The schedule of mandatory inspections for condominium systems

Why a schedule beats managing by memory

Mandatory inspections have an insidious feature: the consequence of delay is invisible until an event occurs. A lift operating with an expired biennial inspection works exactly like one in order, until the day of an accident or a control. At that moment the lack of valid documentation exposes the condominium and the manager to liability that could have been avoided with a simple reminder.

For this reason deadline management cannot rely on memory or scattered sheets. You need a single register that, for each system, states the applicable law, the date of the last inspection, the frequency and the date of the next deadline, with enough lead time to organise the work and, if needed, to approve the expenditure at the owners' meeting.

Lift: periodic inspection every two years

Lift systems installed in condominium buildings are subject, in addition to the ordinary maintenance entrusted to the service company, to a periodic inspection on a two-year basis set out in Article 13 of Presidential Decree 162/1999. The inspection is carried out by a notified body, by an authorised inspection body or by the local health authority, parties that are independent of the maintenance company.

The aim is to verify that the parts on which operating safety depends are efficient and that the safety devices work. The inspection report must be kept and the deadline marked in advance, because the owner of the system, that is the condominium, is responsible for ensuring compliance.

Earthing: two or five years depending on the environment

The earthing system of the common parts falls within the scope of Presidential Decree 462/2001. The inspection frequency depends on the environment: it is every two years in environments at greater fire risk, on construction sites and in places with explosion hazard; it is every five years in all other environments, which include the general run of residential condominiums.

The inspection must be entrusted to a body authorised by the Ministry, separate from whoever built the system. Even without employees, the condominium is considered a place where building management activities take place, so the obligation applies anyway. The inspection report must be filed together with the system's declaration of conformity.

Heating and fire safety: controls with their own cadence

For the centralised heating system, Presidential Decree 74/2013 requires the energy efficiency check, with a frequency linked to the power and type of generator, documented by the Energy Efficiency Control Report that the maintainer or the third-party responsible person draws up and submits. The system booklet must be kept updated for the whole life of the system.

On the fire safety side, where the condominium falls among the activities subject to Fire Brigade controls under Presidential Decree 151/2011, such as garages above a certain surface or buildings above a certain fire safety height, you must manage the fire safety notice and its periodic renewals, together with the maintenance of extinguishers and fire safety equipment at the frequency set by the technical standards.

How to set up the deadline register

An effective register assigns each system a record with the date of the last inspection and an automatic calculation of the next one. Ideally you receive an alert at least sixty days in advance, so you can request quotes, appoint the body or the company and, where the expense requires it, bring the decision to the meeting without rushing.

Managing everything on paper or on a spreadsheet is possible but fragile, because no one warns you when a date approaches. A management software such as AmministraPro lets you record inspection deadlines system by system and receive automatic reminders, reducing the risk of oversights. The available features are described on the /funzioni page and the plans on /prezzi.

Frequently asked questions