1. make an appointment
Even though you are generally entitled to inspect the documents, this does not mean that it is always best to just drop by your condominium administrator. On the one hand, you cannot expect him to have all the documents ready immediately. On the other hand, the administrator may insist on a prior appointment in case of a spontaneous visit. In addition, you do not know whether the administrator will be open at all that day. He may have other appointments or be on holiday.
Occasionally property managers are not very interested in making appointments for inspection. For this reason, you should make at least three suggestions, preferably spread over one or two weeks. At the same time, you should offer that the manager will at least suggest an alternative date if necessary.
2. allow sufficient time
When you visit the administrator, you should not underestimate the time you need to look through the documents. After all, you first need to get an overview of how his filing system is structured. Only then can you carry out your review in a planned manner. Experience shows that you should therefore plan at least three to four hours for the appointment.
3. prepare yourself
Simply looking at the receipts will not lead you to your actual goal. Instead, it is important to link the appointment with the administrator to a specific question. For example, you may want to ask whether the corresponding receipts can be allocated to certain payments. It is best if you have already collected and sifted through relevant documents beforehand. Then you can proceed in a much more targeted manner.
4. prevent disturbances by the administrator
Some administrators have little time for inspection by the owners. This is because they have a considerable amount of work to do. Furthermore, the administrator cannot rule out that he may well have made a mistake at one point or another, which could now be discovered. Therefore, it is important to remain calm and make sure that the atmosphere remains objective. It is best to ask the administrator right at the beginning to assign you a separate room, where you can look through everything in peace and do not disturb him in his work.
5. try to get as much as possible
It is true that you should plan the insight with a concrete question. However, you should not lose sight of one aspect: It is annoying when you realise at home that you have not sifted through one or the other document. Therefore, it is advisable - even if you have a specific question - to collect as much information as possible. Often enough, you will come across another aspect later on, but you had not looked through the documents. How good if you can also save the administrator another appointment.
6. search for technical solutions
If you want to see everything, then you face a problem: you can neither remember all the information, nor can you produce your own notes within a reasonable time. Therefore, it is advisable to use a technical solution. This can be, for example, the camera of the mobile phone that still has enough memory. Or you can buy a portable hand-held scanner with which you can quickly scan a few pages. Because there is one aspect you must not rely on: The administrator will not make copies for you. You have a right to see the receipts. That is settled case law. You also have the right of inspection if there is an administrative advisory board. Data protection plays a subordinate role here.
7. take a witness with you
"A problem shared is a problem halved". This is how an inspection with the administrator with a witness can be understood. Because especially if things get a bit rough, it is always an advantage not to be alone. In addition, you can consult with each other, for example, should any unforeseen aspects arise. Ideally, the witness should be a neutral person who does not belong to the condominium owners' association, e.g. a tax advisor or lawyer. And it is even better if the witness also has the relevant expertise, i.e. knows where you can best look to answer your question.
8. work efficiently and relieve the burden on the administrator
When making an appointment, offer the administrator the option of having the documents scanned and emailed to you as an alternative to an appointment. More and more administrators work with a document management system and have already scanned the documents for their own purposes.
For this case you need at least scanned
- the original account statements of the bank holding the account of the WEG (i.e. no statements from the management software system of the WEG administrator) and
- the incoming invoices (i.e. all receipts for the verification of disbursements from the WEG's bank account).
In many cases you are not the only owner interested in these documents. Nothing is more annoying for the administrator than when each owner makes an appointment with the administrator individually and in an uncoordinated manner. In this case, you can be very helpful to your manager and relieve him of some of the burden, as long as you coordinate among yourselves as owners. Perhaps a personal appointment for inspection is not necessary if he can send you the scanned documents.
1. make an appointment
Even though you are generally entitled to inspect the documents, this does not mean that it is always best to just drop by your condominium administrator. On the one hand, you cannot expect him to have all the documents ready immediately. On the other hand, the administrator may insist on a prior appointment in case of a spontaneous visit. In addition, you do not know whether the administrator will be open at all that day. He may have other appointments or be on holiday.
Occasionally property managers are not very interested in making appointments for inspection. For this reason, you should make at least three suggestions, preferably spread over one or two weeks. At the same time, you should offer that the manager will at least suggest an alternative date if necessary.
2. allow sufficient time
When you visit the administrator, you should not underestimate the time you need to look through the documents. After all, you first need to get an overview of how his filing system is structured. Only then can you carry out your review in a planned manner. Experience shows that you should therefore plan at least three to four hours for the appointment.
3. prepare yourself
Simply looking at the receipts will not lead you to your actual goal. Instead, it is important to link the appointment with the administrator to a specific question. For example, you may want to ask whether the corresponding receipts can be allocated to certain payments. It is best if you have already collected and sifted through relevant documents beforehand. Then you can proceed in a much more targeted manner.
4. prevent disturbances by the administrator
Some administrators have little time for inspection by the owners. This is because they have a considerable amount of work to do. Furthermore, the administrator cannot rule out that he may well have made a mistake at one point or another, which could now be discovered. Therefore, it is important to remain calm and make sure that the atmosphere remains objective. It is best to ask the administrator right at the beginning to assign you a separate room, where you can look through everything in peace and do not disturb him in his work.
5. try to get as much as possible
It is true that you should plan the insight with a concrete question. However, you should not lose sight of one aspect: It is annoying when you realise at home that you have not sifted through one or the other document. Therefore, it is advisable - even if you have a specific question - to collect as much information as possible. Often enough, you will come across another aspect later on, but you had not looked through the documents. How good if you can also save the administrator another appointment.
6. search for technical solutions
If you want to see everything, then you face a problem: you can neither remember all the information, nor can you produce your own notes within a reasonable time. Therefore, it is advisable to use a technical solution. This can be, for example, the camera of the mobile phone that still has enough memory. Or you can buy a portable hand-held scanner with which you can quickly scan a few pages. Because there is one aspect you must not rely on: The administrator will not make copies for you. You have a right to see the receipts. That is settled case law. You also have the right of inspection if there is an administrative advisory board. Data protection plays a subordinate role here.
7. take a witness with you
"A problem shared is a problem halved". This is how an inspection with the administrator with a witness can be understood. Because especially if things get a bit rough, it is always an advantage not to be alone. In addition, you can consult with each other, for example, should any unforeseen aspects arise. Ideally, the witness should be a neutral person who does not belong to the condominium owners' association, e.g. a tax advisor or lawyer. And it is even better if the witness also has the relevant expertise, i.e. knows where you can best look to answer your question.
8. work efficiently and relieve the burden on the administrator
When making an appointment, offer the administrator the option of having the documents scanned and emailed to you as an alternative to an appointment. More and more administrators work with a document management system and have already scanned the documents for their own purposes.
For this case you need at least scanned
- the original account statements of the bank holding the account of the WEG (i.e. no statements from the management software system of the WEG administrator) and
- the incoming invoices (i.e. all receipts for the verification of disbursements from the WEG's bank account).
In many cases you are not the only owner interested in these documents. Nothing is more annoying for the administrator than when each owner makes an appointment with the administrator individually and in an uncoordinated manner. In this case, you can be very helpful to your manager and relieve him of some of the burden, as long as you coordinate among yourselves as owners. Perhaps a personal appointment for inspection is not necessary if he can send you the scanned documents.