A. Except to the extent otherwise provided by the condominium instruments, all powers and responsibilities, including financial responsibility, with regard to maintenance, repair, renovation, restoration, and replacement of the condominium shall belong (i) to the unit owners’ association in the case of the common elements, and (ii) to the individual unit owner in the case of any unit or any part thereof, except to the extent that the need for repairs, renovation, restoration or replacement arises from a condition originating in or through the common elements or any apparatus located within the common elements, in which case the unit owners’ association shall have such powers and responsibilities. Each unit owner shall afford to the other unit owners and to the unit owners’ association and to any agents or employees of either such access through his unit as may be reasonably necessary to enable them to exercise and discharge their respective powers and responsibilities. But to the extent that damage is inflicted on the common elements or any unit through which access is taken, the unit owner causing the same, or the unit owners’ association if it caused the same, shall be liable for the prompt repair thereof.
B. Notwithstanding anything in this section to the contrary, the declarant shall warrant or guarantee, against structural defects, each of the units for two years from the date each is conveyed, and all of the common elements for two years. In the case of each unit the declarant shall also warrant that the unit is fit for habitation and constructed in a workmanlike manner so as to pass without objection in the trade. The two years referred to in this subsection shall begin as to each of the common elements whenever the same has been completed or, if later, (i) as to any common element within any additional land or portion thereof, at the time the first unit therein is conveyed, (ii) as to any common element within any convertible land or portion thereof, at the time the first unit therein is conveyed, and (iii) as to any common element within any other portion of the condominium, at the time the first unit therein is conveyed. For the purposes of this subsection, no unit shall be deemed conveyed unless conveyed to a bona fide purchaser. Any conveyance of a condominium unit transfers to the purchaser all of the declarant’s warranties against structural defects imposed by this subsection. For the purposes of this subsection, structural defects shall be those defects in components constituting any unit or common element which reduce the stability or safety of the structure below accepted standards or restrict the normal intended use of all or part of the structure and which require repair, renovation, restoration, or replacement. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to make the declarant responsible for any items of maintenance relating to the units or common elements.
C. An action for breach of any warranty prescribed by this section shall be commenced within (i) five years after the date such warranty period began or (ii) one year after the formation of any warranty review committee pursuant to subsection B of § 55-79.74, whichever last occurs. However, no such action shall be maintained against the declarant unless a written statement by the claimant or his agent, attorney or representative, of the nature of the alleged defect has been sent to the declarant, by registered or certified mail, at his last known address, as reflected in the records of the Common Interest Community Board, more than six months prior to the commencement of the action giving the declarant an opportunity to cure the alleged defect within a reasonable time, not to exceed five months. Sending the notice required by this subsection shall toll the statute of limitations for commencing a breach of warranty action for a period not to exceed six months.
D. If the initial period of declarant control has been extended in accordance with subsection B of § 55-79.74, the warranty review committee (the committee) shall have (i) subject to the provisions of subdivision 3, the irrevocable power as attorney-in-fact on behalf of the unit owners’ association to assert or settle in the name of the unit owners’ association any claims involving the declarant’s warranty against structural defects with respect to all of the common elements and (ii) the authority to levy an additional assessment against all of the units in proportion to their respective undivided interests in the common elements pursuant to § 55-79.83 if the committee determines that the assessments levied by the unit owners’ association are insufficient to enable the committee reasonably to perform its functions pursuant to this subsection. The committee or the declarant shall notify the governing body of the county, city, or town in which the condominium is located of the formation of the committee, within 30 days of its formation. Within 30 days after such notice, the local governing body or an agency designated by the local governing body shall advise the chair of the committee of any outstanding violations of applicable building codes, local ordinances, or other deficiencies of record. Members of the committee shall be insured, indemnified, and subject to liability to the same extent as officers or directors under the condominium instruments or applicable law. The unit owners’ association shall provide sufficient funds reasonably necessary for the committee to perform the functions set out in this subsection and to:
1. Engage an independent architect, engineer, legal counsel, and such other experts as the committee may reasonably determine;
2. Investigate whether there exists any breach of the warranty as to any of the common elements. The committee shall document its findings and the evidence that supports such findings. Such findings and evidence shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed to the declarant without the consent of the committee; and
3. Assert or settle in the name of the unit owners’ association any claims involving the declarant’s warranty on the common elements, provided (i) the committee sends the declarant at least six months prior to the expiration of the statute of limitations a written statement pursuant to subsection C of the alleged nature of any defect in the common elements giving the declarant an opportunity to cure the alleged defect, (ii) the declarant fails to cure the alleged defect within a reasonable time, and (iii) the declarant control period or the statute of limitations has not expired.
E. Within 45 days after the formation of the committee, the declarant shall deliver to the chair of the committee (i) a copy of the latest available approved plans and specifications for all improvements in the project or as-build plans if available; (ii) all association insurance policies that are currently in force; (iii) any written unexpired warranties of the contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and manufacturers applicable to the condominium; and (iv) a list of manufacturers of paints, roofing materials, and other similar materials if specified for use on the condominium property.
History
1974, c. 416; 1975, c. 415; 1980, c. 386; 1982, c. 545; 1984, c. 347; 1987, c. 395; 2006, c. 646; 2008, cc. 851, 871; 2013, c. 599.
