The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act went into effect in May of 2009. This federal law requires a foreclosing party to provide 90 days notice before attempting to evict a tenant. It also allows a tenant under a lease executed before the foreclosure started to remain for the rest of the lease term unless the property is conveyed to a person that intends to occupy it as a primary residence (which is usually not the case in lender foreclosures). These tenant protections also enhance community associations’ ability to collect unpaid assessments.
All Washington condominium associations and most Washington homeowners associations have the power to foreclose their delinquent assessment liens. An association is entitled to the appointment of a receiver over the property during a foreclosure action if the property is not occupied by the owner. A receiver seeks to collect rent to pay off receivership costs and unpaid assessments. The new federal law allows receivers to install long-term tenants into properties (or execute long-term agreements with existing tenants) even though lender foreclosures during the lease terms are probable. Collecting rent for a number of months could resolve many delinquencies.
The increasingly frequent elimination of delinquent assessment liens by lender foreclosures has been a major source of frustration for condominium and homeowners associations this year. Receivership is now a more potent collection tool that can be used to address this problem in some circumstances. A board should give this option serious consideration if the owner of a vacant or leased property owes the association a significant sum. Temporarily stepping into the role of landlord may be the only realistic way to collect the unpaid assessments.
All Washington condominium associations and most Washington homeowners associations have the power to foreclose their delinquent assessment liens. An association is entitled to the appointment of a receiver over the property during a foreclosure action if the property is not occupied by the owner. A receiver seeks to collect rent to pay off receivership costs and unpaid assessments. The new federal law allows receivers to install long-term tenants into properties (or execute long-term agreements with existing tenants) even though lender foreclosures during the lease terms are probable. Collecting rent for a number of months could resolve many delinquencies.
The increasingly frequent elimination of delinquent assessment liens by lender foreclosures has been a major source of frustration for condominium and homeowners associations this year. Receivership is now a more potent collection tool that can be used to address this problem in some circumstances. A board should give this option serious consideration if the owner of a vacant or leased property owes the association a significant sum. Temporarily stepping into the role of landlord may be the only realistic way to collect the unpaid assessments.
