The Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted Act 115, which amends Title 68 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and impacts the governance of homeowners associations (also known as planned communities), inium associations and cooperatives in the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania Uniform inium Act C.S. §§ 3101 to. 3414) was adopted in 1980 to govern the formation and operation of iniums. Prior to the UCA, iniums in Pennsylvania were governed by the since-repealed Unit Property Act. By definition, a inium is a form of real estate ownership.
In Pennsylvania, homeowner associations (HOAs) are governed by specific state laws to maintain order and regulate affairs within planned communities. These regulations are primarily outlined in the Uniform Planned Community Act (UPCA), codified in Title 68, Chapters 51-54 of the Pennsylvania statutes.
In a inium, the common facilities are owned directly by the unit owners as an interest appurtenant to the units. In a planned community, the common facilities are owned by the association, and each unit owner has a membership interest in that association because they hold the title to their unit.
Pennsylvania Uniform inium Act §§ 3101 to. 3414) was adopted in 1980 to govern the formation and operation of iniums. Prior to the UCA, iniums in Pennsylvania were governed by the since-repealed Unit Property Act. By definition, a inium is a form of real estate ownership.
Iniums in Pennsylvania are governed by the Uniform inium Act, 68 Pa. Stat. §§ 3101 to 3414 (the “UCA”). Although “inium” is a term generally used to refer to an individually-owed unit, it is also a form of ownership where property other than the individual unit is deemed to be common property.
The declaration of covenants, conditions, and restrictions is a legal document that sets forth the regulations for owners of units in a inium.
Condo property managers — or condo association management companies — handle the condo association's responsibilities. Together, the condo association management and board members hire a condo property manager or a management company to take care of the community.
More important, most inium documents were written by developer lawyers for the primary benefit of the developer. As a board member, you have a responsibility to ensure that owners can live with your condo documents. The declaration and bylaws of your association are your constitution.
Generally speaking, the declaration is the document that creates the inium. The bylaws spell out the day-to-day operations of the association. If your association is more than 10 years old and the bylaws have remained unchanged, board members may want to consider making updates.