What Is “Exclusive Use” In A Toronto Condo?

If you’re considering buying your first Toronto condo, you might feel bombarded by a number of different terms that relate to condo ownership – which you’ve never heard before.

What does "exclusive use" mean?

“Exclusive use” might be one of those terms. Here are a series of explanations that might help you better understand exclusive use in a Toronto condo.

Your condominium is “owned” by you. You do not own other areas of the building.

Common elements are everything not owned by you, including the heating and air conditioning systems, the swimming pool, walkways, gardens, garages and lobbies – you share these with other owners in your condo building, and your monthly maintenance fees help pay for their up keep.

Exclusive use refers to exclusive use common elements, which are elements only used by you specifically, but not actually owned by you in the sense that your condominium unit is owned by you. These elements include your balcony or terrace, storage locker and your parking space (although in some buildings you may actually own you parking space, and can sell it later.)

All of the specific definitions that apply to a condominium building (as in, what in that building is exclusive use or a common element) are found in the condominium declaration – this document is extremely important, but often written in complicated legalese. Your Toronto real estate agent can help you look it over!

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