Shutters and blinds: who pays in a condominium

Rolling shutters, louvered shutters and blinds of a single unit are private property: their replacement is paid by the owner of the flat, not by the condominium. Not being common property, the cost is not split among the other owners. The limits of architectural decorum still apply, however, and the meeting can enforce them to ensure aesthetic consistency of the facade. When the unit is rented out, the split between owner and tenant follows the rules on accessory charges. Let us look at the details.

Shutters and blinds are private property

The rolling shutters, roller blinds, louvered shutters and blinds that close the windows of a single unit serve that flat exclusively and are not among the common property listed by Article 1117 of the Italian Civil Code. They are appurtenances of the unit, owned by the individual owner. As a result, their maintenance, repair and replacement fall entirely on the owner of the unit, who independently decides when and how to act, without needing a meeting resolution for the expense itself.

This clearly distinguishes the case from the stairwell frames or the windows of the common areas, which are instead condominium property and whose cost is split among the owners served.

The limit of architectural decorum

The owner's freedom meets an important limit: the architectural decorum of the building. Article 1122 of the Italian Civil Code forbids the individual from carrying out works that harm the decorum of the building, and Article 1120 protects the overall appearance of the common parts. Since shutters and blinds are visible from outside and contribute to the image of the facade, their replacement must respect aesthetic uniformity where it exists.

In practice, the owner may change their own shutters, but may not alter the colour, shape or material in a way that breaks the harmony of the facade, if the building has a uniform appearance. The meeting or the condominium regulation may set common criteria, such as a reference colour or model, which bind everyone.

When the expense can become common

In some cases replacing shutters or blinds may be managed at condominium level. This happens when the meeting decides on a single, coordinated intervention on the whole facade, for example to standardise the shading as part of a general refurbishment. In this scenario the cost may be split among the units involved according to the resolved criterion. Replacements that each owner carries out individually on their own frames remain private. The two typical situations are:

• individual replacement of one's own shutters or blinds: private expense of the unit owner;
• a unified intervention resolved by the meeting on the whole facade: condominium expense split among the units concerned according to the chosen criterion.

Who pays: owner or tenant

When the unit is rented out, the nature of the work must be distinguished. Replacing shutters or blinds worn out by age is extraordinary maintenance and remains with the landlord owner. Small repairs and ordinary maintenance linked to daily use, such as replacing a broken strap or restoring a mechanism jammed through normal use, may instead fall on the tenant, according to the split between ordinary and extraordinary charges typical of rentals. Damage caused by improper use falls on whoever caused it.

Is a resolution needed to change one's own shutters?

For the expense itself, no: the owner pays and decides independently. However, if the replacement significantly changes the external appearance or affects decorum, it is prudent to check the condominium regulation and, where required, inform the manager or bring the matter to the meeting. Work that respects the colours and models already present needs no authorisation; work that departs from them may be challenged by the other owners to protect architectural decorum.

How to keep the accounts orderly

Even though many replacements are private, the manager must clearly distinguish common expenses from individual ones when the meeting decides on a coordinated intervention on the facade. With AmministraPro the manager classifies each expense as common or private, sets the allocation criterion and generates the shares only for the units involved, keeping track of decorum-related works. To see how common expenses and allocation are managed you can review /funzioni and assess the plans on /prezzi.