Croatian Co-owners' Representative Under the New Act: Who and What

A Croatian co-owners' representative (predstavnik suvlasnika) is elected by the co-owners with a majority of more than half, meaning more than 50% of the co-ownership shares. If the person elected is not a co-owner, a spouse, a partner or informal partner, or a direct-line relative of a co-owner living in the same building, the decision needs a two-thirds majority. The representative convenes the co-owners' meeting and signs the management contract with the manager on the co-owners' behalf, and the manager reports to the co-owners through him. His fee is approved by the co-owners and paid from the common reserve fund.

The Law on the Management and Maintenance of Buildings (NN 152/2024) has applied since 1 January 2025 and names the representative alongside the co-owners and the manager as one of three actors in the management of a building. Every building has two years from 1 January 2025 to conclude a new inter-owner agreement and a new management contract, and the old ones cease to apply at the end of that period. Both documents mention the representative.

Who elects him and with what majority

Electing and changing the co-owners' representative is a decision on the management of the building, carried by a majority of more than half of the co-owners, counted by the co-ownership shares entered in the land register or, where shares are not determined, by the building's value area.

The exception: a decision to elect a representative who is not one of the co-owners, or a spouse or partner or informal partner or a direct-line relative of a co-owner living in the same building, is carried by a two-thirds majority, meaning more than two thirds of the co-ownership shares.

What the representative does

Convenes the co-owners' meeting. A meeting must be held at least once a year, and it discusses the annual management and maintenance report, the annual maintenance program for the common parts for the next year and the multi-year maintenance program. A meeting can also be convened by co-owners with more than one third of the shares (a building with fewer than 20 independent units), more than one fifth (more than 20 and fewer than 50) or more than one tenth (more than 50), and by the building manager.

Signs the management contract. The co-owners conclude the contract with the manager in writing, represented by the co-owners' representative. The contract must state the representative's name and the limits of his authority.

Delivers the inter-owner agreement. The representative must deliver the inter-owner agreement to the manager within 15 days of its conclusion, and the manager files it into the Register of Communities of Co-owners.

Collects consents. If a meeting with the required majority cannot be convened because of the building's size or other justified reasons, the representative or another interested co-owner collects the co-owners' consent by signatures on a written decision or by email, if the co-owner so requests, with proof of identity or a qualified electronic signature. Such a decision binds all co-owners. The representative must post it on the noticeboard or deliver it by email, if the co-owner so requests.

Receives from the manager:

• the proposed annual maintenance program by 15 November and the multi-year program by 31 December of the current year,
• the annual management report by February,
• notice of work done within 30 days of its completion,
• notice of due but unpaid reserve-fund instalments,
• the record of the state of the reserve-fund money, the building's debts and its claims, which the manager draws up in cooperation with the representative.

The representative's first name, surname and OIB are part of the application the manager files to enter the community of co-owners in the Register of Communities of Co-owners.

Invitation to the co-owners' meeting

The invitation goes out at least five days before the meeting, in writing to the co-owner's mailbox in the building or the address of residence, or by email if a majority of more than half of the co-owners has agreed to that. In every case the invitation must also be posted on the building's noticeboard. It contains the details of the person or persons convening the meeting, the place, the time and the manner of holding it, and the agenda. Minutes are kept and are signed, or agreed to by email, by the person who convened the meeting, the minute-taker, all co-owners present and the manager if present.

An example checklist for the invitation:

INVITATION TO THE CO-OWNERS' MEETING
Building [address], OIB [OIB of the community of co-owners]

Convened by: [name, co-owners' representative / manager / co-owners]
Place: [meeting place]
Time: [date and hour]
Manner of holding: [e.g. in person in the building]

AGENDA
1. Annual management and maintenance report for [year].
2. Annual maintenance programme for the common parts for [year].
3. Multi-year maintenance programme.
4. [Other decisions]
5. Any other business.

Invitation delivered: [mailbox / address / e-mail], at least five days ahead.
Invitation posted on the building's noticeboard: [date].

How Unitify works here

Unitify does not replace the written invitation, the noticeboard or the minutes.

• Notices. The resident app can deliver a copy of the invitation and agenda to residents, as an addition to the statutory invitation.
• Reporting. Unitify gives Croatian managers one place for a record of payments into the separate building account, payment control and owner reporting.
• Voting. The manager can set up a vote or survey in the app and follow participation. Croatian law does not name an app as a valid voting channel: the statutory electronic route is email, at the co-owner's request, with proof of identity or a qualified electronic signature. Unitify has no video calling of its own and does not provide a qualified electronic signature, and a vote in an app does not by itself make a decision legally valid.

See the Croatia page, pricing and how the common reserve fund works. To see how this would work for your buildings, book a demo.