Certified Email: A Key Tool for Property Managers

Legal Communication in Property Management: A Constant Challenge

Property managers operate within a complex regulatory environment, where the Horizontal Property Law (LPH) requires precise, prompt, and, crucially, verifiable communication . From convening meetings to demanding payments for overdue fees, every notification must have irrefutable proof of sending, receipt, and content.

Traditionally, the preferred tool for ensuring this legal proof has been the burofax (certified fax). However, the burofax is expensive, slow, and, in the digital age, inefficient. This is where Certified Email for Property Managers emerges as the definitive solution, combining the immediacy of email with the evidentiary validity of a notarized notification.

Adopting Certified Email is not just a technological improvement; it is a proactive strategy to minimize legal risks, accelerate claims processes, and professionalize community management.

What is Certified Email and Why Does It Replace Burofax?

A standard email lacks evidentiary value in court, as there is no guarantee of when it was sent, whether it was received, or if its content was altered. Certified email solves this problem through the intervention of a trusted third party .

Legal Foundations and Evidentiary Validity

Certified Email is a service that, protected by regulations such as the eIDAS Regulation (in Europe) and Spanish legislation on trusted services, guarantees the integrity and non-repudiation of electronic communications. It acts as a digital notary, generating a proof document that certifies the following points:

• Identity: Who sent the message and to whom.
• Content: Exact proof of text, attachments, and metadata.
• Date and Time (Timestamping): Exact time of sending and receiving, essential for legal deadlines.
• Delivery and Reading: Certification that the message was deposited on the recipient's server and, in many cases, the time of opening.

For administrators, this means that notifications sent this way have the same legal validity as a burofax, but at a fraction of the cost and with the speed of email.

7 Critical Advantages of Certified Email for the Modern Administrator

Adopting this technology offers tangible benefits that directly impact the operational efficiency and legal security of property management:

1. Drastic Cost Reduction

Traditional registered mail represents a significant recurring expense, especially in large communities or those with high delinquency rates. Certified email allows you to send legally valid notifications at a significantly lower cost. This saving is immediately noticeable in the community's bottom line.

2. Immediacy and Agility

Critical communications, such as urgent meeting notices or special assessment notifications, cannot wait days. Certified email is delivered instantly, allowing property managers to comply with legal deadlines (e.g., the minimum 6 days for ordinary meeting notices according to the Horizontal Property Law).

3. Efficient Management of Delinquency

In summary proceedings, proof of proper notification to the debtor is essential. Using certified email expedites the pre-litigation phase, providing the necessary legal evidence to initiate debt collection proceedings much more quickly.

4. Centralized Digital Evidence

All shipping, receipt, and opening certificates are stored digitally. This facilitates the organization and retrieval of supporting documents, crucial during audits or litigation. It eliminates the need to archive physical postal receipts.

5. Simple Integration

Most Certified Email platforms integrate easily with the management software (ERP) used by property managers, automating the process of sending mass and personalized communications.

6. Higher Delivery Success Rate

Although a burofax can be rejected by the recipient, proof of deposit and making available through Certified Email (even if it is not opened) remains a legally valid proof of reliable notification, provided that it is sent to the previously agreed or notified email address.

7. Sustainability and Digitalization

By reducing the use of paper and physical mail, Certified Email supports the trend of digitizing communities, offering an image of modernity and ecological responsibility on the part of the professional administrator .

Specific Use Cases in Property Management

The administrator can use certified notification in a multitude of critical scenarios:

• Notices of Meetings: Sending the ordinary or extraordinary notice, including the agenda and annexes, with proof that the legal deadline has been met.
• Payment Requirements (Default): First extrajudicial claim for unpaid fees, essential to initiate the summary proceedings.
• Notification of Agreements: Communication of agreements adopted at the Meeting (for example, approval of special assessments or changes to the bylaws) to absent owners.
• Works Communications: Notice to owners and neighbors about the start, duration and impacts of works or renovations.
• Cease and Desist Orders: Notification to an owner to cease annoying or prohibited activities according to the statutes (article 7 LPH).

Process and Evidence: This is How Certified Notification Works

For an email to be considered valid evidence, the process must be rigorous and transparent. When a property manager sends a communication through a certification platform, the following occurs:

1. The administrator drafts the email and attaches the documents (minutes, budgets, invoices, etc.).
2. The Trusted Third Party (the platform) captures the content, attachments, metadata, and the exact time of submission.
3. A digital fingerprint (hash) of the content is generated to ensure that it cannot be altered.
4. The message is sent to the recipient.
5. The platform monitors the email being deposited on the recipient's server and, if applicable, its opening.
6. Once the process is completed, the Certificate of Evidence is generated .

Elements of the Test Certificate

The document the administrator receives is key to the legal defense. This certificate includes:

• Timestamping: Guarantees the existence of the message at a specific time.
• Proof of Integrity: Hash code that proves that the content has not been modified.
• Traceability Record: Shows the entire path of the email (sending, receiving, opening).
• Certified Identification: Issuer and recipient data.

Remember: Keeping this digital certificate is as vital as keeping the burofax receipt, but managing it is infinitely simpler.

Conclusion: The Digitization of Public Faith for Administrators

The role of a property manager demands efficiency, transparency, and constant legal protection. Certified email is more than just an alternative to registered mail; it's the logical evolution of reliable communication adapted to the speed of the 21st century.

By integrating this tool, administrators not only rigorously comply with the LPH notification requirements, but also optimize resources, accelerate the management of delinquency and dedicate more time to the effective management of the community, instead of to the bureaucracy of postal communications.

If you're still relying on outdated and expensive shipping methods, it's time to transition to digital burofax. Secure your communications, protect your communities, and solidify your position as an expert in modern property management.