Practical guide
Managing condominium costs in low-use periods
During summer, holidays or other periods of lower occupancy, many unit owners ask whether shared expenses can be reduced: the elevator paused for scheduled maintenance, garden irrigation run on a different schedule, or stair cleaning done less frequently. The answer is not uniform: some expense items remain fixed by contract or by law, others can genuinely be contained through management choices. This guide distinguishes fixed-fee expenses from metered ones, explains how supply and service contracts behave during usage dips, and shows how the property manager should plan and communicate these changes in the financial statement, avoiding surprises and disputes at the owners meeting.
Fixed fees versus metered expenses: the distinction that matters
Not every line item in a condominium budget reacts the same way to lower building use. Some are tied to a contractual fee independent of actual usage, others vary based on registered real consumption.
Unless a contract states otherwise, the following remain fixed: building insurance, the property manager's fee, scheduled routine maintenance of systems (the elevator still requires its periodic inspections, a centralized heating system needs seasonal maintenance regardless of how many units are occupied), and cleaning or concierge service contracts if they include no clause for reduced occupancy.
What genuinely varies with actual use is common area electricity where consumption depends on adjustable schedules and sensors, irrigation water where timers can be adapted, and partly centralized heating if the building rules allow seasonal modulation of degree days. Even when individual meters exist, allocation of these costs still follows the ordinary criteria of Article 1123 of the Italian Civil Code or the specific ownership share tables, not a subjective estimate of one owner's reduced use.
Services that can genuinely be scaled back
Some services allow a legitimate seasonal adjustment if approved by the owners assembly or provided for in the service contract.
Any reduction should always be formalized: a verbal arrangement with a supplier, without an assembly resolution documenting it and without a written amendment to the contract, exposes the property manager to disputes both if the service is reduced without owner consent and if the supplier keeps invoicing the full amount despite a reduction agreed only verbally.
- Stairwell and common area cleaning: reduced frequency during lower occupancy months, if the service specification allows it or is renegotiated
- Irrigation of shared green areas: schedules and volumes adapted to the season, often already covered by the garden maintenance contract
- Common area lighting: presence sensors and seasonal timers reduce consumption without needing a specific resolution, since it is a technical adjustment rather than a change to the service itself
- Centralized heating: modulation of degree days is already provided for by energy efficiency regulations and does not require a specific resolution tied to lower occupancy
How to correctly allocate the changed expenses
The core principle remains Article 1123 of the Italian Civil Code: expenses are allocated according to ownership shares, unless a different criterion has been resolved for services with differentiated enjoyment under the second paragraph of Article 1123, or according to actual use where individually metered. The fact that an owner is absent for a period, for instance a lightly used second home, does not exempt them from contributing to the building's fixed expenses: participation in shared costs is tied to ownership, not to use.
Where individual heat or water meters exist, the variable portion of the cost follows actual registered consumption, while the fixed portion, system maintenance and primary energy share, remains allocated by ownership share under the UNI 10200 standard on heat accounting. A common mistake is assuming that prolonged absence also zeroes out the fixed share: it does not, and a proper financial statement should always clearly separate the two components to avoid disputes when the budget is approved.
Planning ahead: the role of the financial statement and communication
Properly managing low-use periods starts before summer, not at year end closing. An attentive property manager plans with the owners council, where one exists, which services can be modulated, discusses this with suppliers well in advance to secure flexible contract terms, and informs owners with clear communication before a service is suspended or reduced.
In the year end financial statement, line items for seasonally reduced services should be documented with the history of consumption or actual services delivered, so the comparison with the budget forecast is transparent and justifiable. Management software such as AmministraPro helps precisely at this stage, keeping fixed fee and metered items separately tracked, logging the communications sent to owners about service changes, and generating a financial statement that documents every variance against the forecast, reducing the risk of disputes at the assembly.
Frequently asked questions
Can an owner who does not use the property for months ask to pay less in fixed expenses?
No. The building's fixed expenses, such as insurance, the property manager's fee and mandatory routine system maintenance, are allocated according to ownership shares under Article 1123 of the Italian Civil Code and do not depend on actual use of the unit. Only expenses that are genuinely metered individually, such as water or heat with individual meters, can vary based on registered actual consumption, not on a declaration of absence.
Can the property manager independently reduce a service such as cleaning without an assembly resolution?
It depends on the existing service contract. If the specification already includes a seasonal modulation clause, the property manager can apply it within their ordinary administration powers. If the reduction is not covered by the contract, it should be brought to the assembly or at least communicated to the owners council, to avoid disputes both from owners and from the supplier, and to amend the contractual terms in writing.
Can centralized heating be reduced if many units are unoccupied?
Seasonal modulation of centralized heating follows technical energy containment rules and the degree days set by municipal regulations, not the number of units occupied at a given moment. The variable portion of the expense, where individual heat accounting exists under the UNI 10200 standard, still reflects actual consumption registered by each unit, while the fixed system share remains allocated by ownership share regardless of owner presence.
How should a seasonal service reduction be documented in the financial statement?
For each reduced line item, the statement should show the variance between budget and actual figures along with a rationale, such as lower cleaning frequency during summer months agreed with the supplier or adjusted irrigation schedules. Management software such as AmministraPro allows fixed fee and metered items to be kept separate and lets communications sent to owners be attached as supporting documentation, making the statement clearer when the assembly approves it.
Who decides which services to reduce during periods of lower building occupancy?
The decision on substantial changes to a service belongs to the owners assembly, while the property manager can independently handle ordinary administration matters already covered by the service contract or the building regulations. The owners council, where appointed, plays a useful advisory role in assessing in advance which reductions are appropriate without compromising the quality of essential building services.
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