Condominium Property Act 2001 in Plain English

What does the Condominium Property Act say?

The Act sets up a system of separate ownership of individual units in a building with several units. Section 1 calls this a condominium: each unit is meant for separate ownership, and the rest of the building and land is shared by the unit owners. In plain words, you own the flat, and you co-own the corridors, stairs, roof structure, land and shared services with your neighbours.

The Act has six parts: preliminary matters; division of a building into units and registration; easements; management and use of the property; dealings in units; and miscellaneous rules. It also has two schedules. The First Schedule fixes a currency point at UGX 20,000, which matters because fines in the Act are counted in currency points. The Second Schedule lists what a developer's sale agreement must contain.

This page reads the law for a buyer. It is general information, not legal advice. Section numbers below follow the 2001 text published by the Ministry of Lands. A later revised edition of the laws may number sections differently, so ask your advocate to check the current consolidated text. If you are comparing apartments before you read the law, start with Houses for sale Kampala.

Do I get my own title for an apartment?

Yes, where the building is a registered condominium. A proprietor or developer divides a building into two or more units by registering a condominium plan with the registrar (section 2). The registrar then closes the register for the whole parcel and opens a separate part of the register for each unit, and issues a certificate of title for the unit once the prescribed fee is paid (section 3). KTA Advocates describes the result in the same way: the buyer gets a title independent of the other unit owners.

Section 4 applies the Registration of Titles Act to these titles. A unit title is treated as issued under that Act, and the owner may sell, transfer, lease, charge or otherwise deal with the unit as with other registered land. Section 1 defines an owner as the person registered as owner of a freehold, mailo or leasehold estate in a unit, so the tenure of the underlying land carries through to the unit.

If a seller talks about a "master title" instead, read condominium title vs master title before you pay anything. For the registration steps themselves, see Registering a Condominium Plan and Unit Titles.

What are common property and the unit factor?

Common property is the part of the building that does not belong to any one unit and is used by all owners. Section 1 says it includes the land, the support structures, the infrastructure and the services. Section 6 says the owners of all units hold it as tenants in common, in shares proportional to their unit factors. A share in common property cannot be sold or charged on its own. It moves with the unit, so a sale or mortgage of the unit carries the share without any special mention.

The unit factor is each unit's share of the common property, the common facilities and the corporation's assets. It also decides how much of the common expenses the owner pays, and under section 23 it decides the owner's voting power. The Regulations (regulation 10) require the unit factors of all units in a plan to add up to 10,000. They add that no formula is prescribed, but floor area is the usual method: a unit of a square metres in a building with total area A has a factor of a divided by A, times 10,000. The register form shows the share as so many "ten thousandths".

Section 11 draws the boundary of a unit at the interior finished surface of its floor, walls and ceiling, and doors and windows belong to the unit unless the plan says otherwise. Section 18 limits an owner's liability for interests entered on the plan to the owner's unit factor share. Our page on Parking, Rooftops and Common Areas in Condos shows how this works for parking and roofs.

Who runs the building after you buy?

When a plan is registered, a corporation is created by law called "The owners' Condominium Plan No. ..." (section 19). Its members are the unit owners. It has perpetual succession and a common seal, it can sue and be sued, and the Companies Act does not apply to it. Section 20 gives it the job of managing common property, keeping it in repair, insuring buildings against fire, and building a fund for administrative expenses by levying contributions on units in proportion to their unit entitlement. It may not trade (section 20(11)).

A management board is elected under the corporation's rules (section 25). The developer must call the meeting that elects the first board within 90 days after half the units are sold, or within 180 days after the first unit is sold, whichever is sooner (section 26). The board then appoints a managing agent within 28 days (section 28), and an annual general meeting must be held each year (section 27). The corporation also makes rules, which can be changed by a special resolution, meaning 75 percent of the voters holding at least 75 percent of the unit factors (sections 1 and 29).

Day-to-day detail is in Owning a Condo Unit and condominium by-laws.

What must a developer give me before I buy?

Section 40 says a developer must not sell or agree to sell a unit unless the buyer has been given copies of: the sale agreement (with the matters in the Second Schedule), the proposed rules, the proposed management agreement, the proposed recreational agreement, the lease of the parcel if the land is leased, a certificate of title for the unit or proposed unit, any charge that may affect the title, and the condominium plan. The Second Schedule requires the sale agreement to state the estimated monthly contributions, the unit factor and how unit factors were worked out.

Whether a developer follows these rules in practice is a separate question, so check the paper before you pay. Our guide to Buying an Apartment Off Plan in Uganda turns them into a checklist.

Which regulations apply, and are there 2022 regulations?

The Condominium Property Regulations, 2002 (Statutory Instrument 29 of 2002) were made by the Minister on 12 April 2002. They cover the register of plans and units, the form and sheets of a plan, unit numbers and factors, lodging a plan, subdividing or consolidating units, the forms of titles and notices, and fees. KTA Advocates describes the framework as the 2001 Act and the 2002 Regulations "as amended in 2012". We did not find any Condominium Property Regulations of 2022 in our research, so we do not cite any. If a developer or seller quotes 2022 rules, ask for the statutory instrument number and check it with an advocate. This is the position as of November 2026.

The Act itself says regulations may prescribe forms, the manner of registering plans, fees and maximum fines for breach of corporation rules (section 55). Approvals from the local authority are part of the process, and our page on the Building Control Amendment Act 2025 covers the building-approval side. For comparison, the same plain-English treatment of another Act is in Forestry and Tree Planting Act in Plain English.

How can condominium status end, and why does it matter now?

Condominium status can be ended by a unanimous resolution of all owners, followed by a court declaration that ending it is just and equitable, taking account of owners, mortgagees and buyers (section 47). The owners then become tenants in common of the parcel in shares proportional to their unit factors, and the corporation must dispose of the property with written consent from everyone holding a registered interest (section 48). A court may also order settlement if the building is damaged (section 46).

The reason to learn this law now is Kampala's demand for flats. Our 3 November 2026 listings show 19 properties in the apartment category with a median asking price of UGX 1.3B, but at least 12 are whole rental blocks, not single units, and only a handful look like condominium developments (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026). A Makerere University master's dissertation (2025) found that the law is strong on paper but held back by lengthy registration and approval processes, weak enforcement and limited awareness. Read it alongside Kampala housing deficit. When you are ready to see a unit, book an escorted site visit, or browse apartment listings.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Owning a Condo Unit: Your Rights and Duties
• Registering a Condominium Plan and Unit Titles
• Condominium Title vs Master Title: Which Are You Buying?
• Condominium By-Laws and the Owners' Corporation
• Buying an Apartment Off Plan in Uganda: 12 Checks
• Homes and Condominiums for Sale in Uganda