What is a condominium association: a guide for administrators
TL;DR: A condominium association (propiedad horizontal in Colombia) is the legal regime that governs buildings and communities where several owners share structure and common areas: each person owns their private unit and, together with the others, co-owns shared spaces like hallways, parking lots, or social areas. In Colombia this is regulated by Law 675 of 2001, which creates a legal entity (the co-ownership) represented by an administrator and governed by a general assembly of owners.
If you own an apartment, an office, or a house inside a gated community, chances are you live or work under a condominium association regime, even if you have never read the bylaws that govern it. This guide explains what the term means, how it works legally in Colombia, and who actually makes decisions within a co-ownership.
Definition: what a condominium association actually is
A condominium association is the legal structure that divides a property (a building, a set of houses, a shopping center) into individually owned private units, plus common areas that belong to all owners together: hallways, stairwells, facade, shared parking, social areas. In Colombia the regime is called propiedad horizontal, literally "horizontal property," because unlike dividing land vertically (lot by lot), it "divides" a single building horizontally, floor by floor or unit by unit, within one shared structure.
How it is regulated in Colombia: Law 675 of 2001
In Colombia, this regime is regulated by Law 675 of 2001. The law creates a specific legal figure: once a building or community is formally established under this regime, a legal entity is born (the co-ownership), separate from each individual owner, with its own bylaws, its own assets (association dues and common property), and its own legal representation. Depending on its size or the use of its common areas, some co-ownerships also have a fiscal auditor (revisor fiscal) who audits the financial management.
The governing bodies of a co-ownership
A co-ownership established under this regime is governed through three main bodies. The general assembly of owners is the highest authority: it approves the bylaws, the annual budget, and the broadest decisions. The board of directors, when the bylaws provide for one, oversees management between assemblies and approves intermediate decisions. The administrator carries out day-to-day management and answers to the other two bodies. See the full breakdown of these responsibilities in duties of a condo association administrator.
Condominium association vs "condo": is it the same thing?
In Colombia, propiedad horizontal is the correct legal and technical term, the one that appears in deeds, bylaws, and Law 675 of 2001. "Condo" or "condominium" is used loosely in everyday speech and in other Latin American countries, but it is not the term recognized by Colombian legislation. When researching legal information or drafting formal documents for a Colombian co-ownership, propiedad horizontal is the correct term to use.
Security and access control within the condominium association regime
The law does not spell out how a co-ownership's security should be handled, but the assembly and the board are the ones who set the protocol, and the administrator is the one who carries it out day to day. Many co-ownerships in Colombia are modernizing this process with digital access control, which replaces the paper front desk logbook with a record where every visit is authorized by the resident, verified by security, and permanently documented. Learn more about designing a full program in residential security for community administrators.
Frequently asked questions
What is a condominium association in one sentence? It is the legal regime that divides a property into individually owned private units plus common areas shared among all owners, regulated in Colombia by Law 675 of 2001.
What is the difference between "co-ownership" and "condominium association"? The terms are closely related: the condominium association is the legal regime, and the co-ownership is the legal entity created when a building or community is formally established under that regime. In practice they are used almost interchangeably.
Who can be an administrator of a co-ownership in Colombia? Each co-ownership's bylaws define whether the role is filled by an owner elected by the assembly, or by a natural or legal person hired externally to carry out the function.
What happens if a building is never formally established under the regime? Without formal establishment, the building lacks the legal entity, the bylaws, and the governing bodies the law requires, which makes it harder to legally enforce dues collection, manage common areas with legal backing, and represent the community before third parties.
Does the condominium association regime only apply to residential buildings? No. It also applies to commercial, mixed-use, and industrial developments that divide a single property into private units plus common areas, following the same legal regime under Law 675 of 2001.