Service charge and running costs
What an apartment in Georgia costs every month after buying.
The homeowners' association. Every buyer is a member by law.
In short
In Georgia the owners of an apartment building form a homeowners' association, in Georgian amkhanagoba. Its legal basis is the 2007 Law on Homeowners' Associations. The association is deemed to exist once a building on one plot has more than two individually owned flats, and every buyer becomes a member. It decides on the common property and can also decide who manages the building.
The rules at a glanceThis guide covers who decides. What management costs and what the service charge covers is explained separately.
Service charge explainedThe rules
What the law sets for your building.
The statutory voting rules apply as long as the association has not adopted its own charter. So ask first whether there is a charter, and get it translated.
The legal basis
The Law of Georgia on Homeowners' Associations No. 5277 of 11 July 2007 has been in force since 1 August 2007 and was last amended in July 2020. The association is not a legal person but may hold accounts and assets and acts through its chair (Art. 14).
A member from the purchase
The association is deemed established once a building on one plot has more than two individually owned flats (Art. 11). You become a member when you acquire your flat (Art. 19). As the buyer you become liable for the seller's unpaid obligations to the association, and the seller must disclose existing and expected obligations to you (Arts. 14 and 21). So get any arrears confirmed in writing before you buy.
What everyone owns
Common property is the plot, the building and its services, to the extent they are not individually owned: load-bearing parts, the facade, entrances, corridors, stairwells, the roof and lifts, for example (Arts. 3 and 5). Your share is the ratio of your floor area to that of all flats.
Meetings and votes
A meeting is quorate when two thirds of members are present. A meeting reconvened with the same agenda is quorate however many attend. Each owner has one vote per flat, co-owners of a flat vote jointly, and decisions pass by a majority of those present (Art. 28). Electing the chair needs two thirds (Art. 26), and works that significantly change the common property need every vote (Art. 10).
The developer's management company
After handover a company linked to the developer often manages the building at first, under the purchase contract or a separate agreement. The law allows a hired manager to be elected chair, and a charter can set out how management functions are handed to a hired manager (Arts. 23 and 26). Whether owners can switch depends on that contract's term and notice clause. Read it before you buy.
Disputes over shared costs
Each owner bears the cost of maintaining and using the common property in proportion to their share, even without using it (Arts. 7 and 21). If a member breaches these duties, the association can go to court (Art. 21). Debts above GEL 500 can be registered against the debtor's flat by the chair with the meeting's consent (Art. 14). Every owner may inspect the minutes, and any member can challenge them in court (Art. 28).
Frequently asked questions
Questions about homeowners' associations.
Membership, voting from abroad, replacing the manager and disputes.
What is an amkhanagoba?
It is the Georgian term for the homeowners' association of an apartment building. Its legal basis is Law No. 5277 of 2007 on Homeowners' Associations. It manages the common property, such as the roof, facade, stairwell and lifts.
Do foreign buyers automatically become members?
Yes. Anyone who acquires a flat in the building becomes a member (Art. 19). The law makes no exception for foreign owners.
Can owners replace the developer's management company?
The law allows the association to appoint a manager and delegate functions by charter. Whether a switch is possible straight away depends on the existing management contract, its term and its notice period. Have a lawyer review it before the owners vote.
Can I vote from abroad?
Members must be invited in writing (Art. 27), and the law lets a member take part in the association's affairs in person or through a representative (Art. 20). It does not expressly provide for voting by video or post; the charter can. If you cannot attend, give someone on site a written power of attorney.
Do I have to pay for spending I voted against?
For maintaining and using the common property, yes, in proportion to your share. For measures beyond that, owners who voted against are exempt from the cost under Art. 7 unless the charter or the meeting decides otherwise. In return they cannot claim the benefit of the measure.
Last reviewed on 2 November 2026. Sources: Law of Georgia on Homeowners' Associations No. 5277 of 11 July 2007, Arts. 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27 and 28 (matsne.gov.ge, consolidated version including the amendment of 15 July 2020), National Agency of Public Registry (napr.gov.ge): registration of ownership and encumbrances. This guide is not legal or tax advice.
Read next
More on the building.
What the service charge covers, what a property manager does and how to set up utilities.
Ask for the charter and management contract before buying.
Each project page shows what the developer says about management. Only the charter and the management contract show what is binding.