Who provides the condominium documents to the buyer?

The vendor, with the support of the managing agent and the notary. The managing agent establishes the documents relating to the service charges and the financial situation of the lot; the notary verifies that the file is complete before signing.

How many general meeting minutes should one read?

The minutes of the most recent general meetings are provided to the buyer. My advice is to read everything that is provided: several years of minutes show the subjects that return and those that make no progress.

Does the vendor recover what he has paid into the works fund?

No. The sums paid into the works fund remain vested in the syndicate of co-owners and are not reimbursed to the vendor upon sale. This point can weigh in the negotiation; the notary clarifies the treatment.

Works have been voted before the sale: who pays for them?

The distribution between vendor and buyer depends on the timing of calls for funds and on what the deed of sale provides. This is precisely the sort of point to clarify with the notary before signing.

Where to verify the exact list of obligatory documents?

On Service-public.fr, which keeps up to date the list of documents due to the buyer of a condominium lot, and with the notary, who checks the file. The ANIL also publishes practical guides on condominium ownership.

Buying in a condominium: what to read before signing?

By Garen Ajderhanyan · 24 August 2026 · 6 min read

In brief

Before purchasing a lot in a condominium, the buyer receives a set of documents: the condominium regulations and the descriptive division statement, the minutes of the most recent general meetings, the amount of current service charges and works already voted, as well as information on the works fund. These documents reveal the true state of the building, forthcoming works, disputes, arrears, better than any viewing. I read them before forming an opinion on a property, and I advise any buyer to do the same, with their notary.

What documents before buying in a condominium?

In France, the buyer of a condominium lot receives, before committing, a series of documents: the condominium regulations and the descriptive division statement, the minutes of the most recent general meetings, the amount of current service charges paid by the vendor and that of works already voted, as well as information on the works fund. Where applicable, the file must also specify whether the condominium is subject to a procedure provided for in article L.711-2 of the construction and housing code. The exact list is kept up to date on Service-public.fr, and the notary verifies that nothing is missing.

I read these documents before forming an opinion on a flat, regardless of floor or view. Within our group, Régie Promenade practises as a managing agent; I have therefore seen condominium files from both angles, that of the buyer and that of management. The condominium regulations state what one is entitled to do with one's lot. The minutes state how the building functions. Both matter as much as the square metres.

What does an AGM minute reveal?

A general meeting minute records the decisions voted, the decisions rejected and the debates that surrounded them. One finds there the works decided, rendering, roof, lift, but also those that return each year without ever passing. Rendering postponed three times has not disappeared: it awaits the next buyer.

The minutes also indicate disputes in progress, with a contractor, a co-owner or the managing agent itself, and arrears when the meeting has had to deal with them. Read over several years, they recount the manner in which the building is governed: do resolutions pass easily, do the same subjects return without resolution, does the managing agent change often? No viewing provides this information.

What is the works fund?

The works fund is a reserve fed by the co-owners to finance forthcoming works on the building. It belongs to the syndicate of co-owners as a whole: the sums paid by the vendor are not reimbursed to him on sale and remain vested in the condominium. The existence and level of this fund are stated in the documents provided before the sale; the managing agent communicates the detail.

A regularly fed fund indicates a condominium that prepares for its obligations. A fund that has remained meagre whilst the building ages announces, sooner or later, calls for funds. Neither good nor bad in itself: information to be set against the state of the building, with the help of the notary or the managing agent for the detail of the applicable rules.

How to identify a condominium in difficulty?

Certain signs are evident in the documents: arrears that return from minute to minute, essential works postponed from year to year, repeated changes of managing agent, or the mention of a procedure targeting the condominium. The sale file must in any event indicate whether the building is subject to such a procedure.

Other signs are visible on site: tired common parts, abandoned letterboxes, lift stopped for months. On the Côte d'Azur, where many buildings are a century old and face the sea, maintenance is not a detail. When in doubt, putting the question to the managing agent and the notary before signing costs less than discovering it afterwards.

Frequently asked questions

Who provides the condominium documents to the buyer?: The vendor, with the support of the managing agent and the notary. The managing agent establishes the documents relating to the service charges and the financial situation of the lot; the notary verifies that the file is complete before signing.
How many general meeting minutes should one read?: The minutes of the most recent general meetings are provided to the buyer. My advice is to read everything that is provided: several years of minutes show the subjects that return and those that make no progress.
Does the vendor recover what he has paid into the works fund?: No. The sums paid into the works fund remain vested in the syndicate of co-owners and are not reimbursed to the vendor upon sale. This point can weigh in the negotiation; the notary clarifies the treatment.
Works have been voted before the sale: who pays for them?: The distribution between vendor and buyer depends on the timing of calls for funds and on what the deed of sale provides. This is precisely the sort of point to clarify with the notary before signing.
Where to verify the exact list of obligatory documents?: On Service-public.fr, which keeps up to date the list of documents due to the buyer of a condominium lot, and with the notary, who checks the file. The ANIL also publishes practical guides on condominium ownership.

References

The author

Garen Ajderhanyan

Editor of La Gazette de la Promenade

Editor of La Gazette de la Promenade. He writes on Riviera property and the art of living, from Nice.