How To Convert an Apartment to a Condo

Converting an apartment to a condo can add value to the unit, but the conversion must be done intelligently. By heeding a few tips on apartment-to-condo conversion, you can make the transition while not having to spend more than necessary.

• Before you decide to convert an apartment into a condo, you should research the real estate market where you live. For instance, if there are very few or not any condos there where you live, a good thing to do before you begin the conversion is to research why this is. There are certain market forces in some communities that make condos a hard sell.


• Check the housing laws in the state or city where you live. One particular issue with apartment-to-condo conversions is how much notice you will have to give to the residents currently in the apartment. Different cities will have different criteria of what constitutes giving tenants “ample” move out time.


• You will need to make a request to your city's or town's planning department. You'll have to submit plans drawn up by an architect, and then you will have to wait between one to two months to get them back. Whether the planning department accepts your plans for conversion depends not only on the soundness of the building's plans but also how they see condos fitting into the city's plan for housing. Condos have recently flooded the market in certain areas of the country because of the rise in foreclosures, and a city already inundated with a large stock of unsold condos will probably be reluctant to green light an apartment conversion.