Questions for the building manager before buying a flat

In a flat within a condominium (condominio, a building with shared ownership and costs) some of the costs, and sometimes some of the problems, depend not on you but on decisions taken at the owners' meeting. Before the offer, or at the latest before the preliminary contract, you need a clear picture. The building manager (amministratore di condominio) answers to the owner, so requests go through the seller or the estate agent, with the seller's consent.

Unpaid charges

The buyer is liable together with the seller for the condominium charges of the current year and the previous year that the seller has not paid (article 63 of the implementing provisions of the Italian Civil Code). So ask for a statement from the building manager showing:

• the seller's payment history, year by year;
• the amount of the regular instalments and when they are due;
• any balancing payments still to be approved.

The preliminary contract can require the seller to pay everything owed by the date of the final deed (rogito).

Extraordinary works

This is the item that weighs most. Ask for the minutes of the owners' meetings for the last two or three years and check whether any works have been approved: new facades, roof, lift, heating system, fire safety upgrades.

Who pays for works that have been approved but not yet carried out depends on what is agreed: if the preliminary contract says nothing, disputes can arise. State clearly who pays the instalments already approved and any future ones.

Also ask whether works not yet approved are under discussion: a facade reported as unsafe today can become a cost in a year's time.

Accounts and reserve fund

Ask for the latest approved accounts and this year's budget. Look at:

• the annual running costs by ownership share (millesimi), to understand how much you will pay;
• any debts the condominium owes to suppliers;
• whether there is a reserve fund for extraordinary works.

Disputes and lawsuits

Ask whether there are lawsuits in progress: with suppliers, with the firm that carried out works, between owners or with third parties. A case lost by the condominium can turn into extraordinary costs for everyone.

Building rules and ownership shares

The condominium rules (regolamento di condominio) can contain important restrictions: bans on short-term lets, on keeping pets, on changing the use of units, or on fitting air conditioning units to the facade. Ask for the rules and the ownership share tables (tabelle millesimali), and check the shares for the flat, the garage and the cellar.

Shared areas and systems

Useful questions:

• is heating central or individual? If central, are there valves to measure each flat's consumption?
• does the lift meet current standards? Have there been recent inspections?
• where required (for example with car parks above a certain size), is the fire prevention certificate valid?
• have cellars and garages ever flooded? Is there a pumping system for water?

The last question matters if the area is in a flood hazard zone: the full guide explains how to check.

A list to send

You can pass this request to the building manager through the seller:

1. statement of the payment position for the unit, current and previous year;
2. minutes of the owners' meetings for the last three years;
3. latest approved accounts and current budget;
4. list of extraordinary works approved or under discussion, with amounts and instalments;
5. condominium rules and ownership share tables;
6. information on any lawsuits in progress;
7. status of the lift, heating and fire prevention.

With these answers the price of the flat becomes clearer: sometimes the costs ahead are worth negotiating over.