Internal rules: your community's code of coexistence

Between the law and the bylaws there is a third level almost nobody uses well: the internal rules.

What they are

Rules on coexistence and the use of common services: pool hours, booking the shared room, use of the drying area, garage rules. They cannot contradict the law or the bylaws — they flesh them out.

The big advantage

They are approved and amended by simple majority (the bylaws require unanimity). That makes them the ideal tool for regulating day-to-day life without deadlock.

What to regulate (useful examples)

• Pool: hours, guests per home, a lifeguard where required.
• Shared room: booking system, deposit, cleaning afterwards.
• Courtyards and drying areas: uses and hours.
• Garage: speed, bicycle spaces, no storing belongings.

What they CANNOT do

Impose fines (the meeting's "penalties" have no enforceable effect), ban pets inside the homes, or restrict property rights. Their force is organisational and, in cases of persistent abuse, they serve as documentary grounds for legal action.

Practical drafting

Short, specific, no rhetoric. Approved at a meeting, annexed to the minutes, and always accessible — a rule nobody can find does not exist.