cans, fizzy drink cans, sweets crisps, all sorts of junk, just behind the beds, there are bins provided for unwanted rubbish, morons !!!.
Library open every Wednesday from 10am to 11am, located by the post boxes . Not open on public holidays.
If you need to contact me, please call 683 16 54 16.
Please do not knock at my home address, I always have my phone with me. Thanks.
Emergency night / Disturbance.
Starts 11pm till 7am, you can call them on 671 14 66 16. If you have a problem, please call them.
There has been no major issues just the usual niggles. Juan Louis our security man is retiring after many years working for us, he was due to leave on the 31st December, but has agreed to work for another month, until we can find another person to take over. If you know of a company that offers a concierge service, please let us know.
What’s happening in and around Los Cristianos.
Nothing to report.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update.
Steve.