The assembly is over, nobody else volunteered, and now you're the condominium administrator. No training, no manual, and probably no idea where to start. The classic frameworks for transitioning into any new leadership role (the "first 90 days" idea from any new leadership position) apply here just as well as in any company — they just need adapting to the reality of a Portuguese condominium.
Week 1 — Take Inventory, Don't Decide Yet
The most common rookie mistake is wanting to "fix everything" in the first week. Before deciding anything, you need to know what already exists:
- Where the condominium's documents are (past minutes, the founding deed, the internal regulations if any exist, current service contracts)
- The state of the accounts — cash balance, overdue dues, the state of the Common Reserve Fund
- Which insurance policies are active and when they renew
- What maintenance contracts exist (elevator, cleaning, gardening) and on what terms
You don't need an opinion on any of this yet — just knowledge that it exists.
Weeks 2-4 — Ask Before Assuming
The previous administrator (or the longest-standing owners) know things that are written down nowhere: why that supplier was chosen, which conflict was never resolved, what's already been tried and didn't work. A structured conversation with whoever managed things before saves months of rediscovering what was already known.
Questions to ask:
- What recurring problem eats up the most management time?
- Is there any owner or situation that needs special attention?
- What legal deadline was missed in the past, and why?
Month 2 — Set Up the Basic Systems
With the inventory done, it's time to build the minimum structure so you stop relying on memory:
- A calendar with the recurring legal deadlines (annual assembly notice, insurance renewals, presenting accounts)
- A clear communication channel with owners — not seven parallel WhatsApp groups
- A simple record of who's paid and who's overdue
Month 3 — Communicate Expectations, Don't Promise Miracles
The most expensive mistake of the first 90 days isn't technical — it's about expectations. Promising to fix, in three months, problems that built up over years generates disappointment and undermines trust right from the start of the term. It's far more effective to communicate a realistic plan to owners: "over the next 3 months I'll get X and Y organized; Z is an older problem and will take longer."
The Most Common Mistake: Deciding Alone What Should Have Gone to a Vote
A new administrator, eager to show results, tends to make decisions that should go through the assembly — switching a supplier, approving an expense outside the budget. Even with good intentions, this undermines the legitimacy of the role faster than any technical error. When in doubt about whether something needs a resolution, the right answer is to ask the assembly, not decide and explain afterward.
How to Avoid Doing This Alone, from Memory
What separates an administrator who starts organized from one who spends the first few months "firefighting" is having, from day one, a single place where the condominium's entire history is recorded and searchable — instead of reconstructing everything from old emails and the previous administrator's memory. ActiasGest lets you start with the condominium's history organized from day one, with self-serve onboarding in a few minutes.
Learn more → actias-gest.solid-ai.net