Maintenance of the condominium electrical system

Maintenance of the condominium electrical system covers all electrically powered common areas: stair and hallway lighting, automatic gates, intercoms, pumps, lifts and floor distribution boards. It is not a formality but a safety obligation, because a neglected system is a source of risk to people and engages the administrator's liability. Let us look at the applicable standards, the inspection deadlines, how costs are shared and the documentation to keep in order to prove the system's compliance at any time.

Maintenance of the condominium electrical system and the CEI 64-8 standards

Maintenance of the condominium electrical system must preserve over time the safety and functionality conditions with which the system was built, in line with the CEI 64-8 standard, the technical reference for low voltage electrical systems for users. The standard sets the criteria for design, installation and testing, and provides that the system must be kept compliant with its original design, adopting the measures indicated by the installer. Any later change must respect the same criteria, so as not to compromise the overall safety of the system.

Decree 37/2008 and qualified firms

Work on the system, both ordinary and extraordinary, must be carried out by firms qualified under ministerial decree 37/2008. When installation, conversion or extension works are completed, the firm issues the declaration of conformity, the document certifying that the work was done to a professional standard. Relying on unqualified staff or failing to keep the declaration exposes the condominium to both technical and liability risks.

Periodic earthing checks

The earthing system is subject to mandatory periodic checks under presidential decree 462/2001. The frequency is normally every five years in ordinary environments and every two years in higher risk environments, such as places subject to fire safety rules. The check is entrusted to authorised bodies or the local health authority and certifies the efficiency of the devices that protect against indirect contact. The condominium, as owner of the system, must keep the earthing system declaration and the reports of later checks, which must be produced in the event of an inspection or an accident. Overlooking this deadline is among the most frequent failings in building management.

Ordinary and extraordinary maintenance

Ordinary maintenance includes recurring checks and small interventions that do not alter the system: testing residual current devices, replacing faulty components, cleaning distribution boards. Extraordinary maintenance, by contrast, concerns changes, extensions and upgrades that affect the structure of the system and require a new declaration of conformity. Telling the two categories apart helps determine which documents to produce and keep.

The administrator's liability

The administrator is the custodian of the common areas and answers for the safety of the condominium systems. They must schedule the checks within the deadlines, engage qualified firms, keep the documentation and bring the necessary works to the meeting. In the event of damage arising from a non compliant system, failure to act can result in liability for the administrator as well as for the condominium as custodian.

What the condominium risks without maintenance

Neglecting maintenance of the electrical system is not only a matter of penalties. A non compliant or unchecked system increases the risk of faults, fires and electric shocks, with possible harm to people and property. In the event of an accident, the absence of periodic checks and documentation makes it hard to prove the condominium's diligence and can aggravate its liability, as well as affecting insurance cover. Prevention, through scheduled and documented checks, is therefore far less costly than the consequences of a system left unchecked.

The documentation to keep

• Declarations of conformity issued by firms under decree 37/2008.
• Reports of the periodic earthing checks under decree 462/2001.
• A log of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance interventions.
• Quotes and invoices for the works entrusted to the appointed firms.
• Any diagrams and designs of the common areas system.

How to allocate the costs

The costs of maintaining the common areas electrical system are normally split among owners according to the millesimal ownership tables, save for specific criteria tied to the use of particular services. Ordinary maintenance falls among the management costs in the budget, while extraordinary upgrades and major renewals must be resolved by the meeting with the majorities provided for that type of work. If an intervention serves only to make the system safe and is urgent, the administrator may order it even without a prior resolution, reporting to the meeting at the first available opportunity.

Planning maintenance with software

Keeping deadlines, checks and documents for several buildings under control is hard to manage on paper. With management software the administrator records the periodic checks, sets reminders for the five year and two year deadlines, files declarations of conformity and check reports and links each intervention to the supplier and the related cost. AmministraPro centralises the deadline calendar, suppliers and system documents: you can see how it works on the features page or compare the plans in the pricing section.