Buyer’s Q&A
Can I customise or renovate a fractional ownership property?
No — material customisation needs majority owner approval and is rare. The home is shared with seven other owners, and changes affect their experience. If customisation is important to you, whole ownership is the right product.
The short answer: The home comes beautifully designed, furnished and maintained, ready for you to arrive and enjoy. Bigger changes — new furniture, redecoration, renovation — are decided together by the owners, so the home stays exactly as everyone bought it. You make it yours with a lockable owner's closet for your own things, your own linen and favourite pieces for each stay, and a say in every planned refresh.
Why changes are decided together
The home is shared with seven other owners who have all paid for the property as it currently is — including its current interior design, furniture, art selection and finishes. The co-ownership agreement protects that by requiring owner approval for material changes — so the home you fell in love with is the home you return to.
What counts as material change
| Change type | Permitted? |
|---|---|
| Repaint a wall a different colour | No — requires owner vote |
| Replace furniture (sofas, beds, dining table) | No — requires owner vote |
| Knock down internal walls / structural change | No — requires supermajority vote + planning |
| Install your own art collection | No — the home typically has its own curated art |
| Change kitchen fixtures | No — major fit-out item, requires owner vote |
| Change exterior paint or landscape design | No — supermajority + permitting |
| Add a swimming pool or extension | No — supermajority + permitting + funding |
What you can do without anyone's permission
| Action | Permitted? |
|---|---|
| Store personal items in your owner's closet | Yes — your own closet, your own choice |
| Bring temporary décor for your stay (flowers, photos on the dresser) | Yes — must be removed at end of stay |
| Bring your own bedlinen / towels / kitchen equipment | Yes — stored in your owner's closet between stays |
| Bring your own art for your stay only | Yes — for the duration of your week, then store |
| Have guests during your allocated weeks | Yes — see can I bring guests? |
The bottom line
Co-ownership is for people who want to arrive at a beautifully designed luxury home, enjoy it, and leave without managing anything. Shared design decisions are what make that effortless. If you'd rather treat a home as a personal renovation project, a whole property is the better match.
When material changes do get approved
Material changes happen with broad agreement. Examples we see in the selection: a collective decision to refresh a kitchen during a planned reserve-funded refurbishment; owner-voted decision to add a pool to a property that didn't have one originally; agreed re-painting of an exterior after weather damage. These typically involve multi-month discussion, formal voting, and funding through a special assessment.
What changes between owners over time
Homes are kept fresh through planned refresh cycles. Most properties have a planned major refresh (kitchen, bathrooms, soft furnishings) every 7–10 years, funded from the reserve. This is when owners typically have input into colours and materials, within the home's overall design.
What buyers should ask before purchase
Two questions. What is the co-ownership agreement's threshold for material changes (majority? supermajority? unanimous?)? What is the home's planned refresh cycle and when is the next one due?
Where to find properties with clearly-documented change rules
Co-Ownership Property's selection lists fractional inventory whose co-ownership-agreement provisions on changes are documented and available on request.
Further reading
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