WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A UNIT AND A SECTION?

Sectional title terminology can be quite confusing and two terms that often get confused by owners are 'section' and 'unit'.  While an apartment can be called either of these two terms, there are distinct differences between a section and a unit.

Section

A section is indicated on the Sectional Title plan of the Scheme; it is demarcated with a solid line and has a Section Number attached to it.  The section will also have a square meterage attached which is important in the calculation of the participation quota of all sections in the Scheme.

Other areas of use that may also be indicated as sections include garages; parking bays; storerooms; balconies and roof areas.  The allocation of these areas as section is dependent on the way the Scheme was developed.  A Sectional Title Scheme vary, some may not have all these types of sections.

Unit

A unit is the section plus its undivided share in the common property.  The undivided share in the common property is calculated by determining the individual owner's section (in square meters) as a percentage of the total square meters of all the sections in the scheme.

For example, if a section is 90 square meters and all the sections together equal 900 square meters, the owner will have an undivided share of 10% in the common property (900 / 90 = 10).  The owner's section is therefore 90 square meters in size and the unit has a participation quote value of 10%.

The percentage is also known as the participation quota (PQ) of the section which is used in all the general meetings of the body corporate to determine the quorum and weight of votes.