Leaks in Community Pools: Responsibility, Insurance, and Protocol

Data updated in September 2026 — Information verified with internal data from Telefuga and real reviews from Google Maps.

Who pays when the community pool has a leak?

The community pool is the responsibility of the community of property owners, without exceptions. If the pool loses water due to a leak, the cost of detection, repair, and any resulting damages falls on the community as a legal entity, never on a specific neighbor. At Telefuga, with over 8,050 pools repaired, a rating of 4.8/5 on Google Maps (319 reviews), and 16 years of experience, we assist property owner communities throughout the process: from detection to issuing the expert report they need for the meeting and the insurer.

This article is a complete guide on legal responsibility, the action protocol, insurance coverage, and technical solutions for leaks in community pools. It is aimed at community presidents, property administrators, and any owner who wants to understand their rights and obligations.

Private Pool vs. Community Pool: The Legal Difference

The distinction is fundamental because it determines who pays and how decisions are made:

Private Pool (Private Element)

A private pool belongs to a single owner (usually integrated into a detached house or individual plot). The owner assumes all maintenance, repair, and leak detection costs. They can freely hire anyone without needing to consult anyone. Their individual home insurance covers (or does not, depending on the policy) the damages.

Community Pool (Common Element)

The community pool is a common element of the building or development, regulated by the Law 49/1960 on Horizontal Property (LPH). This means that:

• Ownership is shared among all owners in proportion to their participation quota
• Decisions about repairs are made by the owners' meeting (or the president in emergencies)
• Costs are shared among all owners according to their coefficient
• The community insurance (not the individual one) covers the damages

Article 10 of the Horizontal Property Law: What the Law Says

Article 10.1 of the LPH (amended by Law 8/2013 and updated by Royal Decree-Law 7/2019) establishes that works necessary for the adequate maintenance and conservation of the property and its common services and installations are mandatory and do not require agreement from the meeting.

The community pool is a common service. A leak that causes water loss, structural damage, or risk of damage to third parties constitutes a necessary conservation situation. Therefore:

Practical Implication: Repairing a leak in the community pool is mandatory by law. The community cannot refuse to repair it due to lack of funds. If an individual owner requests the repair and the community denies it, they can appeal to the first instance judge. Furthermore, according to article 10.1, these works do not require prior agreement from the meeting, although it is advisable to inform.

Can the community force an owner to pay for the repair?

No. The maintenance cost of common elements is shared among all owners according to their participation coefficient (art. 9.1.e LPH). The cost cannot be charged to a specific owner, not even to the one whose home is closest to the pool or the one who "uses it the most".

Exception: Damages caused by a neighbor

If the leak was caused by the negligent action of an owner (for example, a neighbor who carried out work on their terrace that damaged the waterproofing of the pool), the community can claim damages from that owner through civil means. The expert report from Telefuga will be the key evidence to demonstrate the causal link.

The Role of the Property Administrator

The property administrator (or registered administrator, API) is the central figure in managing a leak in a community pool. Their functions include:

1. Receive the incident: Any owner or the lifeguard/maintainer of the pool communicates the suspicion of a leak to the administrator.
2. Assess the urgency: If the leak is serious (visible water loss, structural risk, damage to neighboring homes), the administrator can authorize emergency intervention without convening a meeting, under article 20.c of the LPH (“to ensure the good management of the community”).
3. Request budgets: Request at least 2-3 budgets from companies specialized in leak detection in pools.
4. Inform the meeting: Convene an ordinary or extraordinary meeting to approve the expense (if it is not urgent and the amount exceeds the president's competencies).
5. Manage the insurance: Open a claim in the community insurance and coordinate with the insurer's expert.
6. Supervise the repair: Ensure that the contracted company complies with the budget and deadlines.

Complete Protocol: From Suspicion to Repair

This is the protocol we recommend at Telefuga, based on our experience with hundreds of communities in Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Albacete, and Almería:

Step 1: Detect the suspicion of a leak

The most common signs of a leak in a community pool are:

• Water level drop greater than 5 mm/day (discounting evaporation)
• Need to refill more than 2 times a week in summer
• Humidity in the machine room or technical room
• Loose or sunken tiles around the basin
• Visible cracks in the basin, coping, or skimmers
• Irregular pressure in the filtration circuit
• Adjacent garden areas permanently wet

Step 2: Inform the administrator and the president

The communication must be in writing (email, burofax, or written with entry registration) to leave a record. Include: description of the symptoms, photos or videos, date of detection, and estimation of lost water.

Step 3: Approval of the expense

Two possible routes:

• Urgent route (art. 20.c LPH): If the leak is serious, the president can authorize immediate detection and repair, informing the meeting afterwards. It is considered urgent when: the loss exceeds 1,000 liters/day, there is a risk of damage to third parties, or the pool cannot operate during bathing season.
• Ordinary route (art. 17.7 LPH): An extraordinary meeting is convened. The agreement to repair common elements is approved by simple majority of those present (art. 17.7). It does not require unanimity or qualified majority.

Step 4: Hire Telefuga

Telefuga performs leak detection in pools with professional technology:

• Pressure test: Pressurize each circuit (suction, pressure, drainage, cleaner) independently to isolate the circuit with the leak.
• Tracer gas: Injection of helium or hydrogen into the affected circuit to locate the exact point of the leak without needing to empty the pool.
• Infrared thermography: Detection of leaks in the basin through temperature differences in the water surface or the perimeter flooring.
• Professional diver: Underwater inspection of the basin with autonomous equipment to locate cracks, deteriorated joints, and accessory anchors that are losing tightness.

Step 5: Repair

The repair of pools depends on the type and location of the leak:

Step 6: Process the community insurance

This step is crucial and is often done incorrectly. Let's see how to do it correctly:

Community Insurance vs. Individual Insurance: What Covers What?

This is one of the biggest sources of confusion. Let's clarify:

Community Insurance

The community of property owners' insurance policy (mandatory according to art. 9.1.f LPH) must cover at least damages to common elements. In the case of the pool:

• Usually covers: Leak detection (search and location), water damage to common and private elements, civil liability to third parties.
• May cover (depends on the policy): Repair of the broken pipe, repair of the basin, re-waterproofing.
• Normally does NOT cover: Wear or natural aging, lack of maintenance, pre-existing defects (if the policy is new and the leak was prior).

Individual Insurance of the Owner

The individual home insurance of each owner comes into play when:

• The leak from the community pool has caused damage to their home (leak in garage, humidity in storage room)
• It is activated by CILA agreement (Direct Compensation Agreement for Construction Insurance) between insurers
• The community has no insurance (serious case that generates liability for the president)

The Expert Report from Telefuga: Key Document

The expert report from Telefuga is the document the community needs to:

1. Justify to the meeting the necessity and urgency of the repair
2. Document the cause and extent of the leak for the insurer
3. Establish the causal link (cause-effect) that the insurer requires to accept the claim
4. Quantify the damages and the repair cost

Our report includes: photographs, location plans, results of pressure tests, technical diagnosis, cause of the leak, repair budget, and preventive recommendations. This report has expert validity and is accepted by all insurers in the Spanish market.

Real Case: Community Pool in Urbanization of Torrevieja

Success Case — Urbanization Las Salinas, Torrevieja (Alicante)

Situation: Community of 120 homes with a community pool of 25x12.5 meters (312 m³). The pool maintainer detects that the level drops 15 mm daily (4,700 liters/day), well above the normal evaporation in August (3-5 mm/day in the area). The community water bill has tripled. The administrator calls an urgent extraordinary meeting.

Telefuga Diagnosis:
1. Pressure test: The 4 circuits (suction, pressure, cleaner, bottom drain) are pressurized. Result: pressure drop in the pressure circuit (from 2 bar to 0.5 bar in 10 minutes).
2. Tracer gas: Injection of 5% hydrogen into the pressure circuit. Detection of leaks at two points: under the perimeter flooring 3 meters from the machine room and next to the second return nozzle.
3. Diver inspection: Confirmation that the second return nozzle has a deteriorated plug joint with visible leakage.

Diagnosis: Two independent leaks. The main one: break in the PVC pressure pipe of 63 mm due to ground settlement (the urbanization is 22 years old). The secondary: deteriorated nozzle joint due to natural wear.

Repair: Replacement of 2 meters of pressure pipe with minimal excavation in the perimeter flooring + replacement of the nozzle joint by the diver. Total time: 2 days. Cost: €1,450.

Insurance: The expert report from Telefuga allowed the community to claim from the community insurance (policy with Mapfre). The insurer covered the detection (€400) and the repair of the pipe (€820), but not the nozzle (considered wear). The community only paid €230 + a deductible of €150.

Result: Estimated annual water savings: €3,800. Return on investment: 5 weeks.

Telefuga vs. Other Companies: Why Choose a Pool Specialist?

Common Mistakes of Communities Regarding a Pool Leak

Error 1: Waiting for the Annual Meeting

The leak does not wait. A loss of 4.8,000 liters/day for 6 months means 540,000 liters of wasted water and a cost of €1,500-2,000 just in water. Additionally, the leak worsens over time and can damage the structure of the basin, the surrounding waterproofing, and nearby installations.

Error 2: Calling a General Plumber

A plumber does not have leak detection equipment for pools. Their only option is to empty the pool (cost of water + time) and search visually. In a community pool of 4.800 m³, emptying and refilling costs over €600 just in water, plus 2-3 days of downtime during the season.

Error 3: Refilling Without Repairing

Some communities opt to "keep refilling" to maintain the pool operational without addressing the repair. This is a serious mistake: the water lost through the leak carries salts and treatment chemicals, deteriorating the surrounding land and potentially affecting foundations and underground garages.

Error 4: Not Reporting to the Insurance in Time

Most policies establish a 7-day deadline from the knowledge of the incident to communicate it to the insurer. If the community takes 2 months to report the leak, the insurer may deny coverage due to late communication (art. 16 of the Insurance Contract Law 50/1980).

Error 5: Not Documenting the Damages

Without photographic documentation and an expert report, the insurer has grounds to question the extent of the incident and reduce the compensation. The expert report from Telefuga is the best guarantee of full coverage.

Legal Obligations of the Community: Pool Maintenance

In addition to the LPH, community pools are regulated by specific regulations:

• Royal Decree 742/2013 (technical-sanitary criteria for pools): Establishes water quality, facilities, and maintenance requirements. Non-compliance can result in penalties from the health authority.
• Regional Regulations: Each autonomous community develops its own regulations. In the Region of Murcia, Decree 58/1992 regulates the hygienic-sanitary conditions of collective use pools. In the Valencian Community, Decree 255/1994.
• Civil Liability: If an unrepaired leak causes damage to third parties (leak into a neighbor's garage, ground subsidence affecting a neighboring property), the community is jointly liable.

Preventive Maintenance of the Community Pool to Avoid Leaks

A preventive maintenance program drastically reduces the risk of leaks:

Annual Pre-Season Review (April-May)

• Visual inspection of the basin, coping, skimmers, and nozzles
• Pressure test on all circuits
• Verification of expansion joints and seals
• Check of waterproofing (level test for 48h without use)

Every 5 Years: Professional Audit

• Complete inspection with a diver (even without suspicion of a leak)
• Evaluation of the state of waterproofing
• Review of the machine room (pumps, filters, valves)
• General condition report with recommendations

Every 10-15 Years: Waterproofing Renewal

The waterproofing of a pool (reinforced membrane, polyurea, or epoxy paint) has a limited useful life. Renewing it preventively is much more economical than repairing the damages of a widespread leak.

When Should the Community Consider Replacing the Entire Pool?

In old community pools (more than 25-30 years), sometimes repair is not economically viable. Signs that the pool needs a complete renovation:

• Recurring leaks that reappear after repair
• Generally deteriorated waterproofing
• Basin structure with multiple structural cracks (not superficial)
• Asbestos or lead pipes (obsolete materials)
• Cumulative repair costs exceeding 40% of the renewal cost

In these cases, Telefuga issues a feasibility report comparing the cost of continuous repair vs. complete renovation, which serves as a basis for decision-making in the meeting.

Communities with Pools in Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Albacete, and Almería

The Mediterranean coast is the area of Spain with the highest density of community pools: tourist urbanizations, second home residential areas, and apartment complexes. Telefuga covers the 5 provinces with its own team and specialized community and insurance service.

Some particularities by area:

• Torrevieja / Orihuela Costa (Alicante): Very high density of urbanizations with community pools, many over 20 years old. High demand for detection and repair.
• La Manga / Mar Menor (Murcia): Saline soil and high groundwater level accelerate the corrosion of metallic components and deteriorate waterproofing.
• Almería / Roquetas de Mar: Network water with high salinity affecting joints and tiles.
• Albacete: Winter frosts that damage pipes and equipment if the pool is not properly winterized.
• Valencia / Beach: Tourist urbanizations with intensive use in season and insufficient maintenance out of season.

Conclusion

A leak in the community pool is a problem that affects the entire community of property owners, both economically and legally. The Horizontal Property Law is clear: the repair is mandatory, the cost is shared among all owners, and the president can act in emergencies without waiting for the meeting.

The key to minimizing cost and maximizing insurance coverage is to act quickly and with specialized professionals. At Telefuga, with 8,050 pools repaired, 4.8/5 on Google, and 16 years of experience, we offer professional detection without emptying the pool, guaranteed repair, and an expert report valid for the insurer.

Does your community have a leak in the pool? Request a free quote or call us. Every day that passes without repair, the community loses water, money, and legal risk.