Practical guide
How to minute the approval of the accounts at the meeting
The minutes approving the accounts are the act that gives effect to the resolution by which the meeting approves the year-end account under Article 1135 of the Italian Civil Code. They must record the valid constitution of the meeting, the quorums reached under Article 1136, the voting outcome with the names of those in favour, against and abstaining, the approved amount and the allocation with adjustments. Complete minutes protect the resolution from the challenges allowed by Article 1137 and make the shares enforceable. This guide sets out, point by point, what to record when the accounts are approved.
Items to place in the minutes
- Date, time and place (or remote method) of the meeting
- Name of the chair and secretary, with their appointment
- List of those present, proxies and thousandths (millesimi) represented
- Verification of a proper notice of call and of the constitutive quorum
- Document approved, with total amount and reference period
- Voting outcome: in favour, against, abstaining, with thousandths
- Approved allocation and method of adjustments
- Statements owners ask to place on record
Constitution of the meeting and quorums
The minutes open by recording that the meeting was properly convened within the legal deadlines and constituted at first or second call. Owners present in person and by proxy must be listed with their thousandths, so the constitutive quorum required by Article 1136 of the Italian Civil Code can be verified.
The appointment of the chair and secretary follows. The chair confirms the valid constitution and leads the discussion; the secretary drafts the minutes. These steps are not formalities: without correct quorum verification the subsequent approval resolution is defective and more easily challenged.
Presenting the accounts before the vote
Before the vote the minutes must record that the account, with the accounting register, the financial summary and the explanatory summary note required by Article 1130-bis, was illustrated to the meeting and made available to owners. It helps to recall the total expenses, the operating result and any adjustment.
If observations or requests for clarification arise during the discussion, they should be summarised in the minutes together with the manager's answers. This shows the meeting resolved in an informed way and narrows the scope for future disputes over how understandable the account was.
The voting outcome: the part that matters
The core of the minutes is recording the vote. Owners in favour, against and abstaining must be listed precisely, with the thousandths of each group, so it can be established whether the majorities required by Article 1136 of the Italian Civil Code for approving the accounts were reached.
It is not enough to write that the accounts were approved by majority: the figures must be reported. The names of those against and abstaining are especially important, because only absentees and dissenters may challenge the resolution within the deadline of Article 1137, and their position must be clear.
- In favour: number of owners and sum of thousandths
- Against: names and thousandths, to identify who may challenge
- Abstaining: names and thousandths, distinct from those against
- Explicit check that the required majority was reached
Allocation, adjustments and closing the minutes
Once the account is approved, the minutes must recall the allocation among owners and the method of adjustments: the amount owed or credited to each, and the payment or credit deadlines. It is good practice to state that the allocation forms an integral part of the minutes as an attachment, making it enforceable against everyone.
The minutes close with the time of adjournment and the signatures of the chair and secretary. They are then kept in the minute book and communicated to absentees. Software that computes quorums in real time, records votes by thousandths and attaches the allocation to the minutes reduces errors: AmministraPro produces minutes with voting outcomes and allocation and archives them in the condominium file, as described in /funzioni, with plans in /prezzi.
Frequently asked questions
Is it enough to write that the accounts were approved unanimously?
No. Even with unanimity it is advisable to record that all those present voted in favour, with the thousandths represented and the constitutive quorum verified. Reporting the figures makes the minutes self-sufficient and shows the majorities of Article 1136 of the Italian Civil Code were met, avoiding later disputes over the validity of the resolution.
Why is it important to name those against and abstaining?
Because standing to challenge the resolution belongs to absentees and dissenters, under Article 1137 of the Italian Civil Code. If the minutes do not distinguish who voted against or abstained, it becomes hard to establish who may challenge and when the deadline starts. Precision on this point protects both the condominium and the individual owners.
Must the allocation be attached to the minutes?
It is strongly advised. Once the account is approved, the allocation among owners with the relevant adjustments should be recalled in the minutes and attached as an integral part. This makes the amount owed by each certain and enforceable, and any payment order sought for arrears rests on a clear, complete document.
Who signs the minutes approving the accounts?
The minutes are signed by the chair and the secretary of the meeting. The signature attests that what was resolved matches what was written. The manager keeps the minutes in the minute book and sends a copy to absentees, so the challenge deadline set by law also starts to run for them.
What if an owner asks to place a statement on record?
The statement must be recorded faithfully and concisely, distinct from the general discussion. It is an owner's right to have their position noted, for example the reasons for a vote against. The secretary does not assess the merits but must transcribe what is requested, so a trace of the expressed intention remains.
Try AmministraPro
Accounting, thousandths-based cost splitting, meetings, communications and artificial intelligence in a single Italian software, compliant with UNI 10801 and GDPR.