Practical guide
Managing roof maintenance in a condominium
A roof is one of the trickiest shared building elements to manage because damage, once visible, is often already extensive: water infiltration into ceilings, mold in top floor apartments, damage to systems below. Article 1117 of the Italian Civil Code lists it explicitly among the common parts of a building, unless a title states otherwise, so maintaining it concerns all owners under the ordinary allocation rules. This guide explains how to organize a roof intervention correctly: from the initial technical assessment to collecting quotes, from the assembly resolution to cost allocation, through to managing a dedicated reserve fund and any water damage claims. An orderly process reduces disputes and delays.
The roof as common property: what Article 1117 says
Article 1117 of the Italian Civil Code includes the roof among the building elements necessary for common use, alongside foundations, load bearing walls, staircases, entrance doors and courtyards. This means that, unless a deed grants exclusive ownership to one owner (a rare situation that must be verified in the founding documents), roof maintenance is a collective obligation and the related costs are allocated among all owners according to their ownership shares, unless the roof is an exclusive use flat roof terrace, in which case the special allocation under Article 1126 applies.
Distinguishing ordinary from extraordinary maintenance matters because it changes the required assembly majority: ordinary maintenance (small repairs, cleaning gutters and downpipes, replacing a few tiles) is resolved with simpler majorities, while a full re-roofing falls under extraordinary maintenance or innovation works, which require qualified majorities under Article 1136.
Initial assessment and collecting quotes
Before convening the assembly to resolve on a significant expense, the property manager should arrange a technical inspection by a professional (surveyor, engineer or architect) to understand the real scope of the problem: a localized leak, widespread deterioration of the roof covering, thermal insulation issues, or rainwater drainage problems. A written technical report is useful both to quantify the cost and to justify the resolution in front of any dissenting owners.
Based on the report, at least two or three comparable quotes should be collected, checking that they describe the same scope of work: materials, warranties, execution timeline, disposal of demolition waste. Non comparable quotes are one of the most frequent causes of disputes at assembly meetings, because owners struggle to understand why one offer costs twice as much as another for a supposedly identical intervention.
Key points to check in a roof work quote include the type of intervention (spot repair, or partial or full re-roofing), the materials specified and their warranties, the execution timeline and site access arrangements, scaffolding and safety management when multiple contractors are involved, and finally the disposal of removed materials.
The assembly resolution and required majorities
The meeting notice must clearly state the subject (roof maintenance or re-roofing) and attach the documentation collected (technical report and quotes) so owners can evaluate it in advance. For extraordinary maintenance works, Article 1136 generally requires, on second call, the majority of those present representing at least half the value of the building, with different thresholds for more significant innovations such as re-roofing with materials or techniques different from the original.
The minutes must precisely record the approved amount, the chosen contractor, the payment schedule and the allocation criteria applied, because these elements become the basis for the subsequent payment requests to individual owners and any challenges to the resolution.
Cost allocation and reserve fund
When the roof is ordinary common property, the cost is allocated according to the general ownership shares set out in the building's millesimal tables. If instead it is a flat roof terrace used exclusively by one owner, Article 1126 applies: the exclusive user contributes one third, while the other owners of the building (or of the portion of the building that benefits from it) split the remaining two thirds according to their respective shares.
For significant works, such as a complete re-roofing, it is often advisable to set up a dedicated reserve fund before work begins, as provided by Article 1135, to avoid the property manager having to advance large sums or the contractor working without certain financial coverage. The fund and the expenses incurred must then flow into the annual condominium financial statement, with clear traceability of every payment.
Managing water damage claims
When a roof leak damages the apartments below, before proceeding with repairs it is important to photograph the damage and keep correspondence with the affected owners, because these elements are needed both to consider opening a claim under the building's comprehensive insurance policy and to establish the boundary between the structural repair, which is the condominium's responsibility, and damage to the owner's personal belongings, which follows a separate insurance path.
Managing these steps in an orderly way, from the initial technical report to the final financial statement, requires a tool that keeps documents, resolutions, allocations and payments together in one place: software like AmministraPro lets the property manager attach quotes and reports to meeting notices, automatically calculate the allocation according to the correct millesimal tables, manage a dedicated reserve fund and track individual owners' payments, reducing the risk of errors in the most delicate phase: the handoff between resolution and cash flow.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for roof maintenance in a condominium?
If the roof is common property under Article 1117 of the Italian Civil Code, the cost is allocated among all owners according to their general ownership shares. The exception is a flat roof terrace used exclusively by one owner: in this case Article 1126 applies, with one third borne by the exclusive user and the remaining two thirds borne by the other owners according to their respective shares. It is always worth checking the condominium bylaws and founding deed for any deviations.
What majority is needed to approve re-roofing?
It depends on the nature of the work. Ordinary maintenance can be approved with simpler assembly majorities. A complete re-roofing, which falls under extraordinary maintenance or innovation if materials or construction techniques change, requires under Article 1136 of the Italian Civil Code, on second call, the majority of those present representing at least half the value of the building, with higher thresholds for more significant innovations. The meeting notice must clearly state the subject and attach quotes and the technical report.
Is it mandatory to set up a reserve fund before starting the work?
Article 1135 of the Italian Civil Code provides for a dedicated reserve fund for significant extraordinary maintenance works, such as a complete re-roofing typically is. It is not a generic requirement for any small repair, but for major works it is correct practice: it avoids the property manager having to advance funds personally or on credit and gives the contractor certain financial coverage before starting the site.
How do you compare different quotes for roof work?
The comparison only makes sense if the quotes describe the same scope of work: the same type of intervention (localized repair or re-roofing), the same materials with comparable warranties, the same execution timeline and the same approach to scaffolding, safety and demolition waste disposal. An independent technical report before collecting quotes helps define a clear scope to submit to all contractors, preventing price differences from actually hiding non comparable interventions.
What should be done if a roof leak damages an apartment?
It is important to photograph the damage as soon as it appears and keep correspondence between the affected owner and the property manager, because these elements are needed to assess opening a claim under the building's comprehensive insurance policy. The responsibility for structural roof repair, which falls on the condominium as common property, must also be distinguished from damage to the owner's personal belongings, which follows a separate insurance path. Management software like AmministraPro helps keep documentation, communications and payments related to the claim together in a single file.
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