Quebec real estate glossary · French to English
Copropriété divise et indivise = Divided and undivided co-ownership. Divise is divided co-ownership. Indivise is undivided co-ownership. Both terms appear in the English Civil Code of Quebec.
En bref, en français : « Copropriété divise » se dit divided co-ownership, et « copropriété indivise » undivided co-ownership. Les deux figurent dans la version anglaise du Code civil.
The Civil Code of Quebec, in its official English version, sets out co-ownership as one of the principal modalities of ownership, and uses divided co-ownership and undivided co-ownership as the two forms.
This is not a nuance of vocabulary. It changes what you own, how you finance it, and what you are exposed to.
The practical difference
- Divided: your unit has its own cadastral lot and its own tax bill. This is what most people mean by a condo. There is a syndicate, a declaration of co-ownership, and a contingency fund.
- Undivided: co-owners hold shares in a single property. Financing is different, the down payment requirement is usually higher, and the arrangement between co-owners carries much more weight.
Words that come with it
Syndicate, declaration of co-ownership, common portions, private portions, special assessment. If you are buying a condo in Quebec in English, these are the five you will meet first.
Say it in a sentence
The word on its own is rarely the problem. These are the sentences you will actually hear, and what they become in English.
| Vous entendrez | In English |
|---|---|
| C'est une copropriété divise avec syndicat. | It is a divided co-ownership with a syndicate. |
| En indivise, la mise de fonds est plus élevée. | In undivided co-ownership, the down payment is higher. |
| Le syndicat a voté une cotisation spéciale. | The syndicate voted a special assessment. |
The mistake we see most often
The mistake is shopping on price without checking which one you are looking at. An undivided unit can look like a bargain next to a comparable condo, and the gap is usually explained by the financing rules and by the agreement among co-owners rather than by the quality of the building. Ask which form of co-ownership it is on the first visit, not at the financing stage.
Where this fits in a Quebec transaction
Buying or selling in Quebec means signing documents that exist in both languages, written under civil law rather than common law. A word-for-word translation is sometimes right and sometimes actively misleading. The full list is in our Quebec real estate glossary, French to English.
Related terms
- divise or indivise, the full comparison
- notary in English
- buying with our team
- municipal assessment in English
Questions we get asked
How do you say copropriété divise in English?
Divided co-ownership. Copropriété indivise is undivided co-ownership. Both terms are used in the official English version of the Civil Code of Quebec.
Which one is a condo?
In everyday speech, condo means divided co-ownership: a unit with its own lot and its own tax account, in a building run by a syndicate.
Is undivided co-ownership riskier?
It is different rather than simply riskier, but financing rules and the agreement among co-owners matter far more than in divided co-ownership. Read both before committing.
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, number one team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. We work in French and in English. Tell us about your project.