Condominium Water Connection: Single or Individual Contract

The water connection is the link between the public mains and the building's system. In a condominium it can take two forms: a single supply contract in the condominium's name, with one main meter, or individual accounts, with a contract and a meter for each dwelling. The choice affects who pays the utility, how the cost is shared among the owners and who is responsible for the network. Understanding your building's set-up is the first step to managing water correctly.

Single condominium contract

With the single contract the condominium is the sole account holder: the utility bills the condominium for all the water measured by the main meter, and the manager then shares the cost among the owners. It is the most common configuration in older buildings, where installing individual meters in the utility's name would be complex. It does mean, however, that the condominium advances the entire amount and shares it internally, often with the help of sub-meters to link each quota to real consumption.

In this form the liability towards the utility is collective: if the bill is not paid, the utility turns to the condominium, not to the individuals. For this reason the manager must monitor payments and act promptly on defaulters, so as not to jeopardise the common supply.

Individual accounts per dwelling

With individual accounts each owner has their own contract and their own meter in their name: they pay the utility directly for the water they consume. This solution makes the individual accountable and reduces the manager's sharing work, but does not eliminate common costs. The building still bears any common-part utilities, such as water for irrigation, cleaning or the pressure booster, which must be shared anyway. It is typical of newer buildings, designed with accessible rising mains and meters.

A practical comparison of the two solutions

Neither configuration is better in absolute terms: it depends on the building and the owners' habits. In short:

• Single contract: one bill, internal sharing by the manager, need for sub-meters for fairness, collective liability towards the utility.
• Individual accounts: each owner pays their own consumption, less internal sharing, but common consumption still has to be divided and a suitable system is needed.
• Switching from one to the other: turning a single contract into individual accounts requires an adequate system and the utility's technical conditions, so it is not always possible.
• Common costs: in both cases common-part water remains a condominium expense under Article 1123 of the Italian Civil Code.

The manager's role in the contract

When the contract is single, it is the manager who signs, manages and handles the transfers on behalf of the condominium, within the powers to manage the common parts under Article 1130 of the Italian Civil Code. In particular the manager:

1. Signs or transfers the supply contract in the condominium's name.
2. Checks the readings and bills of the main meter and disputes them with the utility if abnormal.
3. Shares the cost among the owners according to the resolved or regulation-based criterion.
4. Handles relations with the utility for faults, meter checks and new connections.

A meeting resolution is instead necessary when it comes to decisions exceeding ordinary management, such as a new connection, rebuilding the network or switching to a different contractual arrangement.

New connection and extraordinary costs

Creating a new connection or upgrading the existing one is an extraordinary work. The related costs, including the charges required by the utility and the building works, are shared among the owners by thousandths (millesimi), unless the work serves only part of the building, in which case the benefit criterion of Article 1123, third paragraph, applies. The expense must be approved by the meeting with the required majorities, and the technical and financial documentation must be kept for the statement.

Keeping order among contracts, readings and sharing

Whether the building has a single contract or individual accounts, the manager must always have a clear picture: who is the account holder, what the common consumption is, how it is shared and which bills are outstanding. A disorderly archive generates sharing errors and disputes at the meeting.

With AmministraPro the manager handles supply contracts, main-meter readings, common consumption and sharing in a single system, with the history always available for the statement and the meeting. The features are described on the /funzioni page, while plans and costs are on the /prezzi page.