Challenging a charge allocation: the method and the evidence

Lift costs spread across general charges make ground-floor owners pay unfairly — for years, because nobody ever re-read it.

Allocation errors are frequent, rarely malicious, and almost always old. An expense wrongly allocated in one year then repeats year after year, because the accounts are built on the previous year's and nobody goes back to the source.

The good news: it is the easiest kind of anomaly to demonstrate, because it depends on no judgement. Either the expense falls under the key applied, or it does not.

Identifying the error: three cases

1. The wrong key: lift, heating or cold water costs charged to general charges when a specific key exists. The most frequent and the most arguable.
2. The wrong scope: an expense concerning a single building spread across an association that comprises several.
3. Wrong shares: the grid applied does not match the one in the condo rules, often after a lot was split or merged and never reflected.

The third is the heaviest: it cannot be fixed with a stroke of the pen, since the allocation grid sits in the condo rules. The first two, however, are simply accounting mis-postings.

The evidence to gather

• The condo rules and the schedule of charge allocation they contain: that is the reference, not habit.
• The charge statement for the year concerned, line by line.
• The invoice or supporting document for the disputed expense, obtained when inspecting the records — see the accounts review checklist.
• Where relevant, statements from previous years, to establish how long the error has been repeating.

An allocation error is not argued: it is shown, invoice and rules side by side.

Who to write to, and in what order

Write to the property manager, never to other owners. The request must be factual: line concerned, amount, key applied, key that should apply per the rules, and the document reference. Set a deadline for reply.

With no reply, the follow-up quotes the original request and its date — see the escalation method when the manager does not reply. An acknowledged error is generally corrected in the current year, with an adjustment.

What the board can and cannot do

The board can observe, document and request a correction. It can neither impose a new allocation nor amend the condo rules: changing the grid is a matter for the general meeting, under strict majority conditions.

To understand the keys involved, see how condo charges are calculated and allocated. And if the challenge concerns a significant amount or the shares themselves, take professional advice before any formal step.

Keeping a record of the request

A correction obtained deserves to be documented: date of request, manager's reply, year of adjustment. It is a concrete result to include in the condo board annual report — and one of the most telling for owners.

With CoproHarmony, exchanges with the manager and the documents obtained stay together with their dates, even when the file spans two financial years. Create your space for free.

Challenging a resolution follows different deadlines: see how to challenge a general meeting decision.