Comparison
Individual manager or management company for a condominium
The owners' meeting can appoint a condominium manager who operates as an individual professional or a management company. The difference is not merely formal: it affects who is liable toward the condominium, how continuity of service is ensured, and what financial guarantees are available in case of damage. Article 1129 of the Italian Civil Code imposes the same duties on both models, from the dedicated bank account to the professional liability policy when required. Article 71 bis of the implementing provisions further clarifies that, when the appointment goes to a company, the requirements of good standing and training must be held by the partners with unlimited liability, the company's directors and the employees who actually carry out the activity. Here is how to choose with full awareness.
Compared
| Criterion | Individual manager | Management company |
|---|---|---|
| Who is liable toward the condominium | Directly the single professional with personal assets | The company according to its legal form, with possible liability of unlimited partners |
| Requirements of Article 71 bis | Held by the person who signs the appointment | Held by unlimited partners, directors and employees who perform the activity |
| Continuity during absences | Depends on the individual's availability | Covered by other staff within the company |
| Perceived financial guarantees | Tied to personal assets and the policy | Tied to the company's capital and the policy |
| Relationship with owners | Direct and personal | Mediated by the structure, with several contacts |
| Suitability for complex management | Suited to small and medium condominiums | Better suited to large portfolios and multi-building complexes |
What to check before voting on the appointment
- Who actually signs the appointment and who is liable in case of error or damage
- Possession of the Article 71 bis requirements by whoever performs the activity
- Existence and coverage limit of the professional liability policy
- How continuity is ensured during absences
- Compensation stated analytically at the time of appointment as Article 1129 requires
- Transparency on the dedicated bank account held in the condominium's name
- Verifiable references for condominiums of similar size and complexity
Who is liable toward the condominium in each model
When the manager is an individual, responsibility for the management falls directly on the professional who signs the appointment. In case of error, delay in mandatory communications or damage arising from improper management, the condominium turns to the individual, who is liable with personal assets and any insurance coverage.
With a management company, the contractual relationship is with the legal entity. Liability follows the chosen corporate form: in a partnership, partners with unlimited liability also answer with personal assets, while in a limited company liability is, as a rule, confined to the company's assets. This aspect must be assessed together with the company's solidity and its professional policy.
The legal requirements and who must hold them
Article 71 bis of the implementing provisions of the Italian Civil Code lists the requirements to act as a manager, including good standing, absence of certain convictions, initial training and periodic updating. For an individual these requirements must be held by the single professional.
When the appointment goes to a company, the same rule provides that the requirements must be held by the partners with unlimited liability, the company's directors and the employees tasked with actually performing condominium management functions. It is therefore proper to ask the company who will personally follow the condominium and verify that this person holds up-to-date training and requirements.
- Good standing and absence of the incompatibility causes set by the rule
- Initial training and periodic updating for whoever performs the activity
- In a company, requirements held by liable partners, directors and operational employees
Continuity of service and managing absences
The individual offers a direct and personal relationship, but the condominium depends on availability: a prolonged illness or holidays can leave the building without a contact, unless the professional has organized tools and collaborators in advance.
The company tends to spread cases across several people, so the absence of one collaborator does not block the handling of deadlines and emergencies. This organizational advantage does not automatically make the company preferable: for a small condominium, the value of a direct contact with a single reference can matter more than redundancy.
Identical duties regardless of the form
Both the individual and the company must comply with the duties of Article 1129: opening a dedicated bank account in the condominium's name through which all sums pass, keeping the condominium register of owners, annual reporting and analytical specification of compensation at the time of appointment. The legal form does not soften any of these duties.
Responsibility toward the owners' meeting also remains substantially the same in function: what changes is the formal party to the relationship, not the nature of the transparency and diligence duties that the law imposes to protect owners.
How digital tools reduce the differences
A condominium management platform like AmministraPro makes the organizational distinction between individual and company less relevant, because it centralizes accounting, thousandths (millesimi) allocations, communications and the document archive in a single environment accessible from multiple stations. A single professional can thus ensure continuity even during absences, while a company achieves an orderly handover between collaborators on the same condominium.
To compare the features useful to both models you can consult the features page at /funzioni, while plans and costs are described at /prezzi. In any case, the quality of the management process matters more than the legal form chosen for the appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Does a management company offer more guarantees than an individual?
Not automatically. Guarantees depend on the solidity of the entity and on the professional policy, not on the legal form alone. In a limited company, liability is as a rule confined to the company's assets, while the individual answers with personal assets. To assess actual coverage it is worth checking the policy limit, the experience of whoever will follow the condominium and transparency on the duties of Article 1129.
Who must hold the Article 71 bis requirements when a company is appointed?
The rule provides that the requirements be held by the partners with unlimited liability, the company's directors and the employees who actually carry out condominium management. It is therefore proper to ask the company who will personally follow the condominium and to verify that this person has valid initial training and periodic updating, in addition to good standing requirements.
Do the duties on the dedicated bank account also apply to companies?
Yes. Article 1129 requires that the condominium's funds pass through a dedicated bank account held in the condominium's name, regardless of whether the manager is an individual or a company. The legal form does not change this duty, just as it does not alter the obligation to keep the register of owners and to report on the management annually.
For a small condominium, is an individual or a company preferable?
For a small condominium with simple management, the individual often offers a more direct relationship and a lower cost, without losing quality if the professional works with a sound method and adequate digital tools. A company becomes a concrete advantage mainly for large portfolios, multi-building complexes or management with many extraordinary matters, where the organizational structure makes the difference.
Must a company also specify the compensation?
Yes. Article 1129 requires compensation to be specified analytically at the time of appointment, on pain of nullity of the appointment itself, whether the manager is an individual or a company. The condominium must be able to clearly distinguish what is included in the ordinary fee and what is billed separately, for example for extraordinary activities or additional services.
Try AmministraPro
Accounting, thousandths-based cost splitting, meetings, communications and artificial intelligence in a single Italian software, compliant with UNI 10801 and GDPR.