More often than not, a notary drafts the indivision agreement. Its contents can be adapted in accordance with the needs of the undivided co-owners and the characteristics of the immovable. It is a contract that can be amended only with all of the co-owners’ consent.
When shopping for an apartment, you must find out if it is in a divided or undivided co-ownership. Even though both concepts are similar in that their ultimate goal is the partition of an immovable between several persons called co-owners, the financial and legal commitments are different.
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The conversion of a immovable to divided co-ownership (condos) is subject to strict formalities and municipal by-laws, which can restrict the conversion or make it subject to certain conditions.. Unfortunately this does not always prove possible, more particularly because of the very high costs such a process implies (such as subdivision taxes known «Parkland taxes» applicable in certain boroughs of Montreal or other municipalities) and vested rights in favor of tenants.
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In undivided co-ownership, the rights of withdrawal and of first refusal may disrupt the course of a real estate transaction. It is important to know that other co-owners may take precedence over a potential purchaser. The title of the latter could be precarious for some time: a buyer who acquires rights in an undivided co-ownership without first receiving the approval of all the undivided co-owners is therefore liable to have his share redeemed and thus be excluded from the indivision.
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June 7th, 2010 – As a Notary, I receive on a regular basis mandates dealing with divided or undivided co-ownership.
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