Practical guide
How to archive the approved accounts in compliance with the law
Once the accounts are approved, the work is not over: the documents must be archived in an orderly way and kept for the required time, to ensure the traceability of the management and the owners' right of access under Article 1130-bis of the Italian Civil Code. The archive includes the account with its three documents, the approval minutes, the allocation, the expense vouchers and the mandatory registers of Article 1130. Proper retention is also the basis for continuity when the manager changes. This guide explains what to archive, for how long and how to organise the file.
Documents to archive after approval
- Complete account: accounting register, financial summary, explanatory summary note
- Minutes of the approval meeting with voting outcomes
- Allocation plan and schedule of adjustments
- Invoices and expense vouchers for the year
- Bank statements and cash reconciliation
- Owners' register, minute book, appointment and removal register
- Tax documentation: withholding certifications and filings with the Revenue
Why keeping records is not a mere formality
Orderly retention serves three concrete purposes: proving the correctness of the management if challenged, letting owners exercise their right of access, and ensuring continuity when the manager changes. A disorganised archive exposes the manager to liability and complicates every subsequent check.
Article 1130-bis of the Italian Civil Code provides that owners and holders of real rights may inspect and take copies of the expense vouchers. To satisfy such a request without difficulty, the vouchers must be retrievable and linked to the items of the approved account.
The accounting documents to keep
The core of the archive is the approved account in its complete form: accounting register, financial summary with the statement of assets and explanatory summary note. Alongside these sit the minutes of the meeting that approved it, with the voting outcome, and the allocation plan with adjustments.
The vouchers must also be kept: supplier invoices, receipts, contracts, bank statements and the cash reconciliation. Every item of the account must be traceable to the document that justifies it: this link is what makes the account verifiable and defensible over time.
- Approved account in its three documents
- Approval minutes and allocation plan
- Invoices, receipts, contracts and bank statements
- Reconciliation between book cash and the bank
The manager's mandatory registers
Beyond the accounting documents, Article 1130 of the Italian Civil Code requires certain registers: the owners' register, the register of meeting minutes, the register of appointment and removal of the manager, and the accounting register. These registers accompany the accounts and must be kept up to date and preserved.
The minute book, in particular, holds the minutes approving the accounts together with all other resolutions. Keeping it orderly and complete allows the meeting's decisions to be reconstructed at any time and the regularity of approvals over the years to be demonstrated.
Retention periods and handover
Expense vouchers should be kept for a period adequate to cover possible disputes and limitation periods: the prudent practice is to keep accounting documentation for at least ten years, in line with the ordinary limitation period. Tax documentation follows the specific deadlines of tax obligations.
On a change of manager, Article 1129 of the Italian Civil Code requires all documentation to be handed to the incoming one. A complete, orderly archive makes the handover fast and dispute-free: without it the new manager cannot reconstruct the management or answer the owners.
Digital archiving and retrievability
Keeping approved documents in digital form eases the right of access, the handover and the search for vouchers. It is good practice to maintain a secure backup and a consistent folder structure by year, so every document linked to the approved accounts can be found quickly.
Software that automatically archives the account, minutes, allocation and vouchers in the condominium file removes the risk of losing documents and makes access by owners immediate. AmministraPro keeps the approved accounts and their attachments structured by year: the features are described in /funzioni and the plans in /prezzi.
Frequently asked questions
For how long must the approved condominium accounts be kept?
The law sets no single deadline, but the prudent practice is to keep the account, minutes, allocation and vouchers for at least ten years, in line with the ordinary limitation period for claims. Tax documentation, such as withholding certifications, follows the deadlines of tax obligations. Keeping records longer protects the manager against late disputes.
Can owners request copies of documents after approval?
Yes. Article 1130-bis of the Italian Civil Code grants owners and holders of real rights the right to inspect and take copies of the expense vouchers. The manager must make these documents accessible, even after approval, in reasonable ways and times, and may charge only the reproduction costs.
Which registers must I keep besides the accounts?
Article 1130 of the Italian Civil Code requires four registers: owners' register, register of meeting minutes, appointment and removal of the manager, and accounting register. These accompany the accounts and must be kept up to date and preserved. The minute book also holds the resolution approving the accounts, essential to prove the regularity of the management.
What happens to the archive when the manager changes?
Article 1129 of the Italian Civil Code requires all documentation to be handed to the new manager. This includes approved accounts, minutes, registers and vouchers. A complete, orderly archive makes the handover quick; failing to deliver it exposes the outgoing manager to liability and prevents the incoming one from answering owners' requests.
Does a digital archive have the same value as a paper one?
Digital archiving is fully allowed and increasingly common, because it eases access, search and handover. To ensure reliability, keep secure backup copies and an orderly structure by year. For tax documents requiring compliant preservation, the specific retention rules set by tax law must be observed.
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