How the shares of your lot are calculated

When you buy an apartment, garage, or storage room in a co-ownership, you are not just buying a private space. You also become a co-owner of the common parts of the building. Therefore, shares in the common parts are linked to each private lot. These shares play an important role in the distribution of certain costs within the co-ownership.

What are shares in the common parts

A building consists of private parts and common parts.
The private parts are, for example, your apartment, a separate garage, or a storage room that is legally designated as a separate lot.
The common parts include, for example:

• the roof;
• the facade;
• the foundations;
• the entrance hall;
• the stairs;
• common piping;
• the elevator;
• certain technical installations;
• other parts that are common according to the deed of foundation.

Because all co-owners together own these common parts, their ownership right is expressed in shares. For example, your lot represents 100/1,000ths of the common parts. Another lot might represent 150/1,000ths.

These shares are normally listed in the deed of foundation of the building.

How are these shares calculated

The shares are not chosen arbitrarily. In principle, the distribution takes into account the value of each private lot relative to the value of the whole.
This involves looking at elements such as:

• the surface area;
• the purpose of the lot;
• the location;
• the natural light;
• the view;
• any terraces;
• other relevant characteristics that influence the value of the lot.

It is therefore not necessarily a simple calculation based on the number of square meters.
For example, a 100 m² apartment on the first floor does not automatically have the same shares as a 100 m² apartment on the tenth floor with a large terrace and a different view.

The shares are established in the deed of foundation. When purchasing an apartment, it is therefore important to look not only at the surface area and the purchase price, but also at the number of shares linked to the lot.

Why are these shares important for costs

The shares can play an important role in the distribution of common costs.
If a certain cost is distributed according to shares, an owner with more shares pays a larger portion of those costs.

Suppose a co-ownership has 1,000 shares and your apartment represents 100 shares. If a certain common cost of €10,000 is distributed according to shares, your portion would be €1,000.
An owner with 50 shares would pay €500 for the same cost.

But please note: not every common cost is necessarily distributed according to the same allocation key.

The law and the deed may provide for other rules for certain costs. For example, some costs may be distributed according to the utility that a certain common facility has for a lot.

Shares are therefore not the same as your monthly contribution

The number of shares does not automatically determine what your total monthly contribution to the co-ownership will be.
The Property Manager prepares the settlement according to the applicable allocation keys. Depending on the building, different costs may be distributed according to different principles.

For example:

Cost	Possible allocation key
Roof works	According to shares
Facade works	According to shares
Maintenance of common parts	According to shares or according to the deed
Elevator	According to shares or according to utility
Common electricity	According to the applicable allocation key
Costs linked to a specific installation	Possibly according to utility

The precise arrangement must always be verified in the deed of foundation, the co-ownership regulations, and the applicable legal rules.

What if you have a separate garage

A garage can legally be a separate private lot.
This means that the garage can have its own shares in the common parts.

For example:

• apartment: 850/1,000ths;
• garage: 50/1,000ths;
• storage room: 20/1,000ths;
• other lots: together 80/1,000ths.

In that case, the owner possesses not only the apartment but also the separate garage lot with its own shares.
That garage can therefore also have consequences for the costs distributed according to shares.
It is therefore a mistake to assume that a garage has "no shares" because it is much smaller than an apartment.

And what about a separate storage room

The same principle can apply to a storage room.
If the storage room is included as a separate private lot in the deed of foundation, it can have its own shares.
A storage room of, for example, 8 m² can therefore represent its own share in the common parts.
That share may be relatively small, but it can play a role in the cost distribution.

Apartment + garage + storage room: one or more lots

This is an important point of attention when reading the deed of foundation.
An apartment, garage, and storage room can legally:

1. form one single whole;
2. be separate private lots;
3. or be legally connected to each other in another way.

Therefore, you should not only look at what physically belongs to your apartment.
The legal division in the deed of foundation is decisive.
When a garage is a separate lot, for example, it can have its own shares and its own cost obligations.

Why can this be financially important

Suppose you buy an apartment with a garage and storage room.
You might think:
However, the legal situation may be different. If the garage and storage room are separate lots, they may represent separate shares and certain costs may be due for those lots.

Therefore, it is important to check before a purchase:

• how many shares your apartment has;
• how many shares your garage has;
• how many shares your storage room has;
• which costs are distributed according to shares;
• which costs are distributed according to utility or another allocation key;
• whether special cost arrangements exist;
• whether certain lots are exempt from certain costs.

A simple example

Suppose a building has 1,000 shares.
Your property consists of:

• apartment: 100 shares;
• garage: 50 shares;
• storage room: 20 shares.

Together you then own 170 shares.

If a certain cost of €20,000 is distributed entirely according to these shares, your portion amounts to:

170 / 1,000 × €20,000 = €3,400.

This example is obviously simplified. In practice, different costs may be charged using different allocation keys.

Conclusion

The shares in the common parts are an important part of the co-ownership. They determine how much each private lot represents in the whole of the common parts and can have a significant influence on the distribution of common costs.
If you have a separate garage or storage room in addition to your apartment, it is particularly important to check how these are legally included in the deed of foundation and how many shares are linked to them.

Anyone who wants to understand the costs of a co-ownership must therefore start with the deed of foundation. There you will find the legal structure of the building, the private lots, the shares, and the basic rules for cost distribution.

Your shares not only determine your portion of the building, but can also determine how much you pay

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