Appointing and removing the condominium manager

When appointing a manager is mandatory

Article 1129 of the Italian Civil Code states that when a condominium has more than eight owners, the assembly must appoint a manager. Below this threshold appointment remains optional: owners may choose self-administration, but any owner can still request that a manager be appointed if direct management proves inadequate.

In practice, many small condominiums appoint a manager anyway to handle tax obligations, supplier relationships, and bookkeeping in an orderly way, avoiding the direct personal liability that self-administration places on each owner.

Appointment happens through an assembly resolution passed with the majorities required for ordinary administration decisions under Article 1136: a majority of those present representing at least half the value of the building on first call, with reduced thresholds on second call.

Term length and renewal

The term lasts one year and is renewed for an equal period unless the assembly resolves otherwise. There is no indefinite automatic renewal: each year, when the assembly approves the financial statement, it can either confirm the sitting manager or proceed with a new appointment.

Before accepting the role, the manager must inform owners in writing of their personal and professional details, tax code or VAT number, the location where condominium records and documents are kept, and the days and times when any interested owner may review them. These disclosure duties apply both at first appointment and at every renewal or re-election.

Removing the manager: by the assembly or by a court

The assembly can remove the manager at any time with the same majority required for appointment, without needing to justify the decision: it is enough that a majority of owners are no longer satisfied with the management. Removal can be resolved during the current term, without waiting for it to expire.

Alongside removal by the assembly, Article 1129 provides for judicial removal: any owner can petition a court when the manager fails to render account of the management, when there is a well founded suspicion of serious irregularities, or in other cases set out in the Civil Code such as failure to open or use the dedicated condominium bank account, failure to convene the assembly for approval of the financial statement, or handling funds in a way that prevents traceability.

Serious irregularities that typically justify judicial removal include failing to keep clear and itemized accounts, failing to meet transparency duties toward owners, and managing condominium funds without keeping them separate from the manager's personal assets.

Duties during the term of office

During the term the manager must keep the condominium register with owner and property details, the register of assembly minutes, the register of manager appointments and removals, and the accounting register with a chronological list of income and expenses.

The manager is required to open and use a bank account in the condominium's name through which all sums received from owners or third parties, for any reason, must pass, ensuring traceability of movements and separation from personal funds.

• Condominium register
• Register of assembly minutes
• Register of manager appointments and removals
• Accounting register
• Dedicated condominium bank account

Handing over to the new manager

When the term ends, whether through removal or non renewal, the outgoing manager must hand over to the new manager all condominium documentation in their possession, available funds and any sum received for any reason, and provide the information needed to continue management without interruption.

At this stage, an organized digital archive makes a real difference: managing registers, minutes, and financial statements with software such as AmministraPro lets the incoming manager receive structured, searchable records from day one, cutting downtime and the disputes that often accompany poorly documented handovers.

Frequently asked questions