May 24, 2026 · 4 min read
Special levies: what they are, how they get approved and how they are split
Few words tense up a meeting like "levy". Understanding it properly is half the battle of approving it without a row.
What it is
An extraordinary payment — outside the monthly charge — to cover a specific cost the community fund does not: the facade, the roof, replacing the lift, accessibility works.
How it gets approved
It depends what it is for:
- Necessary works (conservation, safety, habitability): simple majority. If the facade is at risk of collapse, voting on it is not even optional.
- Improvements (new services, aesthetics): three fifths, and with limits — a dissenting owner may not be obliged to pay for expensive, non-essential improvements.
- Always: at a meeting called with the item on the agenda, and with the resolution (amounts, instalments, split) recorded in the minutes.
How it is split
Unless the by-laws say otherwise, by participation quota: a 30,000 € job is not divided equally — the flat with an 8% quota contributes 2,400 €, the one with 3% contributes 900 €. Splitting a levy "equally" without a basis in the by-laws is the fast route to a legal challenge.
Chair-to-chair advice
- Split it up: six payments of 400 € hurt less than one of 2,400 €, and reduce arrears.
- Document everything: compared quotes before the meeting, a detailed resolution in the minutes, and every payment recorded — who has paid what must be checkable at any time.
- Communicate early: a levy announced months ahead gets paid; one announced weeks ahead gets fought.
Keep reading
The special levy: when it is needed and how it gets approved
The word nobody wants to hear at a meeting. What it actually is, what majority it needs, and how to present it without starting a war.
Putting a lift where there never was one: majorities, cost and who pays
The most expensive and most argued-over works a community faces: what majority is needed, what it really costs and why the ground floor pays too.
The reserve fund: what the law requires and what it is really for
It is compulsory, it has a legal minimum, and most buildings keep it underfunded. What it is and why it prevents special levies.
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