Practical regulations
Managing the concierge employment contract
The building concierge is an employee of the condominium, not an outside contractor, and that distinction changes the manager's obligations completely compared to a cleaning or maintenance service contract. It requires classification under the national collective agreement for building owners, opening a social security position, valuing staff housing as part of pay when provided, and applying a cost sharing method that differs from ordinary expenses because the concierge service typically has its own dedicated allocation table. Getting any of these steps wrong exposes the manager and the condominium to penalties, labor disputes and union claims. This guide covers hiring, ongoing compliance, labor costs and termination, with the regulatory references a condominium needs whether it is hiring a concierge for the first time or already managing one.
Hiring: a genuine employment relationship
A building concierge is a full employee, classified under the national collective agreement for employees of building owners, negotiated by the relevant employer and trade union organizations. The agreement sets classification levels, from basic custody and cleaning duties to broader concierge functions, working hours, minimum tabled pay and seniority increments.
Hiring requires mandatory notification to the employment center before the relationship begins, opening a social security position with the relevant institution for the sector, and drafting a written contract specifying duties, working hours, pay and any staff housing. The manager acts on behalf of the condominium as employer, but the decision to hire belongs to the owners' assembly: a resolution authorizing the hire and setting the economic terms is required, not a unilateral choice by the manager.
When staff housing is provided, it forms part of pay in kind and must be valued according to the collective agreement's criteria. It is not a favor granted to the employee but an element that affects the overall cost and the tax and social security treatment of the relationship.
Ongoing compliance: payroll, contributions, safety
During the relationship, the manager, or the payroll consultant engaged for the purpose, must process monthly pay slips, pay social security and welfare contributions, accrue severance pay and manage vacation, leave and sick pay under the collective agreement's rules.
The condominium, as employer, is subject to general workplace safety obligations: assessing risks connected to the concierge's duties, providing protective equipment where necessary, and delivering information and training. Neglecting these duties exposes the condominium to liability in case of injury, in addition to administrative penalties.
A common mistake is treating the concierge as an occasional collaborator. Incomplete pay slips, irregular contribution payments or the absence of a written contract are the most frequent causes of disputes, often discovered only when the relationship ends and the employee acts to enforce their rights.
Labor costs and how they are shared among owners
The cost of the concierge service includes gross pay, employer contributions, severance pay accrual, any substitute allowances and the cost of staff housing when provided. Article 1123 of the Civil Code sets the general rule of allocation based on ownership shares, unless the condominium bylaws or the nature of the service establish a different criterion.
For the concierge service, established practice, often incorporated into condominium bylaws, calls for mixed allocation: a share based on ownership and a share based on use, typically fifty and fifty, because the service benefits both ownership in general and specifically those who live in the unit and use it daily, such as mail collection, surveillance and cleaning of common areas. Bylaws can adopt allocation tables dedicated to the concierge service, distinct from the general table.
Property management software that keeps allocation tables separate by service, including the concierge service, reduces the risk of disputes at the assembly. AmministraPro allows each expense to be linked to the correct allocation table and generates cost sharing that is traceable, useful when owners or an auditor request verification.
Ending the relationship
The relationship can end through resignation, dismissal, retirement or the expiry of a fixed term contract. In every case the notice periods set by the collective agreement must be respected, severance pay and accrued entitlements settled, and if the concierge occupied staff housing, the release of the property must be handled according to the contract terms.
Dismissing a concierge follows the same protections as any other employee: a legitimate reason is required, disciplinary procedure must be respected where applicable, and an unlawful dismissal exposes the condominium to a labor dispute with potentially significant financial consequences. Here too the formal decision belongs to the assembly, with the manager executing and formalizing what has been resolved.
If the condominium decides not to replace the concierge and to outsource the service to a cleaning or security company, the employment relationship ends and is replaced by a service contract, two profoundly different legal regimes that must be handled carefully during the transition to avoid overlapping costs or gaps in service coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides whether to hire a concierge: the manager or the assembly?
The decision always belongs to the owners' assembly, which resolves on the hire and sets the main economic terms. The manager carries out the resolution by preparing the contract, making the mandatory notifications and handling ongoing compliance, but cannot hire a concierge on their own initiative without a specific mandate from the assembly.
How are concierge costs shared among the owners?
The basic rule under Article 1123 of the Civil Code is allocation by ownership shares, but for the concierge service many condominium bylaws provide a dedicated table with mixed allocation between ownership shares and a use based criterion, often in equal parts, because the service benefits both ownership in general and those who permanently live in the building. Where a specific bylaw provision exists, it prevails over the general rule.
Is staff housing part of the concierge's pay?
Yes, when provided, staff housing constitutes pay in kind under the criteria of the national collective agreement for building owners and must be counted in the overall cost of the employment relationship, with consequences for its tax and social security treatment. It is not an ancillary concession but an integral part of the economic terms set when hiring.
What does the condominium risk if concierge contributions are not paid correctly?
As employer, the condominium is liable for administrative penalties for missing or irregular contribution payments and remains exposed to labor claims if the concierge acts to recover unpaid pay or contribution differences. Working with a qualified payroll consultant significantly reduces this risk, but liability toward the social security institution remains with the condominium as employer.
Does condominium management software help manage the concierge service?
Yes, for the accounting and cost sharing side: a tool like AmministraPro allows concierge expenses to be linked to a dedicated allocation table, tracks payments to the social security institution and the payroll consultant, and documents the cost of the service transparently for the annual statement. Employment law compliance remains the responsibility of a labor consultant, but accounting traceability makes assembly review easier.
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