How to become a volunteer syndic: from the general meeting vote to registration with the KBO/BCE

The item is on the agenda, or the vote has just taken place: you are going to manage the building. The invoices will not wait until you have settled in. To become a volunteer syndic is decided at the general meeting (GM), but the role only becomes effective and enforceable once a few formalities are completed: a public notice, registration with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO/BCE), and taking over the accounts and the file.

First things first: the order of the steps matters. We do not advise paying anything before you control the association's accounts, still less tiding things over from your personal account. This page therefore follows the chronological order, from the vote to the first three months of your mandate. If you are still unsure about the arrangement itself, first read the page on the volunteer syndic, which weighs up its advantages and limits.

How do you become a volunteer syndic at the general meeting?

It all starts with a vote. The property manager (syndic) is appointed by the general meeting, unless already designated in the house rules (ROI)GlossaryRules drawn up by private agreement that set out at least how the general meeting operates, how the syndic is appointed and the fortnight in which the ordinary general meeting is held. They are kept at the association's registered office and can be consulted free of charge. See the glossary. If the co-ownership already has a syndic, his appointment or replacement must be on the agenda.

Preparing the meeting

Ask for the item to be put on the agenda in precise wording, for example "Appointment of Mr or Ms X as syndic from [date] for a period of [length]". If the meeting has to be specially convened, note that co-owners holding at least one fifth of the shares in the common parts can ask the current syndic to call it. The notice is sent at least fifteen days before the date of the meeting, except in an emergency. The formal rules are set out in the page notice of general meeting.

The vote

The meeting deliberates validly if more than half of the co-owners are present or represented and they hold at least half of the shares (quotités)GlossaryTerm used by the Civil Code for the fraction of the common parts attached to each unit, also called quotités. It is set in the deed of division according to the respective value of the private parts and determines each co-owner's number of votes at the general meeting. See the glossary in the common parts, or if those present and represented hold more than three quarters of the shares. The appointment is made by an absolute majority of the votes of the co-owners present or represented.

Have the minutes record your full identity, the start date and the length of the mandate, which cannot exceed three years. If the meeting wants to grant you an allowance, it must also decide so: that choice has tax and social security consequences explained in the page volunteer syndic pay.

The steps in the first eight days

The notice at the building entrance

Within eight days of the start of your mandate, post at the entrance of the building, in a permanent and visible way, an extract of the document appointing you (Art. 3.89, § 2, Civil Code). The extract states your name, occupation and home address, and where the house rules and the register of general meeting decisions can be consulted. A laminated sleeve fixed to the entrance noticeboard is enough, as long as it stays legible.

Checking the KBO/BCE

Before registering your mandate, check that the owners' association (VME/ACP)GlossaryLegal entity that brings the co-owners together and whose sole purpose is the preservation and management of the building. It acquires legal personality as soon as a first unit is transferred, provided the deed of division and the co-ownership regulations have been transcribed. See the glossary has an enterprise number. A search by address in the public search tool of the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (kbopub.economie.fgov.be) answers the question. Note at the same time the name of the syndic currently registered: your registration will replace his. Our view: do this search even before the meeting, as it will tell you whether a registration step needs to be added to your timetable.

How do you register the syndic's mandate with the KBO/BCE?

Since 1 April 2017, the syndic's mandate must be registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises. The obligation applies to all syndics, individuals or companies, professional or volunteer, as well as provisional syndics.

If the association does not yet have an enterprise number

The association must first be registered. Homegrade describes three routes: through the notary who executed the deed of division (acte de base / basisakte), through an approved business counter which then registers both the association and the syndic, or by yourself, free of charge, at the Legal Certainty office of the FPS Finance. For this last route, have a scanned copy of the deed of division and, if possible, of the regulations and the minutes of the founding meeting. Homegrade indicates a period of two to four weeks.

Registering the mandate

Registration, amendment and removal of the mandate go through an approved business counter of your choice. Prepare:

• the name and enterprise number of the association;
• your national register number (or the enterprise number if the syndic is a company);
• the minutes, or the extract of the minutes, appointing you;
• your full contact details.

The counter charges a fee. As an indication, the 2026 price list published by one approved business counter sets the registration of a building syndic's mandate at €111.50. Homegrade mentions a processing time of about two weeks. The step has to be repeated every time the syndic changes.

Taking over the accounts and taking out insurance

The bank accounts

The funds belong to the association. The law requires them to be held in accounts in the association's name, including a separate account for the working capital fund and a separate account for the reserve fund (Art. 3.89, § 5, 3°). If these accounts exist, have the signing authority changed at the bank. Take the minutes of your appointment and proof of the KBO/BCE registration, documents the bank may ask for. If they do not exist, open them in the association's name, never in yours.

Liability insurance

Every syndic must take out insurance covering his liability in carrying out his mandate and provide proof of it (Art. 3.89, § 5, 8°). Where the mandate is unpaid, it is taken out at the association's expense. Use the opportunity to reread the policy covering the building: Homegrade strongly recommends "all risks" or fire insurance for the building, as well as cover for the association's liability.

Collecting the file from the previous syndic

Your predecessor must hand over the complete management file within thirty days of the end of his mandate. If no successor has been appointed, the handover is made to the chair of the last general meeting. The file includes, among other things, the accounts and assets, information on any claim, the account history and the documents showing how sums were allocated.

Draw up a written inventory of what you receive and immediately point out, in writing, what is missing. Here is the checklist to use.

The first three months

Once these foundations are laid, the role settles into its normal rhythm. Three deadlines are worth noting straight away. The statement of debts requested by a notary on a sale must be provided within thirty days. The ordinary general meeting is held during the period set by the house rules. And the annual budget, which includes a section for extraordinary expenses, must be ready for that meeting.

All the duties are discussed in the page role and duties of the syndic, and bookkeeping in the page co-ownership accounting and the MAR/PCMN.

These steps are the same in Flanders and in Brussels, because the Civil Code and the KBO/BCE are federal. You choose the business counter yourself, and the FPS Finance office depends on your situation. Co-owners in Brussels can also draw on the practical guidance of Homegrade, the regional housing advice centre.