Horizontal division and the deed of constitution: the building's founding papers

Every building held in horizontal property has its "birth certificate". Knowing how to read it settles questions that look impossible.

What each thing is

• The horizontal division: the deed that divided the building into independent units (each flat, shop, parking space or storage room as a registered property), assigning each its participation share and its description.
• The deed of constitution: the whole that establishes the horizontal property regime — the division plus (usually) the bylaws.

What you will consult it for

• The official shares (the definitive source when the inherited spreadsheet does not add up).
• What exactly is common and what is private (that storage room? The top-floor terrace? The ground-floor patio?).
• Linked annexes (the parking space that comes "attached" to the flat).
• Exemptions and rules from the bylaws.

How to get a copy

A land registry extract (online, a few euros per unit) for the basics; a certificate or copy of the deed of division for the full detail (the registry, or the notary where it was executed). Within 24–48 hours you have it.

The typical practical case

An argument about whether the fifth-floor terrace is private or a common element for exclusive use (it changes who pays for its waterproofing): the EXACT answer is in the description of the unit in the horizontal division. Two euros of registry extract save two years of theories in the chat group.

In the community's archive

Horizontal division plus bylaws plus a clean table of shares: the founding kit, scanned and accessible. It is one of those things you consult rarely — but when you need it, you need exactly it.