BY-LAWS OF
The following By-Laws are hereby adopted to govern the affairs of
__________________ _______________________ (herein referred to as “the project”
or “the _________________”) in conjunction with the covenants, restrictions and
reservations set forth and contained in the Master Deed of ______________
(“Owners”).
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Unless it is plainly evidenced by the context that a different meaning is
intended, the following words and terms as used herein shall have the following
meanings:
(a) “Apartment” means an enclosed space consisting of an area occupying
all or part of a building of one or more floors or stories in the _________________ and
designated by appropriate designation as such on the accompanying floor plans, each of
which has a direct exit to an exterior entranceway, or to a given common space leading
to the outside, shown on the plat and plans of the _________________ as a numbered
portion or division thereof.
(b) “Owner” or “Co-owner” means and refers to a person, firm, corporation,
partnership, association, trust, or legal entity, or any combination thereof, who or which
owns an apartment in the _________________.
(c) “Council of Co-Owners” means all of the co-owners as defined in
Subsection (b) of this Article, but a majority as defined in Subsection (e) of this Article
shall constitute a quorum for the adoption of decisions.
(d) “General Common Elements” means and includes: (1) the land on which
all buildings in the _________________ stand and all surrounding area as designated
on the accompanying plat; (2) the foundations, walls and ceilings to the point where
interior finishes thereof are to be affixed, exterior walls, roofs, parking areas, patios,
entrances, exits, or communication ways; (3) yards, gardens, streets, walks and green
areas; (4) the premises for the lodging of janitors or employees, or any utility services
used in common, or general maintenance equipment, and/or offices for persons in
charge of the improvements and property of the _________________; (5) installations
for provision of electric power, light, gas, water, television antenna systems, storm and
sanitary sewer systems, and the like, to the extent that such facilities serve more than
one apartment in the _________________ and to the point at which the same extend
beyond the dividing line separating general common elements as herein defined and the
designated apartments as commonly installed for attachment thereto of appliances and
fixtures; (6) garbage incinerators or storage facilities and, in general, all devices or
installations existing for common use of owners in the _________________; and (7) all
other components of the buildings and improvements rationally used and intended for
the common use or necessary to the operation, use, existence, upkeep and safety of
more than a single apartment in the _________________. To the extent of any conflict
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in the definition of “general common elements” contained herein with the definition
thereof in the master deed for the _________________, the provisions of the master
deed shall be controlling.
(e) “Majority of Co-owners” means fifty-one percent (51%) or more of
owners holding basic values of the property as a whole in accordance with the
percentages computed in the provisions of the master deed.
(f) “Person” means an individual, firm, corporation, partnership,
association, trust, or other legal entity, or any combination thereof.
(g) “Property” means and includes the land, the buildings, all improvements
and structures thereon, and all easements, rights, and appurtenances belonging thereto.
(h) All pronouns used herein include the male, female, and neuter genders
and include the singular or plural numbers, as the appropriate case may be,
notwithstanding that an inappropriate gender may be used in fact.
ARTICLE II
STATUS OF APARTMENTS WITHIN THE _________________
An apartment in the _________________ may be individually conveyed and
encumbered and may be the subject of ownership, possession or sale and of all types of
legal acts as if it were sold and entirely independent of the other apartments in the
_________________ of which it forms a part, and the corresponding individual titles
and interests shall be recordable.
ARTICLE III
JOINT TENANCIES-TENANCIES IN COMMON-TENANCIES
BY THE ENTIRETY
Any apartment may be held and owned by more than one person as joint
tenants, as tenants in common, as tenants by the entirety, or in any other real estate
tenancy relationship recognized under the laws of _______________.
ARTICLE IV
OWNERSHIP OF AN APARTMENT-COMMON ELEMENTS-
PERCENTAGES
An apartment owner shall have the exclusive ownership of his apartment and
shall have a common right to share, with the other co-owners, in the common elements
of the property, equivalent to the percentages assigned by the master deed to the
individual apartment, with relation to the whole property. Percentages as determined in
the master deed shall have a permanent character, and shall not be altered without the
acquiescence of co-owners representing all of the apartments of the
_________________. The basic values as so established shall not prevent each co-
owner from fixing a different circumstantial value to his apartment in any type of act or
contract.
ARTICLE V
INDIVISIBILITY OF THE COMMON ELEMENTS
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The common elements shall remain undivided and shall not be the object of an
action for partition or division of the co-ownership.
ARTICLE VI
USE OF THE ELEMENTS HELD IN COMMON
Except to the extent herein provided, each co-owner may use the elements held
in common in accordance with the purposes for which they are intended, in common
with other owners, without hindering or encroaching upon the lawful rights of the other
co-owners. Provision of parking as hereafter described, while on common property,
shall be subject to the individual rights with respect thereto established in accordance
with these By-Laws.
ARTICLE VII
COMMON ELEMENTS
“Common elements” shall mean all land and all portions of the property not
located within any apartment or lot and also includes but not k ay of limitation,
foundations, roofs, common walls, load bearing walls, perimeter walls, columns and
girders to the interior surfaces thereof, pipes, ducts, flues, shoots, conduits, wires and
other utility installations to the outlets, regardless of location, entrance and exit and
communication ways, parking areas, patios, yards, gardens, roads, streets, caretaker
houses, swimming pools, installation for central services such as power, light, gas,
refrigeration, reservoirs, water systems and treatment plants, sewer systems, carports,
garbage incinerators and, in general, all devices or installations necessary or convenient
to its existence, maintenance and safety, or normally in common use serving more than
one apartment.
ARTICLE VIII
WAIVER OF THE _________________
All of the co-owners or any sole owner of the _________________ may waive
the _________________ and re-group or merge the records of the individual
apartments with the principal property; provided, that the individual apartments are
unencumbered, or if encumbered, that the creditors in whose behalf the encumbrances
are recorded agree to accept as security an undivided portion of the property owned by
the debtors in the _________________.
ARTICLE IX
CONTROL
The _________________ shall be under the exclusive control and management
of the Board of Administration, except to the extent that decisions as provided in these
By-Laws are reserved for determination by the Council of Co-owners.
ARTICLE X
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NOTICE OF MEETINGS
The annual meeting of the Council of Co-owners shall be held on the
________________ in the Month of _______________ of each year. Notice of such
meeting and of special meetings of the owners shall be given by mail to the owner’s
address last reflected in the telephone directory or at such address as such owner may
have for an apartment in the _________________ and shall be mailed not less than ten
days nor more than fifteen days prior to the date of the meeting.
ARTICLE XI
QUORUM
At such meeting of the Council of Co-owners, the president or vice-president
shall preside at all meetings. The presence at any duly called meeting of owners having
fifty-one percent (51%) or more of the basic value of the property as a whole and as
established in the master deed represented by owners present shall constitute a quorum
for the conduct of business. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the law, the master
deed or these by-laws, any action may be taken at any meeting of the owners upon the
affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the owners present, which shall be
in accordance with their respective percentage of ownership of the total
_________________ provided that a quorum is present as provided for herein.
ARTICLE XII
REPORTS
At the annual meeting of the Council of Co-owners, the Board of
Administration shall present an audit of common expenses (unless the Council of Co-
owners shall have unanimously waived the necessity for a formal audit of the
_________________’s financial affairs) itemizing the receipts and disbursements for
the preceding calendar year, the allocation thereof to each owner, and the estimated
common expenses for the coming calendar year. Within ten days after the annual
meeting, such statement shall be delivered or mailed to owners not present, in person, at
the annual meeting.
ARTICLE XIII
SPECIAL MEETINGS
Special meetings of the Council of Co-owners may be called at any time for the
purpose of considering matters, which by the terms of these by-laws or the master deed,
require the approval of all or some of the owners, or for any other reasonable purpose.
Such meeting shall be called by written notice, signed by a majority of the Board of
Administration, by the President of the Board of Administration, or by owners having
one-third or more of the total percentages of ownership of the _________________,
and mailed not less than ten days nor more than fifteen days prior to the date fixed for
said meeting. Such notices shall specify the date, time and place of the meeting, and the
matters to be considered there.
ARTICLE XIV
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ELECTION AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF
ADMINISTRATION
(a) Election. At each annual meeting of the Council of Co-owners, the co-
owners shall elect a Board of Administration for the coming year, consisting of three
owners; provided, however, that the first Board of Administration shall consist of
__________________ who are authorized to act as the Board of Administration until
apartments representing more than 50% of the common elements as provided in the
Master Deed shall have been sold or conveyed by them to third parties and, in any
event, shall serve until the regular first annual meeting held thereafter. Notwithstanding
that the provision is here made for a Board of three owners, until there are three
individual owners of units in this _________________, the Board of Administration
may consist of such smaller numbers as there are individual and separate owners of
units in the _________________. Every owner entitled to vote at any election of
members for the Board of Administration may accumulate his vote and give one
candidate the number of votes equal to the number of members of the Board of
Administration to be elected, multiplied by the number of the votes to which such
owner is otherwise entitled, and may distribute his votes in the same manner among as
many candidates as he chooses. The candidates receiving the highest number of votes
up to the number of members of the Board of Administration to be elected shall be
deemed to be elected.
(b) Term. Members of the Board of Administration (other than the original
members as herein designated) shall serve for a term of three years; provided that the
terms of the first elected Board of Administration shall be staggered and by lot one
shall be selected to serve for a one year term; one shall be selected to serve for a two
year term; and the other shall be selected to serve for a three year term. Thereafter, the
terms of the member elected, annually, to the Board of Administration shall be for a
term of three years so that one member of the Board of Administration shall be elected
each year. Members of the Board of Administration shall serve until their respective
successors are elected, or until their death, resignation or removal; provided, that if any
member ceases to be an owner, his membership on the Board of Administration shall
thereupon automatically terminate.
(c) Resignation and Removal. Any member may resign at any time by
giving written notice to the Board of Administration, and any member may be removed
from membership on the Board of Administration by a vote of owners holding not less
than two-thirds (2/3) of the basic value of the _________________ at any time and
without cause.
(d) Proceeding. Two members of the Board of Administration shall
constitute a quorum, and if a quorum is present, the decision of those present shall be an
act of the Board of Administration.
(e) Officers. The. Board of Administration shall elect a President who shall
preside over both its meetings and those of the owners and have such additional
authority and responsibility as may be customary for the chief executive officers of a
corporation except to the extent that the provisions of these bylaws may be in conflict; a
Vice-President to serve in the absence of the President; and a Secretary who shall be
responsible for keeping minutes of meetings of the co-owners and the Board of
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Administration and other records pertaining to the operations of the
_________________. The Board of Administration may select a separate Treasurer to
be responsible for the financial records of the _________________, or the Treasurer
may also hold another office.
(f) Rules of Order. At all proceedings of the Board of Administration and
owners, the conduct thereof shall be in accordance with such regulations as the Board
of Administration may adopt not in conflict with these by-laws. Pending any change
thereof, Roberts Rules of Order shall govern any matter not otherwise covered to the
contrary herein. The Board of Administration may validly act without holding a formal
meeting by declaring their action, unanimously, in writing by a memorandum thereof in
lieu of a formal meeting.
(g) Notice of Election. After the first election of the Board of
Administration, the initial Board of Administration, or the President thereof, may
execute, acknowledge and record an affidavit stating the names of the persons elected to
membership on the Board of Administration. Thereafter, the President and Secretary of
the then current Board of Administration may exe- cute, acknowledge and record in the
office of the Circuit Clerk and Ex-officio Recorder of ______________ County,
____________, an affidavit stating the names of all of the members of the then current
Board of Administration. The most recently recorded of such affidavits shall be prima
facie evidence that the persons named therein are all of the incumbent members of the
Board of Administration and shall be conclusive evidence thereof in favor of all persons
who rely thereon in good faith.
ARTICLE XV
AUTHORITY OF THE BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION
The Board of Administration, for the benefit of the _________________ and
the owners, shall enforce the provisions hereof and shall acquire and shall pay out of
the common expense fund hereinafter provided for, the following:
(a) Water, sewer, garbage collection, electrical, telephone, gas, and other
necessary utility services for the common elements to the extent not separately metered
or charged to the individual apartments;
(b) A policy or policies of fire insurance as hereafter described in these by-
laws with extended coverage endorsement for the full insurable replacement value of
the improvements in the _________________ payable in the manner herein provided
for, and/or such other fire and casualty insurance as the Board of Administration shall
determine would give substantially equal or greater protection to the owners and the
mortgagees as their respective interests may appear, which said policy or policies shall
provide for a separate loss payable endorsement in favor of mortgagees of each
apartment, if any;
(c) A policy or policies as specifically hereafter described in these By-Laws
insuring the Board of Administration and the owners against any liability to the public
or to owners, their invitees, [patients] or tenants, arising as an incident to the ownership
and/or use of the _________________, and including personal liability exposures of the
owners. Limits of liability under such insurance shall be not less than [$300,000] for
any one
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person injured and for any one accident and shall be not less than [$_____________]
for property damage on each occurrence with such limits and coverage to be reviewed
at least annually by the Board of Administration and increased in its discretion. Such
policies shall be issued on a comprehensive liability basis and shall provide cross
liability endorsements wherein the rights of named insureds under the policy or policies
shall not be prejudiced with respect of his, her or their actions against another named
insured; provided, however, that the Board of Administration by virtue of this
admonition does not and shall not be responsible for providing personal liability
insurance for any owner with respect to the use of his individual apartment apart from
the common elements;
(d) Any necessary workman’s compensation insurance required under the
laws of the State of _______________;
(e) To the extent deemed advisable by the Board of Administration, the
services of a person or firm to manage its affairs (herein called “the Manager”) as well
as such other personnel as the Board of Administration shall determine to be necessary
or proper for the operation and maintenance of the common elements, whether such
personnel are employed directly by the Board of Administration or are employed on
behalf of the _________________ by the Manager;
(f) Legal and accounting services necessary or proper in the operation of the
common elements or the enforcement of these By-Laws;
(g) A fidelity bond naming the Manager, and such other persons as may be
designated by the Board of Administration as principals, and the owners as obligees, for
the first year in an amount at least equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the estimated
cash requirements for the operation of the _________________ as determined pursuant
hereto and for each year thereafter in an amount at least equal to twenty-five percent
(25%) of the total sum collected through the common expense fund during the
preceding year;
(h) Painting, maintenance, repair and all landscaping of the common
elements and such furnishings and equipment for the common elements as the Board of
Administration shall determine are necessary and proper, and the Board of
Administration shall have the exclusive right and the duty to require the same for the
common elements; provided, however, that interior finishes of walls, ceilings and
floors, plumbing and electrical fixtures and hearing and air conditioning systems of
each apartment shall be painted, maintained and repaired by the individual owners
thereof at their sole cost and expense;
(i) Any other materials, supplies, labor, services, maintenance, repairs,
structural alterations, insurance, taxes or assessments which the Board of
Administration is required to secure or pay for pursuant to the terms of these by-laws,
the master deed or which in its option shall be necessary or proper for the operation of
the common elements or for the enforcement of these by-laws; provided, that if any
such materials, supplies, labor, services, maintenance, repairs, structural alterations,
insurance, taxes or assessments are provided for particular units, the cost thereof shall
be specifically assessed to the owners of such units;
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(j) Maintenance and repair of any apartment, if such maintenance or repair
is reasonably necessary in the discretion of the Board of Administration to protect the
common elements or preserve the appearance and value of the _________________
and the owners of such apartment have failed or refused to perform such maintenance
or repair within a reasonable time after written notice of the necessity of such
maintenance or repair delivered by the Board of Administration to the Owner. The
Board of Administration shall levy a special assessment against the apartment of such
owner for the cost of such maintenance or repairs;
(k) The Board of Administration’s power hereinabove enumerated shall be
limited in that the Board of Administration shall have no authority to acquire and pay
for out of the common expense fund, capital additions and improvements (other than
for purposes of replacing portions of the common elements, subject to all of the
provisions of these by-laws) having a cost in excess of $5,000 except as expressly
provided herein.
ARTICLE XVI
POWERS OF BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION EXCLUSIVE
The Board of Administration shall have the exclusive right to contract on behalf
of the _________________ for all goods, services and insurance, payment for which is
to be made from the common expense fund, and the actions of the Board of
Administration shall be through its properly designated and authorized officers.
ARTICLE XVII
ALTERATIONS, ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS
TO COMMON ELEMENTS
There shall be no structural alterations, capital additions to, or capital
improvements of, the common elements requiring an expenditure in excess of $5,000
for any one such alteration, addition or improvement, (and with only one such
alteration, addition or improvement per year) without the prior approval by a vote of
owners holding not less than a majority of the basic value of the property.
ARTICLE XVIII
ASSESSMENTS FOR COMMON EXPENSES
(a) Annual Budget Estimate. Within thirty (30) days prior to the beginning
of each calendar year, the Board of Administration shall estimate the cost of providing
the services for which it is obligated under these by-laws during the next ensuing year
including a reasonable provision for contingencies and replacements and less any
expected income and surplus from the prior year’s fund. The estimated cash
requirements for the next ensuing year as so determined shall be assessed to the owners
in accordance with their percentages of the total basic value of the _________________
as set forth in the master deed to be paid, as nearly as possible, in monthly installments
throughout the year. If the estimated cash requirements should prove inadequate, for
any reason, the Board of Administration may, at any time, levy a further assessment,
which shall be assessed to the owners in like proportions, unless otherwise provided
herein. Each owner shall be obligated to pay assessments made pursuant to this Article
to the Board of Administration in equal monthly installments on or before the first day
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of each month during each such year, or in such other reasonable manner as the Board
of Administration may designate.
(b) Expenditure of Common Fund. The funds collected in the manner herein
provided shall be expended for the purposes designated herein and for no other.
(c) Non-Waiver. The omission by the Board of Administration, before the
expiration of any year, to fix the assessments hereunder for that or the next year, shall
not be deemed a waiver or modification in any respect of the provision of these by-
laws, or a release of the owner or owners from the obligation to pay the assessments, or
any installment thereof for that or any subsequent year, but the assessments fixed for
the preceding year shall continue until a new assessment is fixed. Amendments to this
Article shall be effective only upon unanimous written consent of the owners and their
mortgagees. No owner may exempt himself from liability for his contribution towards
the common expenses by waiver of the use or enjoyment of any common element or by
abandonment of his unit.
(d) The Board or Administration shall keep detailed, accurate record in
chronological order, of the receipts and expenditures affecting the common elements,
specifying and itemizing maintenance and repair expenses of the common elements and
any other expenses incurred. Records and vouchers authorizing the payment involved
shall be available for examination by the owners at convenient hours during weekdays.
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