When do you need an apartment division drawing?
An apartment division drawing is mandatory as soon as a building is legally divided into separate apartment rights or business units. The drawing accompanies the deed of division drawn up by the notary and is registered by the Land Registry in the public registers. Without a valid apartment division drawing, an apartment cannot be sold, financed or transferred separately.
Common situations in which an apartment division drawing is needed:
- A city building that is divided into several apartments for sale.
- A multi-tenant business building with separate units for independent sale or rental.
- A change to an existing division, such as merging two apartments.
- Adding a new unit to an existing division, for example a divided ground floor.
What does an apartment division drawing contain?
An apartment division drawing shows, per floor, how the building is divided into separate units. Each unit is given a unique index number that matches the deed of division and the division regulations. Private sections are clearly distinguished from communal spaces such as stairwells, hallways and storage areas. Surface areas are calculated per unit, so that the voting ratio within the owners' association can be determined.
The drawing also contains a north arrow, a scale indication and the plot boundaries according to the cadastral registration. For a multi-level division, the building is shown with several floor plans, one per floor including basement and attic if these form part of the division.
Land Registry, notary and owners' association
The Land Registry imposes strict requirements on format and line thickness. An apartment division drawing is supplied as a PDF on A3 or A4, with a predefined stamp and title block. The notary checks whether the drawing matches the text of the deed of division and the division regulations. Inconsistencies lead to the drawing being returned and to a delay in registration.
After registration, the drawing forms the legal basis for the owners' association: the designation of communal spaces and private sections determines who is responsible for maintenance, and the surface area per unit determines the voting ratio and the contribution to the association fee. A correct drawing prevents disputes within the association after completion.
What does an apartment division drawing cost?
An apartment division drawing is available from €250. The final price depends on the number of units, the number of floors and the complexity of the building. A multi-tenant building with stacked apartments, several storage complexes and communal spaces requires more drawing work than a semi-detached house divided into two units.
In addition to the drawing work, you should account for notary fees for the deed of division, registration fees from the Land Registry and, depending on the municipality, permit fees or a permit for creating dwellings. When dividing an existing home into several independent dwellings, an environmental permit procedure often also applies.
Difference from other drawings
An apartment division drawing is a legal document that accompanies the deed of division and is registered with the Land Registry by the notary. A cadastral drawing can also refer more broadly to drawings for plot boundaries, ownership registration or boundary corrections. A structural division drawing for the municipality concerns construction, fire safety and acoustic separation between units. A different file from that of the notary.
For a complete division, both documents are often needed: the legal apartment division drawing for the Land Registry and the notary, and the structural drawing for the municipality. We coordinate both processes so that the complete file is internally consistent.
