A condominium, or condo for short, is a form of housing tenure. It is the legal term used in the United States and in most provinces of Canada for a type of joint ownership of real property in which portions of the property are commonly owned and other portions are individually owned. In Australia and the Canadian province of British Columbia, the legal term for this is known as strata title. In Québec, it is known as syndicates of co-ownership. Colloquially, the term "condo" is often used to refer to the apartment unit itself in place of the term "apartment". This clearly signifies ownership of the property.
The rules for condominium government or management are established in a document commonly called a declaration of condominium. The owners and occupiers of condominiums are subject to rules in the declaration of condominium or created by the condominium association, such as paying required monthly fees for maintaining the property's common areas. Condominiums are commonly owned in fee simple title, but can be owned in ways other real estate can be owned, such as title held in trust. Owners can typically rent their condominiums to other people to occupy as tenants, similar to renting out other real estate.
