What Is Strata Title? What Condo Owners Actually Hold

By Winfred Quek · CEA R073319H · Published 26 October 2026

Facts verified: 26 October 2026 · Sources listed below

Most buyers of a condo unit think they own "the unit". The law is more precise, and the precision matters when a lift needs replacing, a neighbour keeps a dog, or a roof terrace leaks. This page walks through what a strata title gives you, using the statutes on Singapore Statutes Online. It describes the rules and makes no price or legal recommendation. The glossary entry on strata title is the short definition. This is the longer version.

A note on names. Since 1 October 2025 the Singapore Statutes Online short title of the management Act is the Building (Strata Management) Act 2004. Older articles call it the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act, so you will see both names in print. Both labels refer to the same Act.

The four things a strata title gives you

1. Your lot

The Land Titles (Strata) Act says a "lot" is a stratum shown as a lot on a strata title plan. A stratum, under the management Act, is a space of any shape, above, on or below the surface, whose dimensions are delineated. So you hold a defined volume of space, not a plot of ground. SLA says subsidiary strata certificates of title are issued for units in a strata subdivided development, so that legal title to each unit can be transferred. It issues them once a development with three or more strata units is completed up to roof level and URA's Chief Planner has granted strata subdivision approval. Your title is that certificate, and the Act calls the registered owner of a lot a subsidiary proprietor. A lessee with a registered lease of 21 years or more unexpired can also count as a subsidiary proprietor under the definition.

2. An undivided share of the common property

Common property is, broadly, what is not inside any lot and is used or capable of being used by the occupiers of two or more lots. The management Act also lists examples that count as common property: foundations, load bearing walls, columns, beams and slabs, the external wall, roof or facade used by two or more lots, gardens, car parks and recreational facilities outside any lot, central air conditioning and fire sprinkler systems, and pipes, wires and ducts serving more than one lot. Where it applies, the definition also includes a structural element of the building and the waterproof membrane attached to an external wall or roof, even if it sits inside a lot.

The Land Titles (Strata) Act says the subsidiary proprietors hold the common property as tenants in common, in proportion to their share value, for the same term and tenure as their lots. There is no separate title for the common property. Your share is certified on your own certificate of title and cannot be disposed of except together with your lot. When you sell the lot, the share goes with it automatically.

3. A share value

Share value is the number that links everything. The management Act defines it as the share value of the lot as shown in the schedule of strata units, and says it determines three things: the voting rights of the owners of that lot, the size of your undivided share in the common property, and the contributions the management corporation can levy on you. Once the management corporation is constituted, the share value of a lot cannot be altered except where the Acts say so. The definition quoted from the statute does not say that share value equals floor area, so do not assume it does. If you want to know how a unit's share value compares with its neighbours, read the schedule.

4. A seat in the management corporation

On registration of the strata title application, the owners of all lots in the plan constitute the management corporation. This is why the MCST exists automatically and why you cannot opt out. Read more in our MCST glossary entry and the page on how town councils and MCSTs differ.

Source: Singapore Statutes Online, Land Titles (Strata) Act 1967, sections 1, 10A, 11 and 13, https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/LTSA1967, checked 26 October 2026.

Source: Singapore Statutes Online, Building (Strata Management) Act 2004, sections 2 and 62, https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/BSMA2004, checked 26 October 2026.

Source: SLA, Issue of Titles (last updated 29 December 2025), https://www.sla.gov.sg/regulatory/property-ownership/issue-of-titles/, checked 26 October 2026.

What the MCST must do, and what you pay

The management Act makes it the duty of the management corporation to control, manage and administer the common property for the benefit of all owners, to keep it in good and serviceable repair, renewing or replacing it where reasonably necessary, and to arrange insurance as the Act requires. It does this through a council and general meetings. See how an MCST AGM works for the meeting side.

The money comes from contributions. The Act says the management corporation must, by ordinary resolution, determine the amounts reasonable and necessary for regular maintenance, common expenses and insurance premiums, and also for longer cycle items such as painting, major repairs and the renewal or replacement of common property. Contributions are payable in shares proportional to the share value of each lot, subject to the Act's exceptions. Our page on condo maintenance fees goes into the numbers.

Two details are easy to miss. First, if the previous owner left a contribution unpaid, the Act makes the new owner jointly and severally liable with that person for it, subject to a further provision of the Act. Second, the Act lets an owner, a mortgagee or a prospective purchaser apply in writing, with the prescribed fee, to inspect the strata roll, minutes of general meetings and council meetings, the books of account and the last statement of accounts, and to obtain a certificate showing the lot's contributions and any amounts unpaid. A buyer's lawyer will normally handle this, but it helps to know the right exists.

Source: Singapore Statutes Online, Building (Strata Management) Act 2004, sections 29, 39, 40 and 47, https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/BSMA2004, checked 26 October 2026.

By laws: the rules that come with the lot

Every parcel under a strata title plan is regulated by by laws. The Act says the prescribed by laws apply to every development where the management corporation was constituted on or after 1 April 2005, and the management corporation can add its own by special resolution for purposes such as safety and security, restricted common property, pets, parking, floor coverings, garbage disposal, behaviour, and architectural and landscaping guidelines. A new or amended by law has no force until it is lodged with the Commissioner.

The by laws bind the management corporation, every owner, any mortgagee in possession, and any lessee or occupier of a lot, as if each had signed them. A lease of a lot is deemed to contain the tenant's agreement to comply. So a landlord needs to know the rules, and breaches can become disputes. See condo by law violations and condo renovation approval for how this plays out.

The Act separately restricts what you may do in your own lot: you must not interfere with support or shelter your lot gives to another lot or the common property, interfere with services passing through your lot, or cause a nuisance or hazard to other occupiers.

Source: Singapore Statutes Online, Building (Strata Management) Act 2004, sections 32 and 63, https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/BSMA2004, checked 26 October 2026.

Limited common property and exclusive use

Not all common property is shared equally. The Act recognises limited common property, which is common property designated for the exclusive benefit of the owners of two or more, but not all, lots. It can be managed by a subsidiary management corporation. Separately, the management corporation can pass an exclusive use by law that gives an owner exclusive use of part of the common property, with the owner's written consent. The Act sets durations: up to one year by ordinary resolution, over one year and up to 3 years by special resolution, and over 3 years by a 90% resolution. The by law must say whether the management corporation or the owner carries out the maintenance duties. That matters for private terraces and similar spaces, which our penthouse glossary page touches on.

Strata landed homes, tenure and en bloc

Cluster housing can also be strata titled, which means it has an MCST even though it looks like landed property. See strata landed cluster housing and condo versus landed strata. Because the common property shares the same tenure as your lot, the leasehold or freehold question applies to both, as in freehold versus leasehold. Because the owners hold the land together, a collective sale is a different process from a single owner selling, covered in the en bloc guide.

General questions to ask before you buy

• What is the lot's share value, and what monthly contribution does it produce?
• What do the latest general meeting minutes and accounts show about repairs, reserves and any special levy?
• What do the by laws say about pets, renovation, subletting and parking?
• Is any common property used exclusively by this unit, and who maintains it?
• Are any contributions unpaid on the lot?

These are prompts for your own lawyer and the MCST, not legal advice. Winfred can talk through the commercial side with you.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a strata lot and common property?

A lot is a stratum shown on the strata title plan, such as your unit. Common property is what lies outside any lot and is used or usable by occupiers of two or more lots, plus certain items such as structural elements and shared pipes. You own the lot outright and hold an undivided share of the common property with the other owners.

What does share value decide?

Under the Building (Strata Management) Act 2004, the share value in the schedule of strata units determines the owners' voting rights, the size of their undivided share in the common property, and the contributions the MCST can levy. It cannot be altered after the MCST is constituted except where the Acts allow.

Can I sell my share of the common property separately?

No. The Land Titles (Strata) Act says a share in the common property cannot be disposed of except together with the lot, and a transfer of the lot carries the share automatically.

Do the by laws apply to tenants?

Yes. The Act says by laws bind owners, mortgagees in possession, lessees and occupiers as if they had signed them, and a lease of a lot is deemed to include the tenant's agreement to comply.

Winfred Quek, CEA R073319H, Crestbrick Pte Ltd (L3010886H). General information as at 26 October 2026, not legal, financial, tax or property advice. Statute wording is paraphrased from Singapore Statutes Online and may be amended. This page makes no price forecast.