The law behind every apartment building and gated complex in Colombia: how the regime is created, private units and common property, co-ownership coefficients, common charges and default interest, the general meeting, the administrator and gated complexes. Full text in English with the Spanish original under every paragraph.
Definitions, constitution by public deed, termination and reconstruction, private units, common property, co-ownership coefficients, common charges and default interest, the legal person.
Arts. 37–87Meetings, administration, disputes and gated complexesThe general meeting, quorum and majorities, the administrator, board and statutory auditor, dispute resolution and penalties, gated residential complexes, final provisions.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 3 Aug 2001 | Law enacted |
| 2002 | Constitutional Court rulings protecting non-owner residents (C-318-02) and others |
| 2021 | Law 2079 of 2021 amends Arts. 8, 25, 29, 35 and 36 |
In a Colombian apartment you own your unit outright and a share of the common property defined by the coefficient in the by-laws (Art. 25). The by-laws (reglamento) are part of the deed registered in the land registry (Art. 4); read them before buying, especially on use restrictions, pets, parking and short-term letting.
Monthly administration fees are compulsory and bear default interest of 1.5 times the bank rate (Art. 30). Buyers should ask for a certificate of no debt (paz y salvo) from the administrator before signing; the charges follow the unit (Art. 29).
The general meeting meets at least once a year. Ordinary decisions need more than half of the coefficients; the decisions listed in Art. 46 — by-law changes, change of use of common property, extraordinary charges above a threshold and others — need 70%. In residential buildings the Constitutional Court limits voting by coefficient to decisions with economic content (note to Art. 45).
Acts that have changed this Law and Constitutional Court rulings on it, as recorded by the Senate database, with the articles they concern.
| Act | Articles |
|---|---|
| Judgment C-265-02 | Art. 64 |
| Judgment C-318-02 | Arts. 1, 3, 32, 37, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 49, 50, 51, 53, 58, 59, 62 |
| Judgment C-488-02 | Art. 86 |
| Judgment C-522-02 | Art. 37 |
| Judgment C-670-02 | Art. 56 |
| Judgment C-738-02 | Art. 45 |
| Law 1564 of 2012 | Arts. 49, 58, 62 |
| Law 2079 of 2021 | Art. 25 |
Rent caps, renewal, termination and landlord registration.
PropertyLaw 1579 of 2012: land registrationThe land registry, registration records and certificates of title.
PropertyLaw 160 of 1994: agrarian reform and public landsBaldíos, the Family Agricultural Unit and the limits on acquiring former public land.
PropertyLaw 1776 of 2016: ZIDRESLarge agricultural projects on state land under contract.
Foreign investmentRegistration of a real estate investmentReal estate bought by a non-resident is direct foreign investment (Decree 1068 of 2015, Art. 2.17.2.2.1.2).
Cite the article and paragraph, and link to the paragraph anchor. For example:
Unofficial translation by BCA LatAm for information. Only the Spanish text published in the Diario Oficial is authentic. Article headings are editorial; chapter, section and marginal headings are the law’s own. Text checked against the text in the basic legislation database of the Secretaría General del Senado (secretariasenado.gov.co), with its notes on amendments and Constitutional Court rulings; struck-out words are omitted and marked […] on 27 October 2026. This page is not legal advice.
Title and by-law review, notary, registration and foreign investment filing. Fixed quote within one business day.
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