Practical guide
A condominium guide for the new owner
Buying a unit in a condominium means joining a community with its own rules, not just acquiring a building. Many problems in the first months come not from bad faith but from steps skipped at closing: the missing notice to the manager, the house rules never read, doubts about expenses left by the seller. This guide collects the concrete steps to follow as soon as you become an owner: who to notify, which documents to request, how already approved expenses are split, and what to check in the house rules before or shortly after signing. These are practical pointers, grounded in Italian condominium law, written for anyone facing shared building ownership for the first time or after years of renting.
Notifying the manager: an obligation, not a courtesy
Article 63 of the implementing provisions of the Italian Civil Code requires anyone who buys a unit to notify the manager of their details and of the deed. Until this notice arrives, the seller remains jointly liable with the buyer for condominium charges accrued up to the moment the manager learns of the transfer. This is not a symbolic formality: delaying it exposes both parties to confused statements and reminders, and the buyer may keep receiving payment requests still addressed to the previous owner.
The notice should be in writing, with personal details, the address for notifications, the tax code, and the reference of the deed or of the cadastral transfer application if the deed has not yet been registered. This is also the right moment to ask the manager for a copy of the current house rules, the last approved statement of accounts, and the expense allocation in progress, so you start with a clear picture instead of discovering months later that a works fund has already been approved.
Outstanding expenses: what passes to the new owner and what stays with the seller
The general rule is that condominium charges follow the assembly resolutions, not the change of ownership: if an expense was approved before the deed, it remains the responsibility of whoever was the owner at that time, even if the invoice is issued or the work carried out afterward. If instead the assembly approves the resolution after the transfer, the new owner pays, even for works discussed long before. For this reason, before signing, it is worth obtaining from the manager a certificate under Article 1130, number 10, of the Civil Code summarizing the accounting position of that specific unit: any arrears, shares of special funds already approved, and pending disputes related to the building.
A point often misunderstood concerns reserve funds and works funds: if the assembly has already approved an extraordinary intervention, such as a facade renovation or a new elevator, before the sale, that resolution binds the unit and therefore the new owner, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing in the preliminary contract or in the deed itself. It is therefore wise to always request the minutes of the last assemblies, not just the financial statement.
- Expenses approved before the deed: remain with the seller, even if invoiced afterward
- Expenses approved after the deed: fall on the new owner, even if discussed long before
- Certificate under Article 1130 number 10: photographs the unit's accounting position at the time of request
- Minutes of the last assemblies: reveal already approved works that bind the unit
The house rules: what to check before feeling at home
The condominium house rules, when they exist and have been properly approved or registered, bind even those who never personally signed them: by buying a unit, the new owner automatically inherits its rules. It is worth reading it carefully on a few concrete points: limits on the use of common areas such as terraces, courtyards and parking spaces, rules on pets, quiet hours, any restrictions on activities like short term rentals or professional use of the units, and expense allocation criteria if different from the statutory ones for specific items such as elevator, central heating or stairs.
It is important to distinguish the contractual house rules, which can limit individual owners' rights, for example by prohibiting specific uses, only if approved unanimously or referenced in each individual purchase deed, from the assembly house rules, which govern the use of common areas by ordinary majority and cannot restrict individual rights over exclusive property. If the rules contain clauses that seem unusually restrictive, it is worth checking their legal nature before assuming they are binding.
The owner registry: what information the manager must hold about you
Article 1130, number 6, of the Civil Code requires the manager to keep an owner registry with the details of every owner and of holders of real or personal rights of enjoyment: personal data, tax code, residence or domicile, cadastral data of the unit, and any change relevant to the building's safety. Every owner is required to promptly report changes to this information and, if they fail to do so or provide incomplete information, the manager can request it by registered letter and, in case of persistent inaction, have it obtained at the defaulting owner's expense.
A manager who keeps the owner registry through dedicated software such as AmministraPro can quickly cross reference a new owner's details with the expense history and resolutions affecting that unit, reducing the risk of reminders sent to the wrong person or statements that ignore a transfer of ownership that just took place.
Frequently asked questions
What do I risk if I do not notify the manager right away after buying?
Until the manager receives the notice required by Article 63 of the implementing provisions of the Civil Code, the seller remains jointly liable with you for condominium charges accrued in the meantime. In practice you could receive reminders or recovery actions even for amounts that, once the notice is filed, would fall only on the previous owner. It is best to send it in writing within a few days of closing, with your personal details and the reference of the deed.
Do I have to pay for extraordinary works approved before I bought the unit?
It depends on when the assembly passed the resolution, not on when the invoice is issued or the work carried out. If the assembly approved the expense before the deed, it remains with whoever owned the unit at that time, unless the parties agreed otherwise explicitly in writing in the preliminary contract or the sale deed. This is why it matters to obtain, before signing, the certificate on the unit's accounting position under Article 1130 number 10 and the minutes of the last assemblies.
Do the house rules apply to me even if I never signed them?
Yes, if the house rules were properly approved by the assembly or are attached to and referenced in your purchase deed, they automatically bind you as the new owner regardless of whether you personally signed them. The exception is the contractual portion limiting individual rights over exclusive property, which to be enforceable must have been approved unanimously or registered and expressly referenced in your deed.
What must the manager do with my personal data?
The manager must enter it in the owner registry required by Article 1130 number 6 of the Civil Code together with the cadastral data of the unit, and process it in compliance with the GDPR, limiting its use to condominium management purposes. As an owner, you are required to promptly report any change to this information: if you do not, the manager can formally request it and, in case of persistent inaction, have it obtained at your expense.
Can condominium management software help during this phase?
Yes, indirectly: if the manager uses a tool such as AmministraPro to keep the owner registry, financial statements and meeting minutes structured, it becomes much easier for you as a new owner to quickly obtain the accounting certificate, the minutes of the last assemblies and confirmation that your details were correctly updated, with less risk of misunderstandings over expense calculations.
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