Practical guide
Archiving e-invoices in the software
A property manager receives dozens of electronic invoices every month from different suppliers: cleaning firms, maintenance contractors, insurers, energy providers. Handling them manually, scattered across an inbox and folders on a computer, invites allocation errors and missing documents that later surface as gaps in the annual statement. Software built around this workflow lets a manager receive, record, allocate to the correct cost table and archive every invoice in one system, so any document can be retrieved in seconds when an owner asks for it or when the annual statement needs preparing. This guide walks through the full path an electronic invoice takes inside the software.
From receipt to the cash and bank ledger
An electronic invoice typically arrives through certified email or a supplier's dedicated channel, in a structured format usually paired with a readable copy. The first step in the software is linking the document to the correct building and its essential data: supplier, number and date, amount, and reason for the expense. Recording this carefully at the outset avoids chasing missing information months later, when the annual statement is being prepared and every line item needs to be justified to owners.
In AmministraPro this step connects directly to the building's cash and bank ledger: recording the invoice automatically generates the related expense entry, keeping a stable link between the original document and the accounting movement, so either one can always be traced back to the other.
Allocating the expense to the right cost table
The most delicate step is allocating the expense to the correct cost table. Not every expense splits the same way: general expenses follow ownership shares under Article 1123 of the Italian Civil Code, while costs for assets or services serving different interests, or used unevenly by owners, require dedicated tables, such as the one for a lift or for heating. An invoice allocated to the wrong table produces a statement that owners can challenge and, in the more serious cases, a resolution that can be contested.
Assigning the correct table at the moment of recording, rather than leaving it for year end, sharply reduces the risk of error: the software immediately calculates the share owed by each owner under that specific table, and the per-owner amount can be checked well before the accounting year closes.
Digital archiving and document retrieval
An electronic invoice in structured format is by nature a digital document, and established document management practice, including the UNI 10801 standard on optical archiving systems, sets out the criteria for a reliable long-term digital archive: consistent indexing, integrity of the original file, and the ability to retrieve a document from multiple search keys such as supplier, date, building, and assigned cost table.
A building keeps its invoices not as a one-off formality but because the accounting records need to stay available for the useful life of the resolution that approved them, and for any later checks by owners or by an incoming manager after a handover. An orderly digital archive, reachable from the software in a few clicks, replaces the box of paper and cuts the time spent searching for a document whenever an owner asks about a specific expense.
Fast search and access for the annual statement
When it is time for the annual statement or a review by the building's auditors, being able to retrieve every invoice quickly is the difference between hours of work and minutes. Filters by supplier, period, cost table or amount make it possible to reconstruct the history of an expense fast, and to answer an owner who raises questions at a meeting or in writing with the actual documents in hand.
In AmministraPro the invoice archive is linked to the annual statement and to individual owners: from an invoice a manager can trace the accounting entry and the cost allocation, and from a line in the statement the original document can be reopened, giving full traceability without switching between separate tools.
Frequently asked questions
Is it mandatory to keep a building's electronic invoices in digital form?
An electronic invoice originates in a structured digital format, and that format is what attests its original content, so keeping it digitally is not an optional choice but a consequence of the document's own nature. Regardless of format, a manager must keep accounting records orderly and accessible to owners, who can always request to view them and obtain copies at their own expense.
What happens if an invoice is allocated to the wrong cost table?
If an expense is split using criteria different from those set by the Civil Code or the building's bylaws, the statement containing it becomes open to challenge by owners who consider themselves harmed by the error. In the more serious cases, the meeting resolution approving that statement can be contested. Correcting the allocation as soon as the error is noticed, with a reasoned adjustment note, is always preferable to waiting for the next meeting.
How long should a building's invoices be kept?
There is no single deadline that fits every case: accounting records need to remain available at least for the period during which owners can challenge the statement and the related resolutions, and in any case long enough for possible tax checks or a handover to a new manager. For this reason it is prudent to keep an orderly, durable digital archive rather than relying on ad hoc criteria.
How does an invoice connect to the annual statement in AmministraPro?
In AmministraPro, recording an invoice automatically generates the expense entry in the cash and bank ledger and links it to the chosen cost table, so it flows correctly into the annual statement. From the statement the original invoice document can always be reopened, and from the invoice a manager can trace the accounting movement and the allocation among owners, with the full history reachable from the software's features and pricing pages.
Who can access a building's invoice archive?
Access is normally reserved to the manager and to staff supporting the accounting work, while individual owners exercise their right to view and obtain copies of the documentation, as provided under condominium law, by making a request to the manager. A digital archive organized by building, supplier and period makes this exchange faster and easier to track than a manual search through paper files.
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