Title 7

SECTION 3550.71

3550.71 Special requirements for condominiums.

§ 3550.71 Special requirements for condominiums.

RHS loans may be made for condominium units under the following conditions:

(a) The unit is in a project approved or accepted by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac).

(b) The condominium project complies with the requirements of the condominium enabling statute and all other applicable laws. Any right of first refusal in the condominium documents will not impair the rights of RHS to:

(1) Foreclose or take title to a condominium unit pursuant to the remedies in the mortgage;

(2) Accept a deed in lieu of foreclosure in the event of default by a mortgagor; and

(3) Sell or lease a unit acquired by RHS.

(c) If RHS obtains title to a condominium unit pursuant to the remedies in its mortgage or through foreclosure, RHS will not be liable for more than 6 months of the unit's unpaid regularly budgeted dues or charges accrued before acquisition of the title to the unit by RHS. The homeowners association's lien priority may include costs of collecting unpaid dues.

(d) In case of condemnation or substantial loss to the units or common elements of the condominium project, unless at least two-thirds of the first mortgagees or unit owners of the individual condominium units have given their consent, the homeowners association may not:

(1) By act or omission seek to abandon or terminate the condominium project;

(2) Change the pro rata interest or obligations of any condominium unit in order to levy assessments or charges, allocate distribution of hazard insurance proceeds or condemnation awards, or determine the pro rata share of ownership of each condominium unit in the common elements;

(3) Partition or subdivide any condominium unit;

(4) Seek to abandon, partition, subdivide, encumber, sell, or transfer the common elements by act or omission (the granting of easements for public utilities or other public purposes consistent with the intended use of the common elements by the condominium project is not a transfer within the meaning of this clause); or

(5) Use hazard insurance proceeds for losses to any condominium property (whether units or common elements) for other than the repair, replacement, or reconstruction of the condominium property.

(e) All taxes, assessments, and charges that may become liens prior to the first mortgage under local law relate only to the individual condominium units and not to the condominium project as a whole.

(f) No provision of the condominium documents gives a condominium unit owner or any other party priority over any rights of RHS as first or second mortgagee of the condominium unit pursuant to its mortgage in the case of a payment to the unit owner of insurance proceeds or condemnation awards for losses to or taking of condominium units or common elements.

(g) If the condominium project is on a leasehold the underlying lease provides adequate security of tenure as described in § 3550.58(b).

(h) At least 70 percent of the units have been sold. Multiple purchases of condominium units by one owner are counted as one sale when determining if the sales requirement has been met.

(i) No more than 15 percent of the unit owners are more than 1 month delinquent in payment of homeowners association dues or assessments at the time the RHS loan is closed.