Managing a condominium with owners living abroad

Remote communication: which channels to use and why

Under article 66 of the implementing provisions of the Italian Civil Code, notice of a meeting must be delivered at least five days before the scheduled date, through means that provide proof of receipt. For an owner living abroad, a paper registered letter can take weeks to arrive or never arrive at all: certified email, when the owner has provided it as their contact address, or ordinary email with a read receipt agreed in writing, are far more reliable and verifiable solutions.

It is good practice for the property manager to ask every non-resident owner to provide a reference email address in writing and, if possible, a phone number for urgent matters, so there is written proof of the chosen contact point rather than relying on old or unannounced changed addresses. Keeping this contact information organized avoids disputes about the validity of the notice, which remains the most common ground for challenging resolutions.

Proxies: how to make them arrive validly

Article 67 of the implementing provisions allows any condominium owner to be represented at the meeting by a proxy, subject to numerical limits designed to prevent excessive concentration of votes in a single proxy holder in larger buildings. For an owner living abroad, a proxy is often the only practical way to participate in the vote when joining by video conference is not feasible due to time zone or connectivity constraints.

The proxy must be written, dated and signed, and can be sent in advance by email as a scanned document, then presented in original or copy by the proxy holder on meeting day: it is good practice for the property manager to prepare a simple proxy form to fill in and return, clearly stating which agenda items it covers and whether it leaves discretion to the proxy holder or binds the vote to precise instructions.

Video conference meetings: what it takes to make them work

Holding a condominium meeting partly or entirely by video conference is now an established practice, expressly provided for in many updated condominium bylaws: it lets an owner living abroad take part and vote in real time without having to appoint a proxy, resolving time zone issues with a simple prior agreement on the meeting time.

For a remote meeting to be valid, a few practical points matter: verifying the identity of participants joining remotely, giving each participant the ability to speak and view the documents under discussion, and a traceable way of casting votes that flows correctly into the minutes. Sending the notice in good time with the connection link included, alongside the written notice required by article 66, keeps the connection a facilitator rather than an additional obstacle.

Payments from abroad: transfers, timing and expense allocation

Non-resident owners typically pay condominium instalments by SEPA or international wire transfer from their foreign bank account: crediting times can be longer than for a domestic transfer, so it is worth stating in writing in the payment schedule a due date that accounts for this margin, to avoid unwarranted reminders or, conversely, arrears not detected in time.

Expense allocation follows the ordinary rules of article 1123 of the Italian Civil Code, based on ownership shares, regardless of the owner residence: living abroad does not entitle anyone to special reductions or extended deadlines, but an organized property manager can make things easier for everyone by clearly stating the IBAN, the correct payment reference and the deadlines in an online owner portal accessible at any time and in any time zone.

Online owner portal: a single point of reference

For someone living thousands of kilometers away, a web-accessible owner portal where notices, minutes, financial statements, payment schedules and condominium documents can all be found drastically reduces the need for scattered email exchanges and keeps everyone aligned on the same official documentation, available around the clock without waiting for Italian office hours.

AmministraPro provides exactly this kind of owner portal, with digital management of notices, proxies and payments in one place: property managers handling buildings with a significant share of owners abroad can review its features and plans at amministrapro.it/funzioni and amministrapro.it/prezzi.

Frequently asked questions