Practical guide
Owners' digital domicile and communications
The digital domicile is the electronic address at which a person chooses to receive communications with legal value, typically a certified electronic mailbox. Introduced into Italian law as a general tool for dealings between citizens, professionals and public authorities, it also affects condominium management: when an owner has a digital domicile and communicates it to the manager, the latter can use it as a suitable channel for meeting notices and reminders under Article 66 of the implementing provisions of the Italian Civil Code. This guide clarifies what the digital domicile is, its relationship with PEC and with the National Index of Digital Domiciles, and how the manager can collect and use it correctly.
What the digital domicile is
The digital domicile is the electronic address elected at a certified electronic mail service or a qualified certified electronic delivery service, valid for communications with legal value. In practical terms, for most citizens it coincides with a PEC mailbox that the person indicates as their official contact for receiving acts and communications.
The underlying idea is to give everyone a certain, stable digital contact, an alternative to the physical address, at which to receive important communications in a traceable way. For the condominium this means being able to reach the owner quickly and with proof of delivery, without depending on the times and uncertainties of paper post.
Digital domicile and PEC: how they relate
PEC and digital domicile are not synonyms, but they are closely linked. PEC is the technical tool, the certified mailbox; the digital domicile is the choice of that mailbox as the official contact for communications with legal value. A person can have a PEC without having elected it as a digital domicile, and in the condominium context what counts is that the owner formally communicates to the manager the address to use.
This formal communication is the precondition for the manager to use that channel as a suitable means. Without the owner's indication, the manager cannot assume they may send official communications to a certified address that may exist but has not been indicated to them for that purpose.
The National Index of Digital Domiciles
The National Index of Digital Domiciles, known as INAD, is the public list in which individuals, professionals and entities not required to register with professional bodies or the business register can register their digital domicile, logging in with a digital identity and indicating the certified contact. Public authorities use the registered domicile for communications with legal value towards those who have registered.
It is important not to misunderstand the INAD's role in condominiums: registration concerns the relationship between the citizen and public authorities, whereas towards the manager the principle of Article 66 applies, that is, the communication of the address by the owner. The INAD is therefore a useful context for understanding the spread of the digital domicile, not a source from which the manager automatically obtains owners' contacts.
How to collect owners' digital domicile
The correct way for the manager is to ask each owner to communicate in writing the PEC address they intend to use as contact for condominium communications. The meeting is the natural occasion to collect these indications and to update the register, recording alongside the personal data the certified contact and the preferred channel.
Once collected, the digital domicile must be kept up to date: if the owner changes mailbox or revokes the indication, the manager must take in the change. Keeping this map aligned avoids sending communications to an address no longer valid and having to fall back at the last minute on registered mail to meet a deadline.
- Ask for the written communication of the address, typically at the meeting
- Record the certified contact in the register beside the owner's data
- Note the preferred channel to route communications correctly
- Update the address when the owner changes or revokes it
The benefits for condominium management
Using the digital domicile where it has been communicated makes communications faster, cheaper and more easily provable. Delivery happens in minutes with a certain receipt, postal costs are eliminated for those recipients and the proof stays in electronic form, linkable to the case. Owners who have no certified contact, or have not communicated one, remain served by the other means.
Management software enhances this approach by keeping the digital domicile linked to the register and sending the communication through the right channel for each owner, with the receipt kept in the history. AmministraPro lets you record the certified contact in the owner's file and send meeting notices and reminders by PEC directly from the case: the features are described on the /funzioni page and the plans on the /prezzi page.
Frequently asked questions
Is the digital domicile the same as PEC?
They are linked but not identical. PEC is the technical tool, the certified mailbox; the digital domicile is the choice of a certified contact, typically a PEC, as the official address for receiving communications with legal value. In the condominium context what counts is that the owner formally communicates to the manager the address to use for communications.
Can the manager take owners' contacts from the INAD?
The INAD is the list in which people register their digital domicile and is used by public authorities for communications with legal value. Towards the manager, instead, the principle of Article 66 of the implementing provisions of the Italian Civil Code applies: the communication of the address by the owner is needed, not an automatic extraction of contacts from the index.
Must I require owners to obtain a digital domicile?
No. There is no obligation for the owner to elect a digital domicile for condominium communications. The manager can use PEC towards those who provided it and must serve the others by registered mail or hand delivery. It is normal to manage a mix of channels and record for each owner the one applicable.
What happens if the owner changes their PEC?
The owner should communicate the change, just as they are required to report changes to their data. The manager must take in the new address and update the register, because sending to a mailbox no longer valid defeats the communication. Keeping the contacts map aligned avoids having to fall back at the last minute on registered mail to meet a deadline.
What concrete benefits does the digital domicile offer in a condominium?
Delivery in minutes with a certain receipt, elimination of postal costs for those recipients and proof in electronic form linkable to the case. These are the same benefits as PEC, made possible by the fact that the owner has indicated a certified contact as the official channel. Owners without a certified contact remain served by the other means provided by law.
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