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Pennsylvania Statutes Title 68 Pa.C.S.A. Real and Personal Property § 5311. Tort and contract liability

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) General rule.--

(1) An action in tort alleging a wrong done by a declarant or his agent or employee in connection with a portion of any convertible or withdrawable real estate or other portion of the planned community which the declarant has the responsibility to maintain may not be brought against the association or against a unit owner other than a declarant.

(2) Except as otherwise provided by paragraph (1):

(i) An action in tort alleging a wrong done by the association or by an agent or employee of the association, or on behalf of the association, must be brought against the association.

(ii) A unit owner shall not be subject to suit or, except as otherwise provided by subsection (b), be otherwise directly or indirectly held accountable for the acts of the association or its agents or employees on behalf of the association.

(3) If the tort or breach of contract occurred during any period of declarant control under section 5303(c) (relating to executive board members and officers), the declarant is liable to the association for all unreimbursed losses suffered by the association as a result of that tort or breach of contract, including costs and reasonable attorney fees. If a claim for a tort or breach of contract is made after the period of declarant control, the association shall have no right against the declarant under this paragraph unless the association shall have given the declarant all of the following:

(i) Notice of the existence of the claim promptly after the date on which a member of the executive board who is not a designee of the declarant learns of the existence of the claim.

(ii) An opportunity to defend against the claim on behalf of the association but at the declarant's expense.

(4) A unit owner is not precluded from bringing an action contemplated by this subsection because he is a unit owner or a member or officer of the association.

Any statute of limitation affecting the association's right of action under this section is tolled until the period of declarant control terminates.

(b) Lien of judgment.--Except as otherwise provided in this subpart, a judgment for money against the association if and when entered of record against the name of the association in the office of the clerk of the court of common pleas of the county where the planned community is located shall also constitute a lien against each unit for a pro rata share of the amount of that judgment, including interest thereon, based on the common expense liability allocated to that unit under section 5208 (relating to allocation of votes and common expense liabilities). No other property of a unit owner is subject to the claims of creditors of the association.

(c) Indexing judgment.--A judgment against the association must be indexed in the name of the planned community.

(d) Applicability of section.--The provisions of this section shall apply to all associations without regard to whether the association is organized as a corporation or as an unincorporated association.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Pennsylvania Statutes Title 68 Pa.C.S.A. Real and Personal Property § 5311. Tort and contract liability - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-68-pacsa-real-and-personal-property/pa-csa-sect-68-5311/

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