Is an owners' association mandatory in Lebanon, and how are decisions taken?
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Short answer
Yes, in any building with more than three private units[1,2]. The owners form a general owners' association by law, without creating it. Votes follow each unit's share out of 1,000[1]. Repairs and day-to-day matters take an absolute majority, then majority of those present. New equipment needs at least 75%. According to a 2010 Army magazine summary, changes to common parts need 75%[2] and changing shares needs unanimity.
Also asked as: “Owners association Lebanon building rules” · “Is a building committee compulsory in Lebanon?” · “How do owners vote in a Lebanese building?” · “Syndic or owners' assembly rules Lebanon”
Key facts
When the association exists
Owners do not choose whether to have one. Once a building has more than three private units[1,2], its owners form a general owners' association by law, and that association manages the property. Nobody has to register it or sign anything to bring it into being. The wider rules are in what Lebanon's co-ownership law says.
Each building under this regime also has its own regulations. According to Kallas Law Firm, where there are three or more units[3], regulations certified by a notary must be deposited, with a table of units, a plan, the management rules and each unit's share in the common areas out of 1,000. A building's regulations may allocate particular parts differently from the general rules, so check them at the Land Registry[1,2].
We read the decree on a lawyer's website (2019) and in a Lebanese Army magazine article (2010), not in the Official Gazette, and later amendments may exist[1,2]. The rules on quorum, on changing common parts and on unanimity come from the Army magazine article alone. Our sources also do not cover what happens when owners never meet or never run the association, or how to force a meeting or get a manager appointed by a court. For that, ask a lawyer.
Who runs it: president, meetings, money
The association must elect a president by secret ballot as soon as it is formed, and it must meet at least once a year[1,2]. Each owner is invited in writing, and owners holding at least a quarter of the votes can petition for a meeting. The Army magazine summarises the quorum this way: unless another majority is required, the first session is valid only with absolute majority present in the first session[2], and the next session is valid with whoever attends.
The president keeps the accounts and presents the annual budget for approval between one and three months before the end of each year. All money received must go into a bank account in the association's name[1]. The president may ask owners for a monthly or quarterly advance[1,2] into the association's permanent fund, and for special advances for works the association has decided. The decree sets no amount, so charges come from the association's own budget and decisions. More in who sets building service charges.
If an owner does not pay their share of common expenses within 10 days of the warning[1,2], the warning counts as a written instrument, and the president or manager can collect the debt through the enforcement department. In large buildings, electing an association council of 3 to 12 members becomes mandatory above 50 private units, unless there is a board of directors.
Which decisions need which majority
| Decision | Majority needed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Maintaining, repairing and replacing shared equipment: motors, lifts, heating and cooling, shared water, telephone and electricity installations, and their supplies | absolute majority, then majority of those present[1,2] | Decree, Arts. 34-35[1,2] |
| Adding a building, or installing necessary or useful equipment or machines | at least 75% of owners' votes[1,2] | Decree, Art. 33 |
| Modifying common parts, and items needed for the building's harmony such as entrance doors, windows and balconies | at least 75% of owners' votes[2] | Army magazine's summary of Art. 11[2] |
| Changing units' shares in, and duties towards, the common parts, or changing the use of a private unit | unanimity[2] | Army magazine's summary of Art. 49[2] |
| Other acts of disposal | Unanimity | Decree, Art. 33[1,2] |
Some everyday projects are not named in the text. Treating a building generator as one of the "motors" is a reading of the decree, and the decree does not say whether a tenant can be charged[1,2]. See who pays for the generator and common areas. Neither source mentions solar panels, so applying the 75% rule to a shared rooftop system is our inference, and a lawyer should confirm it. More in putting solar panels on a shared roof.
Outside works also involve the municipality. In a subdivided building, a declaration for external maintenance or cosmetic works must include approval of the owners' association or 75% of the owners[3,4]. See renovation permits.
If you buy a flat in the building
According to Kallas Law Firm, when you acquire a unit you must notify the building's administrator within 30 days[3] and deposit the official documents proving the acquisition, and until you do, the former owner still represents the unit in the owners' assembly. The same firm says the assembly may recover service charges from either the old or the new owner if notice is not given.
Before you sign, ask the seller for the building's regulations, the latest approved budget, the minutes of recent meetings and a statement of what the unit owes. If you will rent the flat out, write in the lease who pays the building charges. See who pays the bills in a rented flat.
How to get a decision taken in your building
- Read the building's regulations. Ask the Land Registry for the building's deposited regulations[1,2]. They show each unit's share out of 1,000 and the management rules[3]. The notary who certified them may also have a copy, so it is worth asking. Check whether they allocate any part differently from the general rules.
- Work out the votes. Each owner has as many votes as their share in the common parts[1]. Add up the shares of the owners who support your proposal.
- Check the quorum and the majority. According to the Army magazine, the first session needs absolute majority present in the first session[2], and the next is valid with whoever attends. Match your proposal to the right majority in the table above.
- Record the decision and the money. Keep written minutes of the decision and a copy for yourself. Our sources do not set out how minutes must be signed, so ask a lawyer if a decision may be contested. Any money collected goes into the association's bank account[1].
It depends on
- The type of decision. Repairs need an absolute majority of all votes in the first session, then a majority of those present in the second[1,2]; new equipment needs 75%; and, according to the Army magazine, changing shares needs unanimity[2]. A lawyer can confirm which category a borderline project (solar, a generator, a new lift) falls into.
- An association that never meets. Our sources do not say what owners can do when no president is elected or no meeting is held. Ask a lawyer about forcing a meeting or getting a manager appointed by a court.
Common questions
Do we have to register or create an owners' association in Lebanon?
Can a few owners block a lift repair?
What can the building do if an owner does not pay their share?
Sources
Checked against these sources. The numbers in the text point here.
- 1.Legislative Decree No. 88 of 16/9/1983 on co-ownership of built property
Joseph Wanis Official Site (lawyer Joseph Wanis) · 22 Mar 2019 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 2.Managing the ownership of floors and flats (Dr Nader Abdel Aziz Chaffi, Army Magazine issue 302-303, August 2010)
Lebanese Army (Army Magazine, "We and the Law" section) · August 2010 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 3.Condominium Ownership of Built Immovables in Lebanese Law — Eighth and Final Part of the Practical Guide to the Lebanese Code of Real Property
Kallas Law Firm · 25 May 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 4.Decree 15874 of 5/12/2005 implementing the Building Law, as amended by Decree 617 of 8/8/2007
General Directorate of Urban Planning (DGU), Ministry of Public Works and Transport · 5 Dec 2005 · read 17 Oct 2026
Related questions
- What does Lebanon's co-ownership law say about common parts, shares and votes?Decree 88/1983 makes roofs, lifts and stairs common parts and counts shares and votes out of 1,000. Majorities, association rules and checks.
- What are building service charges in Lebanon, who sets them, and what do they cover?The owners' association sets them through a yearly budget and advances; no law fixes the amount. What they cover, how votes work, and unpaid charges.
- Who pays for the building generator, lift and common-area electricity in Lebanon: owners or tenants?Owners fund lifts and shared equipment through the owners' association under Decree 88/1983; the lease decides what a tenant pays. Rules, votes, arrears.
- Can I put solar panels on my building's shared roof, and do the other owners have to agree?Probably: the top roof is a common part and new equipment likely needs 75% of owners' votes. The law, the dropped solar rule, tenants and safety.
- Do I need a permit to renovate my apartment in Lebanon?It depends: renovating a lawful building needs an engineer's declaration, structural work a permit. Who signs, owners' consent, timing.
- Who pays electricity, generator, water and internet in a rented flat in Lebanon?No published rule says who pays electricity, generator, water and internet in a rented flat: the lease decides. What to write and how meters change name.
