Block management (syndic de copropriété) on the Opal Coast

What a French syndic actually does

In France, a block of flats is owned collectively under a regime called copropriété. Every owner holds a private lot plus an undivided share of the common parts, expressed in tantièmes (thousandths). The owners together form the syndicat des copropriétaires, and that body must appoint a syndic to run the building.

The role is defined by the Act of 10 July 1965 and its implementing decree. It covers three inseparable duties: administering the building, managing its finances, and preserving the fabric of the property.

In practice that means convening and chairing the annual general meeting, carrying out its resolutions, keeping the building's accounts in a dedicated bank account, issuing service charge calls, placing and monitoring contracts, handling insurance claims, maintaining the maintenance logbook, and representing the syndicat in court where necessary.

How this differs from UK leasehold

British owners often assume the syndic is simply a managing agent. There are important differences, and they matter.

There is no freeholder. In England and Wales, a managing agent is usually appointed by the freeholder or by a right-to-manage company. In France, the syndic is appointed directly by the owners themselves, by a vote at the general meeting, and can be replaced by the same route without needing anyone's consent.

The mandate is time-limited. A syndic is elected for a fixed term, typically one year, renewable by vote. There is no rolling appointment that quietly continues: every year the meeting decides.

Decisions belong to the meeting, not the agent. The syndic cannot commit the building to works without a vote, except in genuine emergencies. Different majorities apply depending on what is being decided — Article 24 for routine matters, Article 25 for improvements, Article 26 for the most significant decisions.

Finally, there is no equivalent of the UK Section 20 consultation. The protection here comes from the vote itself: owners see the quotes attached to the meeting notice and decide together.

Transparency, forward planning, independence

Transparency. We work closely with the conseil syndical — the elected council of owners, roughly comparable to a residents' association committee. The council of owners may inspect the accounting records and invoices whenever it wishes. That is its legal right; we treat it as normal practice rather than a formality.

Forward planning. We draw up a multi-year schedule of major works with you, so costs are anticipated. The fonds de travaux — a statutory reserve fund introduced by the ALUR Act — then does its job properly: smoothing expenditure instead of appearing as one more line on the charge.

Independence. We have no shareholding link with builders, banks, insurers or developers. When we recommend a contractor, it is because they offered the best value on the tender, not because they belong to the same group as us.

Works, claims and arrears

We tender competitively for works voted by the meeting, and we present the council with quotes that are genuinely comparable — based on the same technical specification, without which comparison is meaningless.

We check every contractor's décennale insurance before work starts. This ten-year structural warranty is compulsory in France and has no direct UK equivalent; verifying it is a basic precaution that avoids very difficult situations if defects appear.

For insurance claims, we handle the declaration, the loss adjuster's visit and dealings with the insurer — including damage affecting private lots where the cause lies in the common parts. That is often where owners feel most stranded, particularly from abroad.

Arrears are pursued through a graduated procedure: reminder, formal notice by recorded delivery, then enforcement of the acceleration clause and referral to our solicitor if needed. Unpaid charges are reported to the council at every meeting, because they weigh directly on everyone else's cash flow.