Buyer’s Q&A
What is a 1/8 fractional share?
One-eighth of the deeded equity in a property-specific LLC that owns one specific luxury home. Entitles you to about 45 days of personal use per year.
The short answer: A 1/8 fractional share is one-eighth of the deeded equity in a property-specific limited-liability company that owns one specific luxury home. It entitles the owner to approximately 45 days of personal use per year, a proportional share of any appreciation, voting rights in LLC decisions, and the right to sell, gift or pass on the share. 1/8 is the standard share size because it maps cleanly to roughly six weeks of use — enough for most buyers without overlapping with other owners.
Why 1/8 is the standard share size
The 1/8 share has emerged as the standard share size in modern fractional ownership for three reasons.
First, 45 days per year fits the way buyers actually use second homes. Most households who buy a luxury second home use it 4–10 weeks per year. A 1/8 share — roughly six weeks of allocated use plus a small amount of last-minute availability — sits squarely in that range.
Second, eight owners is the largest group an operator can practically schedule without booking friction. Larger groups (1/12 shares, 1/16 shares) compress everyone's allocated time below five weeks and produce frequent week-allocation conflicts in peak season.
Third, 1/8 keeps the share price within reach for the buyer profile that fractional targets. A €2M villa as 1/8 shares prices each share at around €260,000 fully loaded — a buyer pool of households who could plausibly afford the whole property but choose not to.
What a 1/8 share actually gives you
A 1/8 share is a deeded membership interest in the property-specific LLC. That single document gives the owner several things:
- Documented ownership: your name (or your company's name) appears on the LLC's membership register; the share is a real-estate asset on your balance sheet
- ~45 days of personal use per year at the home, allocated through a fair-rotation booking system
- Exclusive use during your allocated weeks — other owners are never present at the same time
- One-eighth of any appreciation in the underlying property
- One-eighth voting share on LLC decisions (replacement of management, special assessments, sale of the home)
- The right to sell, gift or pass on the share through standard LLC membership transfer
- The right to invite guests during your allocated weeks, including allowing them to use the home in your absence
What a 1/8 share does not give you
- Permission to customise the home (paint colours, renovations, furniture changes)
- The right to use the home outside your allocated booking weeks
- The right to live there permanently
- Unilateral decision-making over LLC matters (you have one of eight votes)
- The right to short-let the home outside the operator's rental programme (where one exists)
How the 45 days are allocated
Most operators use a rotation system that ensures fair access to peak weeks (Christmas, Easter, August, school holidays) across all owners over a multi-year cycle. Within each year, owners book specific dates through the operator's booking platform, subject to the rotation rules. Owners can typically reserve last-minute weeks where availability permits and swap weeks with other owners through the platform.
Can you buy more than one 1/8 share?
Yes. Most operators allow buyers to purchase up to four 1/8 shares of the same property (50% ownership), which scales the personal-use allocation to ~180 days per year. Owning more than 50% is usually prohibited so no single owner can dominate LLC decisions. Buyers can also stack shares across multiple properties for use across multiple destinations.
Why some operators offer 1/4 or 1/12 shares instead
A handful of operators offer larger 1/4 shares (90 days/year) for buyers wanting more use, or smaller 1/12 shares (30 days/year) for buyers wanting lower entry pricing. Both are minority models; 1/8 dominates the market because the maths works for the most common buyer profile.
Where to compare 1/8 share listings
Co-Ownership Property's marketplace lists 1/8 share inventory across Europe, the US and Mexico, with the share size, price and annual fee disclosed per property.