(a) General rule.--Subject
to the provisions of the declaration, the association, even if unincorporated,
may:
(1) Adopt and amend
bylaws and rules and regulations.
(2) Adopt and amend
budgets for revenues, expenditures and reserves and collect assessments
for common expenses from unit owners.
(3) Hire and terminate
managing agents and other employees, agents and independent contractors.
(4) Institute, defend
or intervene in litigation or administrative proceedings or engage in arbitrations
or mediation in its own name on behalf of itself or two or more unit owners
on matters affecting the condominium.
(5) Make contracts
and incur liabilities.
(6) Regulate the
use, maintenance, repair, replacement and modification of common elements;
and to make reasonable accommodations or permit reasonable modifications
to be made to units, the limited common elements or the common elements
to accommodate handicapped, as defined by prevailing Federal, State or local
statute, regulations, code or ordinance, unit owners, residents, tenants
or employees.
(7) Cause additional
improvements to be made as a part of the common elements.
(8) (i) Acquire,
hold, encumber and convey in its own name any right, title or interest to
real or personal property other than common elements; and
(ii) Convey or subject
to a security interest common elements only pursuant to the provisions of
section 3318 (relating to conveyance or encumbrance of common elements).
(9) Grant easements,
leases, licenses and concessions through or over the common elements, but
any such easement, lease, license or concession:
(i) that is not for
the benefit of all or substantially all of the unit owners shall not be
granted without the same unit owner approval that is required for an amendment
to the declaration; or
(ii) that materially
impairs any right or benefit that one or more unit owners may have with
respect to the common elements shall not be granted without the prior written
approval of those unit owners.
(10) Impose and receive
any payments, fees or charges for the use, rental or operation of the common
elements other than limited common elements described in section 3202(2)
and (4) (relating to unit boundaries).
(11) Impose charges
for late payment of assessments and, after notice and an opportunity to
be heard, levy reasonable fines for violations of the declaration, bylaws
and rules and regulations of the association.
(12) Impose reasonable
charges for the preparation and recordation of amendments to the declaration,
resale certificates required by section 3407 (relating to resales of units)
or statements of unpaid assessments. In addition, the association may impose
a capital improvement fee, but no other fees, on the resale or transfer
of units in accordance with the following:
(i) The capital improvement
fee for any unit shall not exceed the annual assessments for general common
expense charged to such unit during the most recently completed fiscal year
of the association; provided that:
(A) in the case of
resale or transfer of a unit consisting of unimproved real estate, the capital
improvement fee shall not exceed one-half of the annual assessments for
general common expenses charged to such unit during the most recently completed
fiscal year of the association;
(B) in the case of
resale or transfer of a unit which was created or added to the condominium
in accordance with section 3211 (relating to the conversion and expansion
of flexible condominiums) at some time during the most recently completed
fiscal year of the association, but was not in existence for the entire
fiscal year, the capital improvement fee shall not exceed one-half of the
annual assessments for general common expenses charged to a unit comparable
to such unit during the most recently completed fiscal year of the association;
and
(C) capital improvement
fees are not refundable upon any sale, conveyance or any other transfer
of the title to a unit.
(ii) Capital improvement
fees allocated by an association must be maintained in a separate capital
account and may be expended only for new capital improvements or replacement
of existing common elements, improvements on the common elements and may
not be expended for operation, maintenance or other purposes.
(iii) No capital
improvement fee shall be imposed on any gratuitous transfer of a unit between
any of the following family members; spouses, parent and child, siblings,
grandparent and grandchild; nor on any transfer of a unit by foreclosure
sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure to a secured lending institution as
defined by the act of December 3, 1959 (P.L.1688, No.621), known as the
Housing Finance Agency Law.
(iv) No fees may
be imposed upon any person who:
(A) acquires a unit
consisting of unimproved real estate and signs and delivers to the association
at the time of such person’s acquisition a sworn affidavit declaring the
person’s intention to reconvey such unit within 18 months of its acquisition;
and
(B) completes such
reconveyance within 18 months.
(13) Provide for
the indemnification of its officers and executive board and maintain directors'
and officers' liability insurance.
(14) Exercise any
other powers conferred by the declaration or bylaws.
(15) Exercise all
other powers that may be exercised in this Commonwealth by legal entities
of the same type as the association.
(16) Exercise any
other powers necessary and proper for the governance and operation of the
association.
(17) Assign its right
to future income, including the right to receive the payments made on account
of common expense assessments. Reserve funds held for future major repairs
and replacements of the common elements may not be assigned or pledged.
(18) Assign or delegate
any powers of the association listed in this section to a master association
subject to the provisions of section 3222 (relating to master associations)
and accept any assignment or delegation of powers from one or more condominiums
or other incorporated or unincorporated associations.
(b) Restriction
on limitations in declaration.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), the declaration
may not impose limitations on the power of the association to deal with
the declarant that are more restrictive than the limitations imposed on
the power of the association to deal with other persons.