Living in a PPE: the rules of good neighbourly life

The day you signed the notarised deed (authentic deed) for your PPE flat, you became the owner of something rather particular: a private lot that is entirely yours, and at the same time a fraction of a whole that belongs to everyone. This duality is at the heart of what it means to live in a PPE (condominium ownership). It is why some neighbours find themselves voting together on replacing the boiler, sharing the costs of a lift they do not all use with the same frequency, or debating the rules on quiet hours. Neither an isolated owner nor a tenant, the co-owner occupies a position that deserves to be well understood before it can be well lived.

What you actually own

Under Swiss law, condominium ownership is governed by the Civil Code (CC). Each owner holds a share of the entire building, expressed in thousandths or fractions. This share gives them the exclusive right to use their lot — the flat, the cellar, the allocated parking space — and a share of ownership in the common parts: the entrance hall, the stairwell, the roof, the façade, the main pipework, the shared garden.

The distinction between private and common parts is not always intuitive. A terrace may be private in its use yet common in its structure. A load-bearing wall belongs to the community even if it runs along your living room. The general rule: everything that ensures the solidity and weatherproofing of the building is common; everything that serves exclusively one lot is private. When in doubt, the administration and use regulations — the founding document of the PPE — settle the matter. This document should be in your purchase file; if you do not have it, the land register (registre foncier) holds a copy.

The co-owners' meeting

The collective life of the PPE is organised around the co-owners' meeting. It convenes in principle once a year, called by the administrator or, in a small community, by one of the owners. This is where the important decisions are made: approval of the accounts, draft budget, works on the common parts, amendment of the regulations.

The majority rules vary according to the nature of the decision. Ordinary administrative acts — engaging a gardener, repairing a gutter — require a simple majority of votes present and represented, calculated according to the ownership shares. Major works or amendments to the regulations require qualified majorities, and sometimes unanimity. Understanding these thresholds before championing a project avoids a great deal of disappointment.

If you cannot attend the meeting, you may give a proxy to another co-owner or, depending on the regulations, to a third party. Not taking part means letting others decide on your behalf — including expenditure that you will be funding.

Charges and the renewal fund

Each co-owner contributes to the common charges in proportion to their ownership share, unless the regulations provide otherwise. These charges cover the routine upkeep of the common parts, the ECA building insurance, the administrator's fees, shared energy supplies, and contributions to the renewal fund.

This renewal fund deserves particular attention. It accumulates reserves set aside for future works: roof renovation, replacement of common windows, bringing installations up to standard. A well-funded reserve protects every owner from an unexpected special levy — sometimes called a special call for funds — when a major project can no longer be deferred. Before buying a PPE flat, it is worth knowing the state of this fund. A low balance in an ageing building is a signal not to ignore; if you are considering having your property valued, it is one of the elements that a serious valuation opinion takes into account.

What you may do in your home

Within your private lot, you are free — but not without limits. You may renovate your kitchen, move non-load-bearing partition walls, and change your floor covering. You may not alter the façade, install a roof light, enlarge a terrace, or pierce a load-bearing wall without the agreement of the community, and sometimes of the commune. The regulations generally specify what falls within your sole discretion and what requires collective approval.

Nuisance is also regulated. Quiet hours, use of the common parts, keeping animals: these are all points set out in the use regulations. These rules are not mere recommendations. A co-owner who persistently violates them may, in extreme cases, be compelled to sell their share by court order — a rare procedure, but one provided for by the Civil Code.

The role of the administrator

The community of co-owners may entrust management to a professional administrator or appoint one of their number to that role. The administrator carries out the decisions of the meeting, manages the common finances, convenes meetings, oversees the upkeep of the building, and acts as the point of contact in the event of a claim or dispute.

Their mandate is revocable. If the management seems lacking — opaque accounts, urgent works ignored, late notices — the meeting may decide otherwise, by the required majority. Keeping the minutes of past meetings, verifying that the accounts are audited, and asking questions about the renewal fund are simple habits that make the difference between a well-run co-ownership and one that drifts.

Selling your PPE flat

When the time comes to sell your lot, the PPE does not confer a statutory right of pre-emption on the other co-owners — unless the regulations provide for one. You are free to sell to whoever you choose, at the price the market will bear. The deed remains a notarised deed, executed before a Vaud notary; the purchase costs, property transfer duties (droits de mutation), and the land register fee are borne by the buyer, while you, as the seller, bear the property gains tax (impôt sur les gains immobiliers) if you make a profit.

Consider a couple selling a PPE flat in Pully after ten years of ownership. Their buyer will want to consult the minutes of the most recent meetings, know the balance of the renewal fund, and verify that no dispute is ongoing with the community. These documents form part of the sale file; having them ready speeds up the transaction and builds confidence. To understand what your flat is worth today, the La Juste Mesure page explains in detail how a valuation draws on real comparable sales, line by line.

Living in a PPE means exercising two forms of ownership at once: your own, within the bounds of the private lot, and that of everyone, with the rights and responsibilities that come with it.

What this means in practice depends on your building, the age of the structure, the quality of the administration, and the dynamic between co-owners. Two PPEs in the same street can have very different cultures. If you are considering buying a lot, carrying out renovation work, or selling your own, these nuances matter as much as the price per square metre. The online Advisor can help you ask the right questions for your situation, before you take the next step.