Practical guide
How to hire a building caretaker in a condominium
Hiring a caretaker turns the condominium into an employer in every respect, with the condominium manager acting as its representative under Article 1130 of the Italian Civil Code. The correct path starts with an owners' meeting resolution approving the service and its cost, continues with choosing the applicable contract, usually the national collective agreement for employees of building owners (proprietari di fabbricati), and ends with the mandatory formalities: the prior hiring notice, opening the social security and insurance positions, the medical examination and safety training. This guide lists every step in the right order, so you avoid penalties and disputes from the very first day of the employment relationship.
Checklist before the first working day
- Owners' meeting resolution approving the caretaker service and the estimated annual cost
- Minutes granting the manager a mandate to sign the contract
- Choice of role and level under the proprietari di fabbricati collective agreement
- Active condominium tax code and open INPS and INAIL positions
- Prior hiring notice (UNILAV) sent to the employment centre
- Preventive medical examination and fitness for the job
- Safety training and provision of protective equipment
- Signed employment contract with hours, duties, pay and workplace
The owners decide first at the meeting
Employing a member of staff burdens the ordinary budget and binds the condominium for years, so it must go through the owners' meeting. The agenda must expressly include the creation of the service, the estimated annual cost including contributions and accruals, and the mandate to the manager to sign the contract and handle the formalities.
The resolution follows the majorities of Article 1136 of the Italian Civil Code for ordinary management acts. It is good practice to attach a detailed cost estimate to the minutes: gross pay, the additional month's salary, INPS and INAIL contributions, the severance (TFR) accrual and ancillary costs such as any service accommodation, so the owners vote with full awareness of the financial commitment.
- Clear agenda covering service, cost and mandate
- Estimate showing the full annual cost, not just net pay
- Minutes expressly authorising the manager to sign
Choosing the contract and classifying the worker
The reference contract for condominium employees is the national collective agreement for employees of building owners. It defines the professional roles, from the resident caretaker to the custodian and the cleaner, the pay tables, working hours and items such as holidays, leave and the extra month's salary. The choice of role and level sets the minimum pay and must match the actual duties.
You must decide from the outset whether the relationship is full or part time, whether it includes service accommodation and which tasks are assigned: opening and closing the main door, surveillance, collecting the post, minor maintenance, cleaning the common areas. Duties described clearly in the contract prevent future disputes over classification.
Opening positions and notifying the hire
Before the relationship begins, the condominium must send the mandatory hiring notice (UNILAV form) to the employment centre, by the day before work starts. It must also activate the INPS contribution position and the INAIL insurance position against workplace injuries.
The employer keeps the Single Labour Ledger (Libro Unico del Lavoro), produces the payslip each month and pays contributions via the F24 form. In practice the condominium relies on a labour consultant or a payroll service, but the formal responsibility remains with the condominium represented by the manager.
- UNILAV notice by the day before the start
- Opening the INPS position and the INAIL insurance position
- Single Labour Ledger, monthly payslip and F24 payments
Workplace safety and the medical examination
Like any employer, the condominium must comply with Legislative Decree 81/2008. This means assessing the risks and drawing up the risk assessment document (DVR), appointing the occupational physician where health surveillance is required, the preventive fitness examination and safety training before work actually begins.
You must supply personal protective equipment suited to the tasks, for example gloves and footwear for cleaning or tools for minor maintenance. Documenting training, delivery of the protective equipment and medical fitness is essential: in the event of an accident or inspection, proof of compliance protects the condominium.
Managing the relationship over time
After hiring, the employer manages holidays, leave, sickness, the extra month's salary and the accrual of the severance pay (TFR) under Article 2120 of the Italian Civil Code. Caretaker costs are normally shared according to the thousandths (millesimi) of ownership under Article 1123 of the Italian Civil Code, unless a different criterion is approved unanimously or set by the regulations.
Keeping payslips, attendance records, payments and notices in order reduces the risk of errors and disputes. With AmministraPro you record staff costs, link them automatically to the millesimi allocation and keep the relationship documents in a single archive: the features are described on the /funzioni page and the plans with their costs on the /prezzi page.
Frequently asked questions
Is an owners' meeting resolution needed to hire a caretaker?
Yes. Creating the caretaker service and its cost affect management and must be approved by the owners' meeting with the majorities of Article 1136 of the Italian Civil Code. The minutes must also grant the manager the mandate to sign the contract and handle the social security and insurance formalities.
Which contract applies to a condominium caretaker?
As a rule, the national collective agreement for employees of building owners, which sets the professional roles, pay tables, working hours, holidays and the extra month's salary. The role and level must be chosen consistently with the duties actually assigned to the worker, such as surveillance, cleaning or minor maintenance.
When must the hiring notice be sent?
The mandatory notice of establishing the relationship (UNILAV form) must be sent to the employment centre by the day before work starts. Before it begins, the INPS contribution position and the INAIL insurance position against workplace injuries must also be opened.
Is the condominium really an employer?
Yes. When it hires an employee, the condominium takes on all the employer's obligations: payslips, contributions, safety under Legislative Decree 81/2008 and the severance pay accrual. The manager acts as representative, but ownership of the relationship and its responsibilities remains with the condominium.
How are the caretaker's costs shared?
In the absence of a different criterion approved unanimously or set by the regulations, caretaker costs are shared among the owners according to the thousandths (millesimi) of ownership under Article 1123 of the Italian Civil Code. Pay, contributions, severance pay and ancillary service costs all fall within the allocation.
Try AmministraPro
Accounting, thousandths-based cost splitting, meetings, communications and artificial intelligence in a single Italian software, compliant with UNI 10801 and GDPR.