Definition : Register of co-ownership

The declaration of co-ownership is an agreement that organizes and regulates the collective life of the co-owners and occupants of the building. This agreement can be an effective way to encourage co-owners to manage the risks associated with water damage, particularly those generated by a defective water heater. Therefore, the constituting act of co-ownership may provide all  the necessary powers to the Board of Directors so that the directors can ensure that water heaters are maintained or replaced when the time comes.  This power, which is part of the preservation of the building, must also include  the  power to check and replace it in the event of default by the co-owner.  

La webradio du mercredi 15 février 2023 a porté sur le Registre de copropriété : sa tenue et sa consultation. La loi prévoit que le syndicat doit tenir un registre à la disposition des copropriétaires. L'article 342 du Code civil du Québec précise que le conseil d'administration tient la liste des membres, ainsi que les livres et registres nécessaires au bon fonctionnement de la personne morale. Ce registre représente la mémoire du bâtiment pour ceux qui l’administrent. Il constitue l'historique du vécu de la copropriété dès sa conception, et ce en précisant son entretien et les travaux entrepris, tout en répertoriant les entrepreneurs et fournisseurs qui sont intervenus. 

The new provisions introduced by Bill 16 will bring about many changes regarding the contingency fund in a co-ownership. It will be mandatory to obtain a contingency fund study, which will establish the necessary amounts so that the fund is sufficient to cover the estimated cost of major repairs and replacement of the common elements (art. 1071 of the Civil Code of Quebec). The miminal content of this study and the professionals who will be able to carry it out will be determined in a future government regulation soon to be published. Such study will have to be obtained every five years by the board of directors, which will have to determine the amounts to be paid into this fund, according to the recommendations made in this study.

Cohabiting with others in a building in divided co-ownership implies the right to respect for the private life. This right is guaranteed by article 3 of the Civil Code of Québec and  the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Its informational dimension is legally protected by  the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (PHIPA). With the assent  of Bill 64 on September 22, 2022, new rules for the use and dissemination of personal information have subject (and will subject) the world of co-ownership since September 22, 2022, while other rules will come into force in September 2023 and 2024.

Questions: How can I get the contact information of a new co-owner who has never moved into the condo since the purchase? We have no information available about him (no phone number, no email address). How do I trace it?

4 juin 2022 — Le projet de loi 96 (Loi sur la langue officielle et commune du Québec, le français) a (PL 96) été adopté le 24 mai dernier par l’Assemblée nationale du Québec (Vote : Pour 79, Contre 29, Abstention 0) et sanctionné le 1er juin 2022. Ce projet de loi modifie une vingtaine de lois et règlements, dont le Code civil du Québec. Il constitue une modification majeure à la Charte de la langue française (Loi 101) qui avait été adoptée en 1977. Le PL 96 propose ainsi diverses modifications législatives dans plusieurs secteurs d’activités, à savoir celles relatives à l’État québécois et à la société en général. Son objectif vise la protection et la valorisation de la langue française.

Je suis nouveau propriétaire dans une petite copropriété. Les administrateurs sont des bénévoles. Je me questionne sur la façon de sensibiliser les copropriétaires et les administrateurs à la nécessité de respecter notre déclaration de copropriété et les nouvelles dispositions de la loi sans me faire arracher la tête. Or il faut savoir que les sommes accumulées au fonds de prévoyance sont insuffisantes. Et pour cause, seulement 5% du budget d'opération, $1000 ( tout inclus: assurance, déneigement, entretien) est consacré à ce fonds depuis 12 ans. Pire encore, aucune évaluation n’a été faite pour déterminer la valeur de reconstruction du bâtiment. Je crains que nous soyons insuffisamment assurés en cas de sinistre. Question : Que dois-je faire?

The meeting of the co-owners was registered with the permission of the co-owners. Questions: As a co-owner, do I have the right to get a copy of the registration? Could the syndicate refuse me that? If so, why?

  Usually declarations of co-ownership list the patrimony of the syndicate of co-owners. Among the items owned by the syndicate is the register of co-ownership. It contains all the syndicate's archives, such as the declaration of co-ownership, the up-to-date list of co-owners and tenants of the immovable and the minutes of the co-owners meetings and the board of directors meetings, enabling it to carry out its mission adequately. The co-owners must have access to this register, which can be entrusted to a director or a condo manager.

When our Board of directors communicates by email, with all the co-owners, this is done so that we do not see the email addresses of the co-owners. As a result, no one can see the response of others, so we cannot discuss the subject of communication. I find this quite contradictory, since according to our declaration of co-ownership we have to provide our contact information and our email address to the board of directors. In addition, it is indicated that the register contains the email address of all co-owners. The Board claims right to respect for the private life to justifie this approach to communication. Question: Am I entitled to require the Board of directors to provide me with the email address of the co-owners? 

The law provides that the syndicate must keep a register available to the co-owners. Article 342 of the Civil Code of Quebec specifies that the board of directors shall keep the list of members, as well as the books and registers necessary for the proper functioning of the legal person.  This register represents the memory of the building for those who administer it. It constitutes the history of the experience of the condominium from its conception, and this by specifying its maintenance and the work undertaken, while listing the contractors and suppliers who intervened. In this sense, it is invaluable. The syndicate must preserve for organizational and management purposes, or for legal protection and evidence purposes, all documents and information relating to the operation of the co-ownership. That is why "preservation", "access" and "archives" are the hallmarks of this register.

27 mars 2012-  Tout syndicat de copropriété doit constituer et maintenir des registres, en plus d’en permettre la consultation par les copropriétaires. Or, cet accès aux registres ne s’effectue pas toujours de façon harmonieuse. D’une part, il y a des copropriétaires suspicieux qui multiplient les demandes de consultation des registres, croyant y trouver une preuve de malversation de la part des administrateurs. D’autre part, ce sont parfois les administrateurs qui agissent en roitelets et refusent l’accès aux registres à un copropriétaire. Où se trouve le juste milieu ? 

January 27th, 2016.  Among the various obligations imposed upon each and every Syndicate of co-ownership, there is a particular one worthy of note. It is the obligation to keep the list of the Syndicate’s co-owners and the books and registers necessary for the proper functioning of the Syndicate. This is easily understandable, since the Syndicate, as a moral person distinct from its members, has its own “corporate life” which must be properly documented. The Code also tells us that these documents are the Syndicate’s property and that the co-owners have access to them (Article 342 of the Quebec Civil Code).

The characteristic of divided co-ownership is to divide the building into various lots that will be the exclusive property of the co-owners (private portions), and for others that will be the property of all the co-owners (common portions). These lots are identified by an individual number, which was assigned during the cadastral operation. Each of the private lots of the co-ownership thus constituted becomes a unique property. The distinction between the common and private portions is essential, particularly from the point of view of maintenance, which is the responsibility of the syndicate of co-owners for the common portions and of the co-owners for the private portions.   

I must quickly consult some documents in the register and records of my co-ownership, including the plans of the immovable. I need to respond to a contractor   from whom I asked for a quote for work in my apartment. Well there it is, the directors refuse to give me access before Monday at 2 PM. And, to add insult to injury, they want to collect $ 30, in addition to the cost of photocopies! Question: Do they have the right to impose these access limitations to the register and to collect a fee? After all, these documents are the property of all co-owners, including me.  

  I just bought an apartment in a co-ownership. Question: Should the syndicate be provided with a copy of the deed of sale in order to file it in the registers of the co-ownership? Can it require the new co-owner to provide the said deed of sale? And if so, who must pay for it?

I want to buy a condo, but I am aware that for the most part the documents necessary for an informed purchase are in the register of the co-ownership.    Question: How can I access the register of the co-ownership? Is it for me or the seller to ask? If I have to take care of it, can I do it alone or do I need a third person to accompany me through this process? Answer: The co-owners are entitled to have access to the register of the co-ownership, in accordance with the duties of the syndicate. However, potential buyers are deemed to be complete strangers, which explains why many syndicates do not usually allow them access.