An increasingly fashionable formula, buying a co-ownership has many advantages. However, disputes frequently arise between the co-owners about the payment of the charges. To avoid these inconveniences, it is best to familiarize yourself with the distribution rules before embarking on a joint ownership purchase project.
The distribution of co-ownership charges must be made according to specific rules. The law establishes two load categories : general charges, which consist of expenses relating to operation and maintenance, and special charges, which relate more to equipment and services. How are these charges distributed? What calculation rules should we rely on? The share incumbent on each lot and its owner is fixed by the co-ownership regulations.
About General Charges
General expenses relate to the maintenance, conservation and administration of the common areas of a building. This category includes the following costs: trustee fees, costs associated with holding general meetings, cleaning of the building, maintenance of green spaces, co-ownership insurance, lighting of common areas, caretaker’s salary, and repair of structural work .
The distribution of the general expenses is carried out according to the relative value of each of the lots of the co-ownership. Each of the owners, regardless of the nature of their property, must pay their share of the general expenses. The distribution of these charges is made according to the co-ownership directors’ fees.
For example, in the case of a parking lot co-owner, he is required to pay his share of the maintenance of the green spaces surrounding the property and the caretaker’s salary, even if the co-owner does not use not necessarily these elements of the condominium.
Co-ownership fees, What is it about ?
Co-ownership fees correspond to a fraction of the common parts of a co-ownership. The percentages, expressed in thousandths of the whole, are calculated according to several parameters, including the area and the location of the lots (that is to say on which floor of the building the space belonging to the co-owner is located). Voting rights at general meetings, as well as general expenses, are distributed on the basis of this value between the co-owners.
Also read: 5 tips for buying a condominium
Concerning the charges for services and equipment
An exhaustive list of service and equipment charges can be found in the co-ownership regulations. This type of charge includes the cost of collective heating, maintenance and operation of an elevator, the cost of the intercom / videophone, the cost of garbage chutes, the cost of the collective antenna, etc.
These expenses are generally distributed according to the usefulness that they provide to each lot. When equipment or a service represents any utility for a lot, the co-owner is required to participate in its expenses, even if in fact it has not made use of it.
For example, a co-owner residing on the first floor could exclusively favor the use of a staircase rather than an elevator. He would nevertheless have to pay for the maintenance costs of the elevator. However, his share would be assessed according to possible use of this service, and would be lower than that of the co-owner residing on the fifth floor of the building, while the co-owner on the ground floor would not pay for this service. .
PROVISIONAL EXPENSES : this is the amount of payment of the charges required by the trustee each quarter. As the twelve-month financial year is voted on in a general meeting by all the co-owners of a property, the amount of the provisional charges corresponds to the approved budget.
WATER EXPENDITURE : in the absence of individual meters for cold water, the distribution of the general consumption of the building is carried out according to the general percentages of charges. In the case of the presence of individual meters, the water consumption will obviously be invoiced according to the individual use mentioned on the statements.
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