Source: Corriere della Sera – May 7, 2020
Assemblee di condomino, a Torino saranno virtuali e con il notaio
L’iniziativa per risolvere l’inghippo normativo che lascia in quarantena migliaia di assemblee in tutta Italia e discussioni animate
Do you miss condominium meetings? Do you long for the hours spent arguing about the use of common areas and fighting over collecting payments from delinquent tenants? No problem. In Turin, at the end of May, lively debates will resume. But this time, remotely, in virtual meetings, with the certification of «digital» gatherings by a notary. At least that’s the proposal from the Retrò Estate firm, which manages about ten condominiums in the city, aiming to resolve the regulatory issue that has stalled thousands of meetings across Italy, along with the long chain of disputes between neighbors.
«The Civil Code is clear: it states that the meeting is valid if two-thirds of the condominium owners participate. However, it doesn’t account for the possibility of video conference convocations for validation», explains Edoardo Lombardo, attorney and president of Retrò Estate, a Turin-based property management company. The DPCM regulating Phase Two, in effect since May 4, confirms that “condominium meetings are prohibited unless they are held remotely.” However, there is still a regulatory gap regarding remote meetings, and the fact that not all condominium owners have access to laptops and smartphones remains an issue.
Condominium meetings, of course, are no laughing matter. «If an administrator today calls a virtual meeting, it has no legal value. Any of the condominium owners can challenge it and declare it invalid». Civil courts are already overwhelmed with requests for annulments over disputes that began before the COVID-19 pandemic. The government, struggling with the countless issues of Phase Two, hasn’t found time to reform a law that is now a monument carved in stone, as it was established in 1934. As a result, meetings remain in quarantine, suspended. Perhaps the executive has been discouraged by the idea of calling the army of Italian condominium administrator associations together, to avoid a tough confrontation with a gathering of 17 different organizations—a European record. Possibly even a world record. But this perfectly represents the national individualism and the Italian knack for disagreeing on everything, preferring to split hairs over the legality of the neighbor’s chihuahua barking and the scent of minestrone invading the hallway.
«We have developed a web application, a digital office platform that allows us to interact remotely with our condominium clients,” explains Edoardo Lombardo. «This solution was created to avoid disputes and make managing a meeting and payment services comfortable, even remotely». To prevent any potential challenges, Retrò Estate is focusing on involving notaries. “A large portion of homeowners are over 70, and they often delegate their attendance to their children or grandchildren. A virtual meeting can only work if it is certified. The service will cost a bit more, but there won’t be a need to pay for a large meeting room to host gatherings that are compliant with social distancing», Lombardo says. It will start in a few weeks in Turin. This is the season for approving regular and extraordinary condominium budgets. There will be a lot to do. We will embrace again. But we will also argue.
