Features & tools
Managing multiple financial years in the software
A condominium does not live on a single balance sheet: every year opens a new financial year, but the previous one remains a reference for comparisons, checks by the board of auditors when appointed, and challenges from unit owners within the statutory window after the approval resolution. Managing multiple financial years in the same software means being able to consult past years without archiving them separately, compare expense categories over time, correctly carry forward positive or negative balances from one year to the next, and keep every approved closing traceable. A fragmented setup, with separate files for each year, multiplies the risk of errors precisely at the point where balances are carried forward, the most delicate step in the transition between one year and the next.
Why historical years actually matter
The condominium financial statement does not end with approval at the assembly: Italian civil code article 1130 bis requires accounting documentation to be kept, and any unit owner can request to view it and obtain copies. Having previous years available for consultation in the same environment, year by year, avoids having to retrieve paper files or scattered spreadsheets when a records access request or a dispute arises.
Software that keeps a complete historical record also makes it possible to respond quickly when the property manager changes: handing over documentation to the incoming manager is a legal obligation, and a historical record organized by year makes that handover verifiable and complete instead of relying on the outgoing manager's memory.
Comparing expense categories year on year
Being able to place multiple financial years side by side on the same screen serves a very concrete purpose: checking whether an expense category is growing abnormally, whether a supplier has raised costs compared with the previous year, or whether an extraordinary expense from two years ago still affects the calculation of outstanding shares.
In AmministraPro, comparing years is designed to be immediate: you select the years to place side by side and read the same expense categories next to each other, without exporting separate spreadsheets and cross-checking them by hand. This is particularly useful when the board of auditors, if appointed, needs to verify that expenses are consistent with previous years before the assembly approves the financial statement.
Carrying the balance forward between financial years
The most delicate step is carrying the cash balance, positive or negative, forward from the closed year into the new one. An incorrectly carried positive balance creates a reserve that does not actually exist and distorts the following year's share calculations; a forgotten negative balance leaves uncovered a debt the condominium has already incurred toward suppliers or the cash fund.
Software structured for multiple financial years should automatically link the closing of one year to the opening of the next, carrying the actual balance forward without manual re-entry. This reduces human error exactly at the moment when an approved financial statement turns into the new year's budget, and keeps individual unit owners' accounts consistent with the condominium's overall statement.
Closing, assembly approval and record keeping
Closing a financial year in a condominium follows a defined path: the manager prepares the financial statement, submits it to the assembly for approval, and once approved it becomes the reference for any challenge, which under article 1137 of the Italian civil code must be raised within thirty days of the resolution for those present, or from notice for those absent.
Keeping each financial year as a distinct but consultable unit within the same digital archive means being able to reopen the statement from two or three years ago at any time, whether to answer a request, produce a document for a legal dispute, or simply check how an extraordinary expense was handled in a previous year.
Frequently asked questions
How many financial years can I keep and consult in the software?
There is no technical limit to how many years can be archived: the correct approach is that every year remains available for consultation with the same search and printing functions as the current year, so that any request to access records from a unit owner can be answered at any time, consistent with article 1130 bis of the Italian civil code. In AmministraPro, financial years stay consultable without needing separate exports.
What happens if the balance carried forward between two years is wrong?
An incorrect carry forward alters the new year's cash balance, with direct consequences on the shares requested from unit owners: an inflated positive balance artificially lowers the amounts due, while an omitted negative balance leaves part of the expenses already incurred uncovered. This is why the carry forward should be handled as an automatic link between one year's closing and the next year's opening, not as manual re-entry of a figure.
Can I modify a financial year that has already been approved by the assembly?
Once the financial statement has been approved by the assembly, its historical data should not be altered: any corrections should be handled as documented adjustments recorded in the current year, or submitted to a new resolution if the error affects shares already paid. Keeping the original financial year intact, with the approval date clearly recorded, is what allows a manager to respond to a challenge within the deadline set by article 1137 of the Italian civil code.
How do you compare expenses across several years without exporting separate spreadsheets?
In software organized by financial year, comparison happens by selecting the years of interest and reading the same expense categories side by side, category by category. This is useful for the board of auditors, when appointed, to assess whether expenses are consistent with the past, and for the manager to spot an abnormal increase from a supplier before bringing the financial statement to the assembly.
When the property manager changes, does the historical record transfer over?
Handing over accounting documentation to the new manager is an obligation that covers every financial year still relevant, not only the current one. A historical record organized by year, consultable and not scattered across mismatched files, makes that handover verifiable: the new manager can check financial statements, carried forward balances and approval resolutions from previous years without having to rebuild the archive from scratch.
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