“We are building generalists”: in Aveyron, the co-ownership trustee, a profession in full change and in search of revaluation

Dark side: the idea of ​​a permanent “racket” among the co-owners. And on the white side: support for living better. The co-ownership trustee has, for a long time, conveyed a negative image. “Before, there was an opacity which left the co-owner wondering ‘what kind of sauce are we going to be eaten with’?” recalls Nicolas Sounillac, director of the Century 21 real estate agency in Rodez. Same admission from Frédéric Verhnes, head of Immo de France on Piton. “At the time, there was the caricature of the trustee with a generation of old barons who left.”

“You have to love people”

And yet, from holding the annual general meeting to establishing the forecast budget, representing the union or even carrying out urgent work, the trustee is on all fronts in the life of a co-ownership. All co-ownerships must have a trustee to administer the real estate and ensure its conservation. Moreover, the law of 1965, reinforced in cassation in 1996 then in 2008, made it possible to clean up, a separate account for maintaining a co-ownership and a professional card for the holder. In Rodez as elsewhere in Aveyron, the trustees are always managed by agencies and not groups from elsewhere. “The trustee is transparent to work with complete confidence. The greatest victory is loyalty.” And Frédéric Verhnes dots the “i”s by clearly distinguishing between emerging start-ups on the market, which are co-ownership management platforms, and his company, which is physical. “We are agents, present, among other things, at the annual general meetings, while the other structures are service providers and are not present.”

This permanent presence characterizes the trustee. This is what pleases Philippe Bigot, head of the trustee service at Century 21. “It’s a profession of passion which is long-term, going against the grain of society. Trust creates reciprocal goodwill. People are at the heart of this profession, you have to love people.” And people are needed, in particular to cope with increases in costs, especially those linked to the Climate and Resilience law (read opposite.) A profession of passion which brings together several professions in one. Administrative, technical, accounting, legal, psychological, and social management to establish trust, the trustee requires having several strings to his bow.

“Awareness”

“We are building generalists”, summarizes Nicolas Sounillac with this formula. A jack of all trades who must find the right balance on costs. Elevator breakdown, boiler room, water damage, etc. “Energy renovation requires being strategic for the classification of the property, it’s picky. The profession is changing, more complex with the regulations.” Hence the disappearance of the voluntary trustee. Lack of time makes the equation unsolvable. As everything is nuanced, the good side is “the awareness of owners who understand the difficulty of the profession and see the interest for them”, observed Frédéric Vernhes. And to conclude: “We manage money that is not ours. We sell ideas, not goods.”

Doing together to live better together. Such is the nobility of the trustee where each vote counts as one vote. Democratic expression. And there is urgency with fewer and fewer people at general meetings.