Practical guide
How to set response times for owner requests
Setting response times means establishing, in a declared and realistic way, within what time the condominium manager takes charge of a request and, where possible, within what time they aim to resolve it. The key point is to distinguish two different things: taking in charge, that is confirmation that the request has been received and will be handled, and resolution, which often depends on suppliers, surveys or meeting decisions. An owner accepts a long resolution time if the taking in charge is quick and clear. Setting these times, differentiating them by urgency and communicating them in advance reduces reminders, prevents disputes and makes management predictable.
Checklist for setting response times
- Distinguish the taking-in-charge time from the resolution time
- Differentiate times based on the priority of the request
- Set realistic, sustainable targets, not unattainable promises
- Communicate the expected times from the moment of taking in charge
- Flag in advance any slippage caused by third parties
- Monitor actual times and adjust targets if they do not hold
Taking in charge and resolution: two different times
The most common confusion is treating as a single time what are two distinct moments. Taking in charge is confirmation that the request has arrived and been entrusted to whoever will handle it: it depends only on the manager's organisation and can be quick. Resolution is the actual closure of the problem and often depends on third parties.
Declaring a short, certain taking-in-charge time is what reassures the owner most, even when the solution will take weeks. Knowing by when a first reply will arrive removes the anxiety of silence. Resolution may require a quote, a technician's intervention or a resolution, and should be communicated with realistic, honest times, not with promises that cannot be kept.
Times differentiated by priority
Not all requests deserve the same times. A safety hazard demands an immediate reaction, a fault in an essential service requires tight times, a cosmetic request can be scheduled. Setting equal times for everything is unrealistic and ends up being respected in no case at all.
It therefore helps to link response times to the priority bands already used in the triage of reports. Each band corresponds to a taking-in-charge target and, where it makes sense, a resolution horizon. This gradation makes commitments credible and lets you concentrate responsiveness where the risk is greater, without dispersing energy on requests that can wait.
- Critical priority: immediate taking in charge, intervention without delay
- High priority: quick taking in charge, resolution as soon as possible
- Medium priority: taking in charge within a certain time, scheduled resolution
- Low priority: taking in charge recorded, assessment per the agenda or the meeting
Realistic, sustainable targets
A response time is only valuable if it is respected. Promising times you cannot keep is worse than not declaring them at all: it creates expectations that, unmet, turn into complaints. Targets must be calibrated to the office's real capacity and the number of buildings managed, not to an ideal.
It is better to declare prudent times and respect them, or even beat them, than to announce optimistic times and miss them systematically. The manager's credibility is built on the consistency between what they promise and what they do. A modest but kept commitment is worth more than an ambitious one regularly betrayed.
Communicating times and slippages
Response times only work if the owner knows them. Communicating them from the moment of taking in charge creates a shared expectation: the owner knows what to expect and has no reason to chase before the declared deadline. This clarity alone removes most check-up calls.
When a time cannot be met for external reasons, the rule is to warn before, not after. A slippage communicated in advance, with an explanation of the cause, is perceived as transparent management; the same slippage discovered by the owner at a missed deadline is perceived as unreliability. Anticipating bad news is part of professionalism.
Monitoring and improving with management software
Setting times is the first step, but without measuring the actual ones you cannot know whether the targets hold. Recording when a request arrives, when it is taken in charge and when it is closed lets you calculate real times and adjust the targets if they prove too optimistic or too prudent.
Management software automates this measurement, associating the relevant dates with each request and returning the average taking-in-charge and closure times. AmministraPro keeps track of the status and dates of every request, so response times become a monitorable indicator rather than an abstract promise. The features are described on the /funzioni page and the plans on the /prezzi page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the law set the time within which the manager must reply?
The Italian Civil Code sets no general deadline for replying to owners' ordinary requests, but the diligence required by the mandate imposes reasonable times. There are, however, specific deadlines for individual obligations set by law. For day-to-day management, setting your own times and respecting them is an organisational choice that protects both the manager and the owners.
What is the difference between taking-in-charge time and resolution time?
Taking in charge is confirmation that the request has been received and entrusted to whoever will handle it, and depends only on the manager's organisation. Resolution is the closure of the problem and often depends on suppliers, surveys or resolutions. Distinguishing the two times lets you guarantee a quick reply even when the solution takes longer.
Is it better to promise short times or prudent ones?
It is better to declare prudent times and respect them. Promising short times you then fail to keep creates unmet expectations and complaints, whereas a modest but consistent commitment builds credibility. Trust in the manager comes from the consistency between what they promise and what they do, not from the ambition of the declared targets.
How do I handle a slippage in the times?
By warning in advance and explaining the cause, before the declared deadline is missed. A slippage communicated beforehand, with its reason, is perceived as transparent management. The same delay discovered by the owner after a passed deadline is instead read as unreliability. Anticipating difficult communications is part of professionalism.
How do I measure whether the declared times are respected?
By recording, for each request, the date of arrival, taking in charge and closure, so as to calculate the real times. A tool such as AmministraPro associates these dates with each case and returns the average times, allowing you to adjust the targets. The features are on the /funzioni page and the plans on the /prezzi page.
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