Long, boring and a source of inexhaustible quarrels. For the majority of Italians, condominium assemblies are just like that: a harbinger of protests, discussions and misunderstandings such as to encourage the majority to arrabate the most imaginative excuses just to stay away.
Yet they should be nothing more than a simple moment of meeting between people who share the same roof. A moment in which to discuss how much has been spent and how much will be spent. A moment, again, in which to discuss also about any maintenance work to be quoted.
So what makes everything so grotesque and frightening to the point of causing entire families to never set foot in it? Certainly the presence of some characters does not help. Among arrears of condominiums, rude first-rate and “expert” accountants, the desire to spend an evening, calculating in hand, on the other hand would pass to anyone. But let’s face it, the biggest “boredom” is related to the difficulty we have in understanding all those numbers and those strange items that make up the budget. And that always make us feel at the mercy of the condominium administrator.
As the most feared appointment of the year approaches, it then becomes necessary to understand how to move between these great “enemies”. But not before having clarified a fundamental concept: what is meant by a condominium report and what it must contain by law. A first necessary step to begin to delve into this complex matter.
The condominium report: what it is and what it must contain
Trivially also called financial statements, the condominium report is the document drawn up by the condominium administrator. It contains all the entry and exit items and any other data relating to the property situation of the condominium, the available funds and any reserves that must be expressed in order to allow immediate verification.
Specifically, the law provides that it must necessarily include:
- the accounting register, in which all the expense and income items are entered;
- the financial register, where the financial situation of the condominium is explained with any debts and credits;
- an explanatory note of the management also indicating the ongoing relationships and pending issues.
The lack of one of these three parts – as established by the legislator with Law no. 220 of 2012, better known as the Reform of the condominium – invalidates the document.
Incomprehensible terms and voices
Since the economic balance of a company is not, the report must necessarily be clear and understandable to all condominiums. And it must respond to the principles of:
- clarity in its drafting;
- correctness in the representation of data (income / expenses) and balance sheet.
In other words, the administrator must demonstrate, with maximum transparency and precision, how the money collected by the condominiums was spent.
That said, it is not always easy to juggle the many acronyms and the amounts shown. Let’s see them together in detail. “Un Imm.” Refers trivially to real estate units: that is, to how many properties each individual condominium is associated with. While “mm.” Means the thousandths of ownership.
If the document is drawn up according to the indications provided by the legislator, the item “Tab. A “, which is the result of the costs incurred for fire insurance and R.C., the administrator’s compensation, administrative costs, maintenance and any repairs that were necessary during the year. The “Tab. B ”instead reports the salary of the employees of the condominium (if any) and the related costs (withholding tax, the INPS-Inail contributions, the provision of the TFR), the costs incurred for cleaning materials, lighting and ordinary maintenance. The “Tab. C “with the indications of the expenses for the lift, where present in the condominium and the” Tab. D “, relating to water consumption and plant purification costs. Finally, the “Tab. And “, with heating costs, fuel supplies and plant maintenance.
Items to be checked in the balance sheet
In addition to having and having a clear and complete budget, each condominium also has the right (and duty) to view the entire documentation of expenses and related management before proceeding with its approval.
But what should actually be checked on the statement? First of all, it must be ensured that the vouchers refer to all the items of expenditure present. Then it is always a good practice to verify that the bank account balance corresponds, on the account statement, with what was communicated and reported in the financial statements. Be careful also not to forget to check the unpaid invoices (if any), the payments made in cash and that the insurance policy of the condominium is regularly renewed.
If then the final balance is very far from what was assumed by the administrator at the beginning of the year, it is always possible to request a brief report on the management and the deviations present.
By doing this you will be sure that the administrator has done a good job and the assembly will take on a decidedly more pleasant tone.