Participation quotas: what they are and why they rule

In your title deed there is a number with decimals that almost nobody looks at, and it decides two very important things: how much you pay and how much your vote counts.

What it is

The quota (or participation share) is the percentage your flat represents of the whole building. All of them add up to 100. It is set in the deed constituting the horizontal property and the owners meeting does not decide it.

What it is used for

• To split common expenses, unless something else has been validly agreed.
• To calculate majorities in votes. Many resolutions require a double majority: of owners and of quotas.

That is why well-drafted minutes always show both figures: how many voted and what quota they added up to.

Why it sometimes looks unfair

Because it does not depend on floor area alone. When it is set, the expected use of common areas, the floor and the location can all be weighted. A ground-floor unit with its own entrance and a top-floor flat with a terrace can end up with quotas that match nobody intuition.

Can it be changed?

Yes, but it is serious: changing the quotas alters the constituting deed and, as a general rule, requires unanimity, plus formalising it in a deed and registering it. It is not an ordinary resolution.

There are narrow exceptions (for example, where there has been a real physical alteration of the building), but the practical rule is: count on unanimity and on a notary.

What you can do without touching them

Agree different splits for specific expenses. It is common and perfectly valid: the lift the ground-floor flats do not use, the pool, the entrance hall. It requires a resolution with the applicable majority, properly recorded in the minutes and, where appropriate, in the by-laws.

The practical point

If your building has a recurring argument about who pays what, it is almost always better resolved with an agreement on splitting by category than by trying to change the quotas. The second almost never gets through.