Property management

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Frequently Asked Questions

Law on Management of Properties: "Art. 1 This law regulates the public relations related to the management of the common parts of buildings in the regime of condominiums, as well as the rights and obligations of the owners and occupants of independent objects or parts of them".

What buildings are registered as condominiums?

A building is not subject to entry in the register of buildings or separate entrances in condominium mode, only if "individual objects are up to three in number and belong to more than one owner", according to Art. 3 of the Exceptions section of the Law on the Management of Condominiums (ZUES). In this case, the provisions of Art. 42, Art. 43 and Art. 44 of the Law on Property (LA) are applied.

Is there an ideal model standard to follow in property management?

The Condominium Management Law (ZUES) does not provide for such a standard. The regulatory framework of the Metropolitan Municipality contains a number of obligations of condominium managers, but it also lacks a description of a model condominium standard. It remains to comply with the requirements of the EU Law and the regulations related to its application and to manage a model condominium.

What is the difference between a Home Book and an Owners Book?

The legal term is Book of Owners. Home book is used for commercial purposes as a trade name, which means the entire set of necessary documents for condominium ownership. In this case the Book of Owners is part of the Home Book. According to ZUES, the Book of Owners must be kept in every building or entrance in condominium mode.

What are the utility costs that residents of apartment buildings and complexes pay a fee for each month?

"Consumable costs" or utility costs are considered the costs of lighting, cleaning, technical maintenance of an elevator and others necessary to maintain the common parts of the building.

When can I waive these costs?

1. Any owner or occupant who is absent from the property for more than 30 days in a calendar year shall pay for the time of his absence half of the consumable management and maintenance costs.

- This is done by the decision of the General Assembly of the condominium.

- He must notify the chairman of the management board (house manager) in writing in advance of his absence.

2. Every owner, user or resident who stays no more than 30 days within the calendar year in the property, has the right not to pay the costs of management and maintenance of the common parts (in this case, a decision of the general meeting is not necessary).
3. No costs for management and maintenance of the common area are paid for children under 6 years of age.
4. Each owner has the right to carry out necessary repairs of the common part of the building with his own funds, materials and labor without a decision of the general meeting. The costs of the repairs carried out are reimbursed or deducted from the contributions payable by the owner for the "Repair and renovation" fund by decision of the general meeting.

For all cases not regulated in the Condominium Management Law, the exemption from payment of the costs of the common areas can only be granted by vote and decision of the General Assembly of the condominium.

Should the property manager receive a "salary" and in what amount?

There are some misunderstandings in the "Condominium Management Act" about how the fees for the common areas should be collected. The condominium also needs a treasurer to collect the fees (the law does not mention that the house manager must collect the dues). Accordingly, the "salary" for the property manager is also collected by the condominium treasurer. The amount that the house manager receives is not affected by the law, but usually, it is a fee between 2 and 3 BGN per apartment per month. Of course, there are many cases where the house manager is the good neighbor who does everything voluntarily and for free.

Appealing a decision of a condominium General Assembly

In case of disagreement with a decision taken at the general assembly, an application can be submitted to the district court for the location of the condominium within 30 days of the announcement of the decision. The filing of an application does not suspend the execution of the decision unless the court orders otherwise.

Condominium Law, regulations, internal rules and models

You can download the Condominium Management Law (ZUES) here. You can also familiarize yourself with the law and the acts of its implementation on the website of the Ministry of Regional Development.