Definition : Cadastre of Quebec - Cadastral operation

If you are shopping for an apartment, ask yourself if it is located in a divided or undivided co-ownership. Although these two concepts are similar, as they ultimately aim to share the same building by several people called co-owners, the legal and financial implications are not the same. These two types of co-ownership thus have very different terms of ownership, ownership and liability between the co-owners of a building. A look at the main distinctions between divided co-ownership and undivided co-ownership.  

Whether you are a real estate developer (for a new building) or several owners of an existing building who wish to convert it, the rules for subjecting a building to divided co-ownership are the same. The creation of a divided co-ownership is necessary when an immovable must be divided into lots composed of a private portion and a share  of the common portions, and which belong to one or more different persons. The community of co-owners acquires the status of legal person from the day a declaration of co-ownership is published at the Land registry office (Land Register). The legal person thus constituted takes the name of “syndicate of co-owners”. Its mission is to ensure the " preservation of the immovable, the maintenance and administration of the common portions, the protection of the rights appurtenant to the immovable or the co-ownership, as well as all business in the common interest ". To form this co-ownership several steps involving many protagonists are necessary.

When it comes time to acquire a home, many buyers turn to the acquisition of a multi-unit building (such as a duplex, triplex, quadruplex, etc.). The direct conversion of rental units to divided co-ownership is prohibited in some cities, with a few exceptions, which is why owners first turn them into undivided co-ownership. It should be noted that a building, whose dwellings are all occupied by undivided owners,can be converted into divided co-ownership, subject to certain conditions. But carrying out this conversion requires to overcome several steps involving all owners concerned.

Most often than not declarations of co-ownership (Constituting Act of co-ownership) designate the legal status of exterior parking spaces as common portions for restricted use. This is also true for indoor parkings, when the developer (declarant) decides that it is not necessary to create a specific lot number for each space. These are therefore an integral part of the lot constituting the common portions of the immovable.  

Large-scale real estate developments in divided co-ownership are often carried out in successive stages, the number of buildings and the duration of the work are a function of the marketing and interim construction financing. Some co-ownerships have more than one building that have in common community spaces such as a parking lot, a swimming pool and traffic lanes. In such a context, it is then a question of "co-ownership in phases". This type of co-ownership allows the developer to spread the design of a real estate project over several years, and to modulate the pace of construction work according to the evolution of unit sales. However, it is customary to announce in the preamble of the declaration of co-ownership the legal structure chosen for this type of co-ownership.