Buying a Co-Ownership Property — FAQs

A co-ownership property — also called a fractional ownership property — is a luxury second home purchased jointly by a small group of owners, typically up to eight. You own a real share of the home — an eighth, a quarter — not a right to use it. You can sell it, pass it on to your heirs, and it rises and falls in value with the house. The legal set-up is arranged by our partner for each home and walked through with you before you buy. A professional management company handles all day-to-day operations — maintenance, housekeeping, pool care, and rental income when the home is not in use — so you simply arrive, enjoy, and leave.

The difference is fundamental: a timeshare sells you a week; co-ownership sells you the house. A timeshare gives you the right to use a resort for a set period each year, or a bundle of points, shared with thousands of others. You own time, not real estate, it is typically worth a fraction of what you paid once you try to sell, and it is notoriously hard to exit. Co-ownership gives you a real share of one specific home, shared with a small group of owners. It moves with the value of the home, you can sell it on the open market at the price you set, and you can leave it to your children. Hundreds of shares in homes like these have already been resold—in just over three months on average, and nearly three in four for more than the owner paid. You enjoy the home flexibly, from as little as 2–3 nights rather than a fixed week every year, and a professional team handles everything, including rentals on homes that allow them.

Most properties are structured into eight equal shares, with each 1/8 share giving you around six weeks of private use a year. Most operators let you buy more than one share of the same home, and each extra share adds the same amount of time; how many you may hold is set per home, and we confirm it for any home you ask about. If you want to own more time overall, you can purchase shares across multiple properties in different destinations. Usage is usually managed via a rotating schedule or digital booking platform that ensures all owners enjoy fair access to peak-season dates over time.

The price of a co-ownership share is fully all-inclusive. It covers your share of the home, any stamp duty or transfer taxes, the full cost of the property purchase, renovation and refurbishment works, professional interior design, furniture and equipment, and the legal set-up arranged by our partner. There are no hidden extras or surprise legal fees at completion. Ongoing costs — annual property management, maintenance, insurance, local taxes, and utilities — are split proportionally between all co-owners, keeping your annual outgoings very low compared to sole ownership of a comparable property.

In general, no — purchase costs are bundled into the share price, so there are no surprise legal fees at completion. Exactly which taxes and fees apply depends on the country and the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy; we recommend independent advice.

Absolutely. There are no nationality restrictions on purchasing real estate in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, or the United States — and co-ownership is available to residents and non-residents alike. A key tax benefit for non-residents buying in France is that the wealth tax (IFI) only applies if the net value of your French real estate assets exceeds €1.3 million. A share is valued at its own fraction, which often keeps owners well below the IFI threshold (€1.3m of net French property) — even in a €5 million villa. How tax works depends on the country and the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy; we recommend independent advice.

Yes. You can purchase a fractional share either in your personal name or through your own limited company, trust, or holding structure. How tax works depends on the country and the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy; we recommend independent advice. You should also speak to your own accountant about any reporting obligations in your home country — the same due diligence you would apply to any second home investment abroad.

The purchase of a fractional share is typically far quicker than buying a whole property. For cash buyers, the process from reservation to completion usually takes 4–8 weeks. This includes the reservation contract, cooling-off period, purchase documentation (in English for our anglophone clients), and settlement. If a mortgage is involved, it may take a few months longer. When you want to sell, resale is handled through our partner's resale process, without you having to sell the whole house. You can also pass your share on to a child or family member, which makes fractional ownership well suited to estate planning.

Yes, buyer protections are built into the co-ownership process. In France, buyers typically benefit from two to three distinct cooling-off periods at different stages of the reservation and share-purchase process. During each window you can withdraw from the purchase without any financial penalty. All contracts and documents are provided in English as well as the local language for our international clients. This transparency and legal protection is one of the reasons co-ownership has been used by families and friends to co-own holiday properties across France and Spain for decades.

Yes — completely. When you book your usage time, you have exclusive access to the entire property: every bedroom, garden, pool, terrace, and amenity. Co-owners rotate their stays so you will never be at the property at the same time as another owner. You are free to invite friends and family to join you, or to allow them to stay independently during your allocated time. In every practical sense, the experience is indistinguishable from whole ownership — the difference is simply the price you paid and the costs you share. You can host dinner parties, post on social media, and treat it entirely as your own home.

Usage is allocated through a clearly defined and fair rotation system. Each 1/8 share gives you around six weeks a year, structured so that all co-owners access high-season and shoulder-season weeks equitably over a multi-year cycle. Many properties also use a digital booking platform that allows owners to reserve specific dates, swap weeks with other owners, or extend stays where availability permits. The property management company administers the schedule and handles all coordination, so owners never need to negotiate directly with each other.

In many cases, yes. A number of our co-ownership properties allow owners to place unused weeks into a professionally managed rental programme. The management company handles guest marketing, booking, check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance. Rental income is returned to you directly. In high-demand destinations — the French Riviera, Ibiza, the French Alps, Colorado — rental yields can be strong enough to offset your annual running costs significantly, and in some cases generate a net return on your investment. Always confirm the rental policy for a specific property with our team before purchase.

Every co-ownership property on our platform is looked after by a dedicated professional property management company. Their remit covers everything: routine maintenance and repairs, professional housekeeping between every stay, pool and garden care, utility management, local tax compliance, and emergency call-out. When you arrive, the home is hotel-ready — fresh linens, stocked essentials, everything in perfect order. You do not need to coordinate tradespeople, worry about the boiler, or spend your holiday managing a property. That burden is entirely removed.

Yes — the properties are genuine freehold assets (in France and Spain). There is no fixed end date on your ownership. You can hold your share for 10, 30, or 50 years, pass it to your children, or sell it. This is a fundamentally different proposition from a timeshare or holiday club membership, which typically expire or carry heavy exit clauses. Your fractional share is a real property asset that appreciates with the underlying real estate market.

Yes on both counts. Every co-ownership property is delivered turnkey — professionally designed interiors, high-quality furniture, fully equipped kitchen, bed linens, towels, and everything needed for daily use from day one. You do not need to bring anything or spend a penny on fit-out. As a co-owner, you also own a share of the furnishings and equipment proportional to your share. One 1/8 share equates to 1/8 of the furniture value. This is reflected in the overall value of your share.

Yes — and this is one of the most popular ways people structure a co-ownership purchase. Groups of friends, siblings, or extended family members can each buy one or more shares independently, all in the same home. Our professional management structure is specifically designed to remove the friction that often arises when families manage shared property informally. A clear legal framework, rotating usage schedule, and neutral management company mean relationships stay intact — regardless of how the property is used over time.

Absolutely. If you have a ready-made group — ski friends who want a French Alps chalet, colleagues looking for a Côte d'Azur villa, or family members wanting a shared base in Italy — we can source and structure a co-ownership property specifically around your group. You arrange among yourselves who buys how many shares, and we handle all the legal, management, and logistics. The professional management layer means even closely bonded groups benefit from a clear framework that protects everyone's interests as circumstances change over the years.

Yes. If you identify a property you want to co-own but need other buyers for the remaining shares, we can source them from our qualified buyer network. We require you to commit to a minimum of 50% of the total shares upfront. Critically, you do not need to wait for all shares to be sold before you can start using the property — your usage rights begin as soon as your share is created. This means you can start enjoying the home while the remaining shares are placed with vetted co-owners, rather than sitting out the process.

For properties where the legal set-up is already in place and the home is ready to use, you can typically begin making bookings within days of completing your share purchase — with first stays possible within weeks. If the property is still under renovation or interior design at the time of purchase, there will be a fit-out period before it is ready for use. In either case, the timeline is considerably faster than buying a traditional property, where conveyancing, renovations, and furnishing typically take six months to a year or more before you can actually enjoy the home.

Sometimes. For some homes, financing may be available through a partner bank depending on where you live and where the home is — it is not available in every country, and the terms differ from a standard mortgage. Most of our buyers purchase outright or release equity from their main residence. Tell us which home you are looking at and where you are resident, and we will confirm what applies before you rely on it. Take independent financial advice before you commit.