Calling the condominium owners' meeting: deadlines, methods and content

Calling the condominium owners' meeting is the act by which the administrator, or whoever is entitled, summons the owners to gather and pass resolutions. It is no trivial formality: the rules are set by article 66 of the provisions implementing the Italian Civil Code, which establishes who may convene the meeting, with how much notice, in what form and with what content. A poorly issued notice makes resolutions challengeable, so knowing the rules means protecting the whole meeting.

Who calls the condominium meeting

The ordinary meeting is called by the administrator at least once a year to approve the financial statement. The extraordinary meeting can be called by the administrator whenever necessary, or at the request of at least two owners representing one sixth of the building's value. If the administrator fails to act within ten days of the request, the owners may proceed directly. Where there is no administrator, any single owner may take the initiative.

The five-day deadline

The notice must reach each entitled party at least five days before the date set for the first call. This is a clear-day term, so the day of receipt and the day of the meeting are not counted, and it runs from the date the notice is received, not the date it is sent. A condominium regulation of a contractual nature may provide for a longer term, but not shorten it below the legal minimum.

Permitted methods of communication

Article 66 lists exhaustively the forms in which the notice may be communicated: registered mail, certified email (PEC), fax or hand delivery. The reason is evidential: if challenged, the administrator must be able to prove the notice was received in good time. An ordinary email or a text message is not among the permitted methods and, if contested, does not prove that the meeting was properly called.

• Registered mail, typically with return receipt.
• Certified email (PEC) to the address provided by the owner.
• Fax to the indicated number.
• Hand delivery with a signed receipt.

Mandatory content of the notice

The notice must state the place, date and time of the meeting, both for the first and the second call, and above all the agenda. The items must be listed specifically and clearly: each owner must be able to understand what they will be asked to vote on and, if needed, obtain the relevant documents. Generic entries such as any other business cannot support resolutions on substantive matters, because they do not allow informed participation.

First and second call

The notice usually indicates a first and a second call, because the first call requires higher majorities and the meeting often fails to reach a quorum. The second call cannot be held on the same day as the first and must take place within ten days of it. On the second call the meeting decides with the reduced majorities set by article 1136 of the Civil Code.

Indicating both calls in the notice from the outset is the most efficient practice, because it avoids having to repeat the whole procedure when the first session fails for lack of quorum. If the notice provides only for the first call and that does not reach the quorum, the administrator must issue a fresh notice, with a new deadline, to set the next session. The agenda of the second call must match that of the first: no new items can be added, because owners would not have been informed of them with the legal notice period.

Who is entitled to receive the notice

The notice must be communicated to all entitled parties, that is the holders of real rights over the units: the owners and, where applicable, the usufructuary for matters within their competence. Where a single unit has several co-owners it is advisable to identify a representative, but failing that the notice must reach each of them. The tenant too, in certain matters such as heating and the services they use, has the right to vote in place of the owner and must therefore be summoned. An accurate condominium registry is the premise for leaving no one out.

What happens if the notice is flawed

Failing to notify, or notifying late or incompletely, even a single entitled party makes the resolutions voidable. The affected owner may challenge the resolution before the court within thirty days, a term that runs from the date of the meeting for those present and from the delivery of the minutes for those absent. The defect does not affect only the contested resolution but can undermine the entire session, with costs and delays for everyone. For this reason the proof of timely receipt, such as the registered-mail slip or the PEC receipts, should be kept carefully until the challenge deadlines have expired.

Managing notices with software

Management software keeps the condominium registry up to date with each entitled party's contact details and generates the notice with the agenda, dates and quorums already set. It can send communications by PEC while tracking receipts, so the administrator keeps proof of proper notice without chasing registered letters and paper signatures. Fewer formal errors mean stronger resolutions that are harder to challenge.

AmministraPro lets you prepare and send condominium meeting notices in line with the legal deadlines and methods, with an updated registry, a structured agenda and receipt tracking. You can see how it works on the features page or compare the plans in the pricing section.