Condominium Declaration Mexico (Declaración de Propiedad en Condominio)

A Condominium Declaration Mexico (Declaración de Propiedad en Condominio) is the foundational legal instrument by which the owner or developer of a real property (inmueble) formally constitutes a condominium regime (régimen de propiedad en condominio) over that property, converting it from a single undivided ownership into a system of individual private units (unidades privativas) combined with shared common areas (áreas comunes), all governed by a complete regulatory framework. In Mexico City (Ciudad de México / CDMX), the primary governing statute is the Ley de Propiedad en Condominio de Inmuebles para el Distrito Federal — which has undergone significant reform cycles and remains the dominant legislative framework for condominiums in CDMX. Other Mexican states have their own equivalent legislation: Jalisco's Ley de Propiedad en Condominio, Nuevo León's Ley Reguladora de Condominios, and similar state-level statutes govern condominium regimes outside CDMX.

The régimen de propiedad en condominio is a hybrid form of ownership that combines two distinct property rights in a single legal structure. Each condomino (unit owner) holds: (1) private exclusive ownership (propiedad privativa) of their individual unit (departamento, local comercial, bodega, cajón de estacionamiento) — this is a full fee simple ownership right over the private space within the unit's boundaries as defined in the escritura constitutiva del régimen condominial; and (2) a pro-indiviso co-ownership interest (copropiedad pro-indiviso) in the common areas (áreas comunes) of the condominium — including the land (terreno), foundations, structural elements, rooftop (azotea), stairways (escaleras), corridors (pasillos), lobby (vestíbulo), elevators (elevadores), parking areas (estacionamiento common), gardens (jardines), and utility systems (instalaciones comunes de agua, electricidad, gas). The pro-indiviso interest is expressed as a percentage (porcentaje de indiviso) proportional to the private unit's size relative to the total constructed area of the condominium.

The Declaración de Propiedad en Condominio must be executed as an escritura pública (public deed) before a Notario Público and inscribed in the Registro Público de la Propiedad (RPP) of the relevant state — without notarial deed and RPP inscription, the condominium regime does not legally exist and individual unit titles cannot be separately registered. The escritura constitutiva del régimen condominial is the root document from which all individual unit escrituras de compraventa derive their legal basis — when a developer sells an individual unit (departamento), the buyer's escritura de compraventa references the inscription number of the régimen condominial in the RPP.

Under the Ley de Propiedad en Condominio de Inmuebles para el Distrito Federal, the escritura constitutiva (condominium declaration) must identify: the number, location, and dimensions of each private unit (unidad privativa); the boundaries of each unit (linderos) with adjacent units and common areas; the surface area (superficie) of each unit in square metres; the percentage of undivided interest (porcentaje de indiviso) assigned to each unit, which determines each owner's voting weight in the Asamblea General de Condóminos and their proportionate share of common expenses (cuotas de mantenimiento); the description of all common areas and general common facilities; and the initial internal rules of administration (reglamento del condominio).

The constitutional foundation for the régimen condominial in Mexican law is the freedom of property (libre uso y disfrute de la propiedad) recognised in Article 27 of the Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, read in conjunction with Article 830 CCF establishing the rights of the owner of a property (dueño de una cosa) to use, enjoy, and dispose of it with the limitations established by law. The régimen condominial creates a specific legal framework that qualifies these property rights with the duties of co-existence and proportionate contribution to the collective maintenance of the shared infrastructure.

A Condominium Declaration Mexico is required whenever a property owner or real estate developer wishes to legally establish a condominium regime (régimen de propiedad en condominio) over an existing or newly constructed building, creating individual legally registrable and saleable units from what was previously a single undivided property.

The declaración is needed when a residential apartment building (edificio de departamentos) is developed for sale — the developer must constitute the régimen condominial before executing individual escrituras de compraventa for each departamento. Without the condominium declaration and its RPP inscription, individual units cannot receive separate folio real numbers in the RPP, and buyers cannot independently register their title to individual apartments.

The declaration is required when a commercial building with multiple independent offices (oficinas), retail units (locales comerciales), or industrial spaces (bodegas o naves industriales) is developed or converted into individually saleable units — each occupying a private area while sharing common infrastructure such as elevators, parking, and utility systems.

A declaración en condominio is needed when an existing single-family house (casa habitación) is divided into multiple residential units — a common practice in urban densification projects in Mexico City and other major cities — to legally formalise the conversion of the unified property into independently registrable condominium units with their respective private areas and indiviso percentages.

The declaration is also required when a mixed-use development (desarrollo de uso mixto) combines residential, commercial, and parking uses in a single building — the condominium declaration must define the different types of condominios (residencial, comercial, estacionamiento) and the applicable rules for each category.

Under the Ley de Propiedad en Condominio de Inmuebles para el Distrito Federal and equivalent state legislation, the constitution of a régimen condominial by escritura pública and RPP inscription is a prerequisite for any sale, mortgage, or lease of individual condominium units — without this foundation document, no valid individual unit titles can be issued.

A Declaracion de Propiedad en Condominio is also required when an existing condominium regime needs to be modified, for example when the developer or assembly of owners wishes to add new phases (etapas) to an existing development, incorporate additional units, or redesign common area distribution. Under the Ley de Propiedad en Condominio de Inmuebles para el Distrito Federal, any modification to the original escritura constitutiva requires a notarial deed of modification (escritura de modificacion del regimen condominial) and re-inscription in the Registro Publico de la Propiedad, producing a supplementary declaracion that updates the original regime documentation with revised unit descriptions, updated indiviso percentages, and new common area boundaries. Developers operating in states outside CDMX must comply with equivalent modification procedures under the applicable state ley de condominio.

A valid Condominium Declaration Mexico under the Ley de Propiedad en Condominio de Inmuebles para el Distrito Federal must contain the following essential elements:

Constituting Owner or Developer Identification: Full legal name, RFC, CURP, and domicile of the property owner (propietario) or real estate developer (desarrollador inmobiliario) constituting the condominium regime. For legal entities — Sociedades Anónimas de Capital Variable (S.A. de C.V.), Sociedades de Responsabilidad Limitada (S. de R.L.), or Fideicomisos — the entity RFC, Registro Público de Comercio inscription, the representative's name and power of attorney (poder notarial) number must be documented.

Property Legal Description: The full legal description of the land and building over which the condominium regime is constituted — address, folio real from the RPP, clave catastral from the Catastro Municipal, total land area (superficie del terreno) in square metres, total constructed area (superficie total construida) in square metres, and the number of above-ground (niveles sobre rasante) and below-ground (niveles bajo rasante) levels. Reference to the required municipal construction permits (licencias de construcción) and the architect's certification (memoria descriptiva) should be included.

Description of Each Private Unit (Unidades Privativas): For each individual condominium unit — sequential unit number (número de unidad or número de departamento); type (residencial, comercial, estacionamiento, bodega); floor level (planta baja, 1er piso, etc.); cardinal boundaries (linderos norte, sur, este, oeste) with adjacent units and common areas; private area in square metres (superficie privativa); and any private areas attached to the unit (terraza, jardin privado, cajón de estacionamiento asignado). A architectural floor plan (plano arquitectónico) certified by the responsible architect and bearing the stamp of the municipal authority must be attached to the escritura.

Undivided Interest Percentages (Porcentajes de Indiviso): The pro-indiviso percentage assigned to each private unit, which must total exactly 100% across all units. Under the Ley de Propiedad en Condominio, the indiviso percentage is typically calculated in proportion to the private unit's surface area relative to the total private area of the condominium — though other calculation methods (e.g. weighting by location, floor level, or commercial value) may be used if stated in the declaration. The indiviso percentage determines each owner's share of: votes in the Asamblea General de Condóminos; liability for common expenses (cuotas de mantenimiento y administración); and interest in the common areas upon dissolution of the condominium regime.

Description of Common Areas (Áreas Comunes): Identification and description of all areas that are not private units — structural elements (cimentación, muros maestros, losas), vertical circulation (escaleras, elevadores), horizontal circulation (pasillos, vestíbulos), exterior facade, rooftop (azotea), parking area (si es common), mechanical rooms (cuartos de máquinas, cisterna, planta de emergencia), gardens, and any amenity areas (gimnasio, salón de usos múltiples, alberca). The Ley de Propiedad en Condominio prohibits subdivision or privatisation of common areas — they must remain available to all condóminos in proportion to their indiviso.

Initial Reglamento del Condominio: Many declarations incorporate the initial internal rules of the condominium (reglamento del condominio) as an annex — establishing governance procedures, use restrictions, quiet hours (horarios de silencio), pet policies, guest policies, and the procedures for calling and voting in the Asamblea General de Condóminos. Under the Ley de Propiedad en Condominio, the reglamento may be adopted separately by the assembly of owners.

Under Article 8 of the Ley de Propiedad en Condominio de Inmuebles para el Distrito Federal, Article 830 of the Codigo Civil Federal governing property rights, and Article 3005 of the Codigo Civil Federal governing RPP registration, the condominium declaration must be executed as a public deed and registered.

Forms-legal.com provides this Condominium Declaration Mexico template as a reference document. The formal escritura constitutiva del régimen de propiedad en condominio can only be executed by a licensed Notario Público and must be inscribed in the Registro Público de la Propiedad to create legally separate, saleable condominium units. Consult a Notario Público and a licenciado en derecho specialising in real estate law before constituting any condominium regime in Mexico.