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BERMUDA
1986 : 33
CONDOMINIUM ACT 1986
ARRANGEMENT OF
SECTIONS
PART I
INTERPRETATION AND APPLI CATION
1 Short title
2 Interpretation
3 Application of this Act
PART II
ESTABLISHMENT OF CONDO MINIUMS
4 Basic requirements for condominiums under
this Act
5 Procedure for incorporat ing a condominium
under this Act
6 Requirements for condo minium plan
7 Registration of condo minium plan
8 Incorporation of condo minium
9 Legal capacity etc of cor poration
10 Boundaries of condo minium units
11 Statutory easements
PART III
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINIS TRATION
12 Management and control
13 Duties of corporation
14 Powers of corporation
15 Board of management
16 Statutory meeting
17 Annual general meeting
18 Bye-laws
19 Restriction on bye-laws
20 Enforcement of bye-laws
21 Voting rights
22 Voting where owner inca pable
23 Administrative expenses
24 Interest on outstanding accounts
25 Recovery of money
26 Investments
27 Information on request
28 Insurance
29 Copies of insurance poli cies
30 Disposal of common prop erty
31 Exclusive use areas
32 Covenants benefiting con dominium parcel
33 Covenants burdening condominium parcel
34 Rental of residential units
35 Corporation may give owner's tenant notice
to quit
36 Enforcement of section 35
37 Court order to tenant to quit
38 By-law authority required for action under
section 34, 35 or 37
39 Schemes for repair of damage to condominium
building
PART IV
SUPERVISION AND TERMINA TION
40 Appointment of adminis trator
41 Termination of condo minium status
42 Effect of termination of condominium status
43 Disposal of land
44 Dissolution of a corpora tion
PART V
LAND TAXATION
45 Supply of information to land taxation
authorities
46 Units, but not common property, subject to
land taxation
PART VI
CONTROL OF DEVELOPERS
47 Supply of documents by developer to
corporation
48 Sale of residential units by developer
49 Supply of information by developer to
purchasers
50 Certain payments to be held in trust
51 Limit on security deposit
52 Management agreements
PART VII
MISCELLANEOUS
54 Registration under this Act
55 Corporation's register of owners
56 Right of entry
57 Service on a corporation
58 Service by a corporation
59 Change of registered ad dress
60 Fees for documents
61 Offences
62 Punishment of offences
63 Regulations
64 Application of Develop ment and Planning Act
1974
65 Investigation of affairs of a corporation
66 Application of this Act to existing
condominiums
67 Commencement [omitted]
SCHEDULE
STANDARD
CORPORATION BY-LAWS
[17 July 1986]
[preamble and
words of enactment omitted]
PART I
INTERPRETATION
AND APPLICATION
Short title
1 This Act may be cited as the
Condominium Act 1986.
Interpretation
2 (1) In
this Act unless the context otherwise requires—
"board"
means the board of management of a corporation as pro vided for in section 15;
"building"
means one or more buildings on the same condo minium parcel;
"bye-law"
means one of the bye-laws of a corporation as amended from time to time, and
includes a bye-law passed in substitution
for a former bye-law;
"common
property" means so much of a condominium parcel as is not comprised in a
unit;
"condominium"
has the meaning assigned to it in subsection (2);
"condominium
parcel" means the land comprised in a condo minium plan;
"condominium
plan" means a plan that complies with section 6;
"contribution"
means a contribution levied pursuant to section 23(1)(c);
"corporation"
means a condominium incorporated pursuant to section 8;
"counsel"
means a barrister and attorney;
"court"
means —
(a) in section 20, the relevant court;
(b) in sections 22, 36, 37 and 38, a
magistrate's court;
(c) elsewhere, the Supreme Court;
"developer"
means a person who is proposing to present, or has presented, a condominium
plan to the Registrar for registra
tion, as the context may require;
"functions"
includes powers and duties;
"land"
includes —
(a) land covered with water;
(b) all things growing on land;
(c) buildings and other things permanently
affixed to land; and
(d) interests in land;
"land
taxation" means the imposition and collection under the authority of an
Act of taxes, rates or charges in respect
of the ownership or occupation of
land;
"land taxation
Act" means an Act providing for land taxation;
"land taxation
authority", in relation to any land in a condo minium parcel, means the
person or body having land taxa
tion powers in relation to that land;
"lease"
includes tenancy;
"manage"
includes maintain, and grammatical variations shall be construed accordingly;
"management
agreement" means an agreement entered into by a corporation governing the
general management, administra tion
and control of —
(a) the real and personal property of the
corporation that is associated with the residential units; and
(b) the common property so associated;
"the Minister"
means the Minister responsible for Housing;
"own" means own in fee simple;
"owner"
means owner of a unit;
"prescribed"
means prescribed by regulation;
"purchase
agreement" means an agreement between a developer and another person by
which the latter purchases from the
developer a residential unit or a proposed
residential unit, or acquires from him a right to purchase such a unit;
"recreational
agreement" means an agreement entered into by a corporation that —
(a) allows persons other than the owners to use
recreational facilities that are located on the common property; or
(b) allows the owners to use recreational
facilities that are not located on the common property;
"register"
means to record in an official register in accordance with section 54 and the
regulations, and "registration"
has a corresponding meaning;
"Registrar"
means the Chief Surveyor of the Department of Works and Engineering or such
other public officer as the Governor
may by notice published in the Gazette
designate to be the Registrar;
"regulation"
means a regulation made under section 63;
"residential"
means used or intended to be used for residential purposes;
"special
resolution", in relation to a corporation, means a resolu tion—
(a) passed at a duly convened meeting of the corporation
by a majority of not less than 75% of all the persons enti tled to exercise
the
powers of voting conferred by this Act or the bye-laws; or
(b) signed by not less than 75% of all the
persons who, at a duly convened meeting of the corporation, would be en titled
to exercise
the powers of voting conferred by this Act or the bylaws;
"title", in
relation to a thing, means the right of a person, or, as the case may be, the
rights of all persons, to that
thing;
"transfer"
includes convey, and the noun "transfer" includes con veyance;
"unit" means
a space that is situated within a building and that is described in a
condominium plan;
"unit
factor", in relation to a unit forming part of a condominium, is the
mathematical expression, called for by section
6(g), that denotes the
proportionate interest of the owner of that unit in the condominium.
(2) For the purposes of this Act
"condominium" means a scheme for the sharing of land whereby the land
is divided into individ
ual parts and common parts so that —
(a) the individual parts are capable of being
enjoyed sepa rately; and
(b) persons having rights in individual parts can
enjoy the common parts in common with other persons having rights in other
individual
parts.
Application of
this Act
3 Subject to section 66, this Act
applies to condominiums in re spect of which the requirements of section 4 are
satisfied, but not
to condominiums of any other kind.
PART II
ESTABLISHMENT OF
CONDOMINIUMS
Basic
requirements for condominiums under this Act
4 (1) Only
a person who owns land may organize it as a condo minium under this Act.
(2) A condominium cannot be incorporated under
this Act un less the Registrar is satisfied that 51 per cent or more of the net
internal
floor area of the building is calculated to provide for people
residential accommodation which they own.
(3) In
subsection (2), "net internal floor area" means the floor area of all
the enclosed parts of the building, leaving out
of account common property
other than that which is used exclusively for purposes ancillary to residential
accommodation.
Procedure for incorporating a condominium under this Act
5 (1) Land
may be organized as a condominium under this Act if a condominium plan relating
to the land is registered.
(2) A person desiring to organize land as a
condominium under this Act shall make application for the incorporation of the
condominium
by presenting a condominium plan to the Registrar for registration.
Requirements
for condominium plan
6 Subject to section 6A, every plan
presented to the Registrar for registration as a con dominium plan shall —
(a) have a heading describing the plan as a
condominium plan;
(b) delineate the external surface boundaries of
the condo minium parcel and the location of the building in rela tion to them;
(c) show all particulars necessary to enable the
title to the land that is to form the condominium parcel to be iden tified;
(d) include a drawing illustrating the units and
distin guishing them by numbers or other symbols;
(e) define the boundaries of each unit;
(f) show the floor area of each unit;
(g) have a schedule showing the basis on which unit
factors are established for the units and specifying the unit factor for each
unit;
(h) show the address which will be the registered
address of the condominium corporation when constituted;
(i) contain any other prescribed features;
(j) be accompanied by a certificate from the
Director of Planning that planning permission has been granted as required by
section 64(1);
(k) be accompanied by the prescribed professional
certifi cates; and
(l) be signed by the developer.
[section 6
amended by 1998 : 40 effective 21 July 1998]
Condominium
plans submitted for registration by Bermuda Housing Corporation
6A (1) Notwithstanding
section 6 or any other provision of this Act, in the case of a scheduled plan
submitted to the Registrar by the
Bermuda Housing Corporation for registration
as a condominium plan, the plan shall, in addition to the matters specified in
section
6, delineate the boundaries of the land to be disposed of with each unit
and for the purposes of this section "unit" shall
be deemed to
include such land.
(2) In
this section—
(a) "the Bermuda Housing Corporation"
means the Corporation continued under section 4 of the Bermuda Housing Act 1980
[title 29 item 1]; and
(b) "scheduled plan" means a plan showing
land specified in Schedule II to this Act or any part thereof.
[section 6A
inserted by 1998 : 40 effective 21 July 1998]
Registration of condominium plan
7 The Registrar may require that a
condominium plan presented to him pursuant to section 5(2) be amended so as to
comply with the
re quirements of this Act and the regulations; and, where the
Registrar is satisfied that those requirements have been complied
with in
relation to such a plan, he shall retain and register the condominium plan
(duly amended in any case where amendment was
in his opinion required).
Incorporation
of condominium
8 (1) Upon
the registration of a condominium plan under section 7, the following have
effect —
(a) there is established a condominium corporation
(in this Act referred to as "a corporation" or "the
corporation",
as the case may require), in respect of the condominium;
(b) the common property of the condominium parcel
vests in the corporation;
(c) each unit of the condominium becomes real property
vested in the developer and, subject to anything to the contrary in this Act or
in the condominium plan or the bye-laws, may be owned, used and enjoyed, and be
transferred, mortgaged, leased and otherwise disposed
of or dealt with, and be
acquired, in all respects as real property.
(2) The
establishment of a corporation in relation to a condo-
minium
pursuant to subsection (1), and the date on which that occurs, are in this Act
referred to respectively as the incorporation,
and the date of incorporation,
of that condominium.
(3) The members of a corporation are —
(a) the owners of the units; or
(b) those persons who are entitled to the
condominium par cel where the condominium status of the condominium parcel is
terminated pursuant
to section 41.
Legal capacity
etc of corporation
9 A corporation —
(a) has perpetual succession and power to acquire,
hold and dispose of real and personal property;
(b) may sue
and be sued in its registered name;
[This page
intentionally left blank]
(c) shall have a common seal.
Boundaries of
condominium units
10 (1) Unless
a condominium plan provides otherwise, where —
(a) a boundary of a unit is described by reference
to a floor, wall or ceiling; or
(b) a wall located within a unit is a load-bearing
wall
the only portion
of that floor, wall or ceiling, as the case may be, that forms part of the unit
is the finishing material that
is in the interior of that unit, including any
lath and plaster, panelling, gypsum board, flooring material or covering or any
other material that is attached, laid, glued or applied to the floor, wall or
ceiling, as the case may be.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), all doors
and windows of a unit are part of the unit unless the condominium plan provides
other
wise.
Statutory
easements
11 (1) Upon
the incorporation of a condominium, there are implied in respect of each unit
shown on the condominium plan—
(a) the following easements, being easements
benefiting the unit—
(i) an easement for the subjacent and
lateral sup port of the unit by the common property and by every other unit
capable of affording
the unit such support;
(ii) an easement for the shelter of the unit
by the common property and by every other unit capa ble of affording the unit
shelter;
(iii) easements for the passage or provision of
water, (whether for drinking, draining or any other purpose), sewage, gas,
electricity,
garbage, artifi cially heated or cooled air and other services, in cluding
telephone, radio and television services, through or
by means of pipes, wires,
cables or ducts for the time being existing, to the extent to which those
pipes, wires, cables or ducts
are ca pable of being used in connection with the
en joyment of the unit;
(b) the following easements, being easements
burdening the unit —
(i) an easement for the subjacent and
lateral sup port of the common property and every other unit capable of
enjoying such support
from the unit;
(ii) an easement to provide shelter to the
common property and to every other unit capable of en joying shelter from the
unit;
(iii) easements for the passage or provision of
water (whether for drinking, draining or any other purpose), sewage, gas,
electricity,
garbage, artifi cially heated or cooled air and other services, in cluding
telephone, radio and television services, through or
by means of pipes, wires,
cables or ducts for the time being existing within the unit to the common
property and every other unit
capable of enjoying those easements.
(2) Where an easement is implied by subsection
(1), the provider of any utility service that serves the condominium parcel or
a unit
on that parcel is entitled to the benefit of the easement to the extent
that use by him of the easement is appropriate to the provision
by him of that
service, but not to the exclusion of the provider of any other utility service.
(3) For the purposes of subsection (1), there
are implied in favour of, and against, units and common property, as the case
may be—
(a) all ancillary rights (including the right on
behalf of a dominant tenement to enter upon a servient tenement and replace,
renew
or restore anything on the servient tenement from which the dominant
tenement is entitled to benefit); and
(b) all ancillary obligations,
that are reasonably necessary to be enjoyed or
suffered if an easement implied by subsection (1) is to be fully operative.
PART III
MANAGEMENT AND
ADMINISTRATION
Management and
control
12 A corporation is responsible for the
management, administration and control of its common property.
Duties of
corporation
13 A corporation shall —
(a) keep its common property clean and in a state
of good and serviceable repair;
(b) carry out such work as may be ordered or
required in respect of the common property by any public officer or public body
in the
exercise of statutory powers;
(c) do all things reasonably necessary for the
enforcement of the obligations, if any, contained in the bye-laws for the
management,
administration and control of the building.
Powers of
corporation
14 A corporation may, in its discretion
but subject to any restriction imposed or direction given by a bye-law or at a
general meeting
of the corporation—
(a) engage and remunerate staff for any purpose
relating to the functions of the corporation;
(b) retain and remunerate accountants for the
purpose of preparing or auditing the corporation's accounts;
(c) retain as manager, and remunerate, a
professional trade or business firm or person to carry out on behalf of the
corporation any
of the functions of the corporation;
(d) insure and keep insured the building or any
part of the building to its reinstatement value against fire and other risks;
(e) establish and maintain lawns, gardens and
playgrounds on the common property;
(f) act on behalf of the owners in respect of any
other mat ter in which the owners have a joint interest or liability;
(g) acquire personal property to be used —
(i) for the maintenance, repair or
replacement of the real or personal property of the corporation or the common
property; or
(ii) by owners in connection with their
enjoyment of the real and personal property of the corporation or the common
property;
(h) borrow money required by the corporation in the
per formance of its functions;
(i) secure the repayment of money borrowed by it
and of interest on that money by negotiable instrument, by a mortgage of unpaid
contributions
(whether levied or not), or by a mortgage of any property owned
by the condo minium, or by any combination of those means;
(j) grant a lease to an owner under section 31;
and
(k) make an agreement with an owner or tenant of a
unit for the provision of amenities or services by the corporation to the unit
or
to the owner or tenant.
Board of
management
15 (1) A
corporation shall have a board of management, which shall be constituted in
accordance with the requirements of the bye-laws.
(2) The functions of a corporation shall,
subject to any restric tion imposed or direction given at a general meeting of
the corporation,
be performed by the board.
(3) All acts done in good faith by a board are,
notwithstanding that is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the
election
or appointment or continuance in office of any member of the board, as
valid as if he had been properly elected or appointed or
had properly continued
in office.
Statutory
meeting
16 Where a condominium has been incorporated,
there shall —
(a) within 90 days from the day that 50% of the
residential
units
are sold; or
(b) within 180 days from the day the first
residential unit is sold,
whichever is
sooner, be held a meeting of the corporation (to be called "the statutory
meeting"), at which a board shall
be elected.
Annual general
meeting
17 (1) The
board shall in each year convene a general meeting of the owners as the annual
general meeting of the corporation in addition
to any other general meetings of
the corporation in that year, and shall refer to the meeting as such in the
notices calling it.
(2) Not more than fifteen months shall elapse
between the date of one annual general meeting of a corporation and the date of
the next.
Bye-laws
18 (1) Every
corporation shall have bye-laws regulating the corpo ration, and providing for
the management, administration and control
of the real and personal property of
the corporation and of the units and the common property.
(2) The bye-laws bind the corporation and the
owners to the same extent as if the bye-laws had been signed and sealed by the
corpo ration
and by each owner, and contained covenants on the part of each
owner with every other owner and the corporation to observe and per
form all
the provisions of the bye-laws.
(3) Upon the incorporation of a condominium, the
bye-laws of the corporation are those set forth in Schedule I.
(4) A bye-law may be amended, repealed or
replaced by a spe cial resolution.
(5) Amendment, appeal or replacement of a
bye-law does not take effect until it is registered.
[section 18
amended by 1998 : 40 effective 21 July 1998]
Restriction on
bye-laws
19 A bye-law is not competent to prohibit
or restrict the devolution of a unit or any transfer, lease, mortgage or other
dealing in
or with a unit, or to modify or destroy any easement created or
implied by this Act.
Enforcement of
bye-laws
20 (1) If
an owner, tenant or other person living in a residential unit contravenes a
bye-law, the corporation may recover from the owner
or the tenant or both a
penalty of not more than $2000 in respect of that contravention as if it were a
civil debt.
(2) In an action under this section for a
penalty it is for the corporation to prove that —
(a) the bye-law is valid and the bye-laws make
valid provi sion for the penalty; and
(b) the bye-law has been contravened by the person
alleged by the corporation to have contravened it.
(3) The court upon the conclusion of the hearing
of an action under this section may either —
(a) give judgment against the defendant in the
amount sued for, or any such lesser amount as appears to the court proper in
the circumstances;
or
(b) dismiss the action,
and make such
award as to costs as appears to the court proper in the circumstances.
(4) A corporation may not bring an action under
this section unless it is authorized by its bye-laws to do so.
(5) For the purposes of an action under this
section, a copy of a bylaw that is certified by the Registrar as being a true
copy of the
bye-law as registered is prima facie proof —
(a) of the contents of the bye-law; and
(b) that the bye-law was properly made.
(6) The bringing of an action against a person
under this sec tion does not restrict, limit or derogate from any other remedy
that an
owner or a corporation may have against that person.
Voting rights
21 (1) When
a matter is to be decided by voting, one vote is avail able in right of each
unit.
(2) The right to vote in right of a unit is
exercisable by the owner unless the unit is mortgaged and a mortgagee is
qualified under,
and in fact exercises the vote in right of the unit that is
conferred by, subsections (3), (4) and (5).
(3) If
the holder of a mortgage registered against a unit, being the mortgage ranking
first in priority of any mortgage so registered,
("a first
mortgagee") gives notice in writing to the corporation that he wishes
to
be given notice of all general meetings of the corporation, the corpora tion
shall give him the same notice of every such meeting
as it is required to give
the owner.
(4) If, in relation to a general meeting of a
corporation, a first mortgagee—
(a) not fewer than two days before the meeting
gives notice in writing to the corporation of his intent to attend the meeting
and vote
in right of the unit against which his mortgage is registered; and
(b) actually attends the meeting,
then he, and not
the owner, may exercise the vote in right of that unit at that meeting.
(5) Where by virtue of a bye-law a resolution of
a general meeting may obtained by owners rendering their vote in writing
without assembling
in a meeting, the rendering of a vote in writing by a first
mortgagee pursuant to the bye-law shall count for the purposes of sub
section
(4) as actual attendance by him at the meeting.
Voting where
owner incapable
22 (1) Voting
powers conferred by this Act or the bye-laws on an owner may, if he is for any
reason unable to exercise control over his
property, be exercised by the person
who for the time being is authorized by law to exercise that control.
(2) If the court, on application by the
corporation or by an owner, is satisfied that there is no person capable,
willing or reasonably
available to exercise the voting powers in respect of a
unit, the court shall appoint such person as the court thinks fit to exercise
those voting powers.
(3) On making an appointment under subsection
(2), the court may make any order it considers necessary or expedient to give
effect to
the appointment.
Administrative
expenses
23 (1) In
addition to its other powers under this Act, the powers of a corporation
include the following —
(a) to establish a fund sufficient, in the opinion
of the board, to finance administrative expenses, that is to say, expenses
incurred
for the management, administration and control of the common property,
the payment of any premiums of insurance and the discharge
of any other
obligation of the corporation;
(b) to determine from time to time the amounts to
be raised for the purposes mentioned in paragraph (a);
(c) to raise amounts so determined by levying
contributions on the owners corresponding to the unit factors for their units;
(d) to recover from an owner as a civil debt any
sum of money spent by the corporation pursuant to any enact ment or bye-law in
respect
of the unit, or in respect of common property that is leased to that
owner under section 31.
(2) A contribution levied pursuant to subsection
(1)(c) is due and payable on the passing of a resolution to that effect and in
accord
with the terms of the resolution, and may be recovered as a civil debt
by the corporation —
(a) from the person who was the owner at the time
when the resolution was passed; and
(b) from the person who was the owner at the time
when the action was instituted,
jointly or
severally.
(3) A corporation shall, on the application of
an owner or a per son authorized in writing by him, certify —
(a) the amount determined as the contribution of
the owner pursuant to subsection (1)(c);
(b) the manner in which any such contribution is
payable;
(c) the extent to which any such contribution has
been paid;
(d) the interest, if any, owing on any unpaid
balance of any such contribution,
and, in favour of
a person dealing with an owner, such a certificate is conclusive proof of any
matter properly so certified.
Interest on
outstanding accounts
24 The corporation may, if its bye-laws so
permit, charge interest on any unpaid balance of a contribution owed to it by
an owner under
sec tion 23.
Recovery of
money
25 If any interest referred to in section
24, or a deposit referred to in section 34(4), is owing from an owner to a
corporation, the
corporation may, in addition to any other rights of recovery
that it has in law, recover the amount of the interest or deposit in
the same
manner as it may re cover a contribution under section 23, and for that purpose
the amount shall be considered as a contribution
under section 23.
Investments
26 A corporation may invest any funds not
immediately required by it in investments in which a trustee is permitted by
the Trustee
Act 1975 [title 26 item 51]
to invest trust moneys.
Information on
request
27 A corporation shall, within 20 days of
receiving from an owner or an intending purchaser or an intending or a
registered mortgagee
of a unit a written request in that behalf, provide to him
such of the following as are mentioned in that request —
(a) a statement setting forth the amount of any
contribu tions due and payable in respect of a unit;
(b) the particulars of —
(i) any action commenced against the
corporation and served on it;
(ii) any unsatisfied judgment or order for
which the corporation is liable; and
(iii) any written demand made on the
corporation for an amount in excess of $5000 that, if not met, may result in an
action being brought
against the corporation;
(c) a copy of the current budget, if any, of the
corporation;
(d) a copy of the financial statements, if any,
relating to the latest financial year of the corporation for which such
statements have
been prepared;
(e) a copy of the bye-laws of the corporation;
(f) a copy of any minutes of a general meeting of
the corpo ration.
Insurance
28 (1) A
corporation —
(a) shall place and maintain adequate insurance on
the units, other than improvements made to the units by the owners, and the
common
property against loss resulting from destruction or damage caused by
fire, windstorm and any other peril against which the bye-laws
require the
corporation to maintain such insurance;
(b) shall, if its bye-laws so require, place and
maintain in surance on the improvements made to the units by the owners against
loss
resulting from destruction or dam age caused by fire, windstorm and any
other peril against which the bye-laws require the corporation
to maintain such
insurance; and
(c) may place and maintain insurance on the units
and the common property or either of them against perils other than perils against
which this Act or the bye-laws re quire the corporation to maintain insurance,
and for that purpose the corporation has an insurable
interest in the units and
the common property.
(2) Any payment by an insurer under a policy of
insurance for the destruction of or damage to a unit or the common property
shall, notwithstanding
the terms of the policy —
(a) be paid to the insurance trustee designated in
the bye-laws or, if the bye-laws do not designate an insurance trustee, to the
corporation;
and
(b) be used forthwith, subject to sections 39, 41
and 42, for the repair or replacement of the insured property that was
destroyed or
damaged.
Copies of
insurance policies
29 A
corporation shall, within 20 days of receiving from an owner or an intending
purchaser or an intending or a registered mortgagee
of a unit a written request
in that behalf, provide to him copies of the policies of insurance placed by
the corporation.
Disposal of common property
30 A corporation may be authorized by a
special resolution to transfer or lease the common property, or part of it.
Exclusive use
areas
31 Notwithstanding section 30, a
corporation may, if its bye-laws so permit, by a lease grant to one or more
owners exclusive possession
of an area or areas of the common property.
Covenants
benefiting condominium parcel
32 The board of a corporation has power to
acquire on behalf of the owners an easement or a restrictive covenant
benefiting the condo
minium parcel.
Covenants
burdening condominium parcel
33 A corporation may be authorized by a
special resolution to grant on behalf of the owners an easement or a
restrictive covenant burdening
the condominium parcel.
Rental of
residential units
34 (1) An
owner of a residential unit shall not rent out his unit until he has given
notice in writing to the corporation of his intention
to do so.
(2) A notice given pursuant to subsection (1)
shall set forth the address at which the owner may be served with a notice
under section
35 or with process under section 36(2) or under section 37(2).
(3) If an owner of a residential unit rents out
his unit, it is a condition of the tenancy, notwithstanding anything in the
tenancy
agreement, that any person living in the unit shall not—
(a) cause damage to the real or personal property
of the corporation or the common property; or
(b) contravene the bye-laws.
(4) The corporation may require any owner who
rents out his residential unit to pay to and maintain with the corporation a
deposit that
the corporation may use for—
(a) the repair or replacement of any real or
personal prop erty of the corporation or of any common property; and
(b) the maintenance, repair or replacement of any
common property that is subject to a lease granted to the owner of the unit
under
section 31,
that is damaged,
destroyed, lost or removed, as the case may be, by a person living in the unit.
(5) A deposit referred to in subsection (4)
shall not exceed one twelfth of the value established as the annual rental
value of the
unit under the Land Valuation and Tax Act 1967 [title 14 item 31].
(6) Within 20 days of the commencement of any
tenancy of a residential unit, the owner of the unit shall inform the
corporation by notice
in writing of the tenant's name.
(7) Within 20 days of the ending of any tenancy
of a residential unit, the owner of the unit shall inform the corporation by
notice
in writing of that fact.
(8) Within 20 days of receiving a notice under
subsection (7), a corporation shall, as the case may require, either—
(a) return to an owner the whole of any deposit
that he made with the corporation in compliance with a re quirement of the
corporation
under subsection (4); or
(b) if the corporation has used the deposit for one
or more of the purposes specified in subsection (4), deliver to the owner—
(i) a statement accounting for the amount
used; and
(ii) the unused balance, if any, of the
deposit; or
(c) if the corporation is entitled to make use of
the deposit for one or more of those purposes but is unable to de termine the
amount
of it that it will need, deliver to the owner an estimate of that amount
and, within 60 days of so delivering that estimate, deliver
to him—
(i) a final statement accounting for the
amount used; and
(ii) the unused balance, if any, of the
deposit.
Corporation may
give owner's tenant notice to quit
35 (1) A
corporation may give a tenant renting a residential unit notice under this
section to quit the unit if a person living in the
unit
(a) causes damage, other than normal wear and tear,
to the
real
or personal property of the corporation or to the common property; or
(b) contravenes a bye-law.
(2) Where a corporation gives a tenant notice
under this sec tion—
(a) the tenant shall give up possession of the
unit; and
(b) notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the
Rent In creases (Domestic Premises) Control Act 1978 [title 29 item 3] or in the tenancy agreement between the tenant and
his landlord, the tenancy agreement terminates,
on the last day of
the month immediately following the month in which the notice is served on the
tenant.
(3) A notice given under this section shall be
served on the ten ant and the landlord.
Enforcement of
section 35
36 (1) If
a tenant to whom notice to quit a unit has been given un der section 35 does
not give up possession of the unit, the corporation
may apply to the court
under this section for an order under subsection (4).
(2) Notice of an application to the court under
this section must be served on the tenant and the landlord not fewer than three
days,
excluding any Saturday or public holiday, before the day appointed by the
court for the hearing of the application.
(3) An application to the court under this
section shall be sup ported by an affidavit sworn on behalf of the corporation
—
(a) establishing service of the notice to quit
under section 35;
(b) stating the reasons for the giving of the
notice;
(c) stating the failure of the tenant to give up
possession and the reasons, if any, given by him for that failure; and
(d) stating any other relevant facts.
(4) On hearing an application under this
section, the court, if satisfied as to the facts presented by the corporation,
may by order
—
(a) require the tenant to give up possession of the
unit;
(b) fix a day on which he shall do so; and
(c) give any further direction in the matter that
the court considers warranted in the circumstances.
(5) Where an order made under subsection (4)
fixes a day for a tenant to give up possession of a unit, his tenancy
terminates on that
day notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Rent
Increases (Domestic Premises) Control Act 1978 [title 29 item 3] or in his tenancy agreement with the landlord.
Court order to
tenant to quit
37 (1) If
a corporation considers that a person living in a residen tial unit that is
being rented —
(a) is a danger to, or is intimidating, persons in
occupation of other units on the condominium parcel; or
(b) has caused or is causing damage, other than
normal wear and tear, to the real or personal property of the corporation, or
to the
common property,
the corporation
may, whether or not the tenant of the unit has been given notice by the
corporation under section 35, or by the
landlord un der the tenancy agreement,
to quit the unit, apply to the court under this section for an order under
subsection (4).
(2) Notice of an application by the corporation
to the court un der this section must be served on the tenant and the landlord
not fewer
than three days, excluding any Saturday or public holiday, before the
day appointed by the court for the hearing of the application.
(3) An application under this section shall be
supported by an affidavit sworn on behalf of the corporation —
(a) setting forth particulars of the danger to, or
intimidation of, persons, or the damage to property, alleged; and
(b) stating any other relevant facts.
(4) On hearing an application under this
section, the court, if satisfied that danger to, or intimidation of, persons or
damage to prop
erty, being danger,
intimidation or damage of a kind mentioned in sub section (1), has occurred and
that there are grounds for believing that
further such danger, intimidation or
damage may occur if the tenant is permitted to remain in possession of the
unit, may by order
—
(a) require
the tenant to give up possession of the unit;
(b) fix the day on which he shall do so; and
(c) give any further direction in the matter that
the court considers warranted in the circumstances.
(5) Where an order made under subsection (4)
fixes a day for a tenant to give up possession of a unit, his tenancy
terminates on that
day notwithstanding anything to the contrary in his tenancy
agreement with the landlord.
By-law
authority required for action under section 34, 35 or 37
38 (1) A
corporation shall not —
(a) impose or collect deposits under section 34; or
(b) give notices to quit under section 35; or
(c) make applications to the court under section
37,
unless the
corporation's bye-laws so permit.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1),
permission granted by bylaws may be either general or specific.
Schemes for
repair of damage to condominium building
39 (1) Where
a building has been damaged but the condominium status of the condominium
parcel to which the building belongs is not to be
terminated, an interested
party may apply to the court under this section for the court to approve a
scheme.
(2) In this section —
"interested
party" means the corporation or an owner or a regis tered mortgagee;
"scheme"
means a plan prepared by an interested party for the repair of damage to a
building, and for the distribution
of the cost of the repair among persons
affected.
(3) On an application to the court under this
section the court may by order approve a scheme, which may include provisions —
(a) for the reinstatement of the building in whole
or in part;
(b) for the transfer of interests of owners of
units that have been damaged or destroyed to other owners, taking unit factors
into account.
(4) In the exercise of its powers under
subsection (3), the court may include in a scheme such provisions as it
considers necessary
or expedient for giving effect to the purposes of the
scheme, including pro visions—
(a) directing the application of insurance moneys
paid or payable to the corporation;
(b) directing the payment of money by the
corporation or the owners or one or more of them;
(c) directing an amendment of the condominium plan
so as to include in the common property any accretion to it; and
(d) imposing terms and conditions on persons
affected by the scheme.
(5) An insurer who has effected insurance
against damage to or destruction of the whole or part of a building which will
be affected
by a scheme has the right to appear in person or by counsel on an
application to the court under this section.
PART IV
SUPERVISION AND
TERMINATION
Appointment of
administrator
40 (1) An
interested party may apply to the court under this sec tion for the court to
appoint an administrator to exercise functions of
the corporation in accordance
with subsection (5).
(2) In this section "interested party"
means the corporation or an owner or a registered mortgagee or the Minister.
(3) On an application to the court under this
section the court may appoint an administrator for an indefinite period or for
a fixed
pe riod on such terms and conditions as to remuneration or otherwise as
the court thinks fit.
(4) The remuneration and expenses of an
administrator ap pointed under this section are administrative expenses within
section 23.
(5) An administrator has, to the exclusion of
the board and the corporation, those functions of the corporation that the
court vests
in him.
(6) An
administrator may delegate any of the functions so vested in him.
(7) The court may, on the application of an
interested party or the administrator, remove or replace the administrator.
Termination of
condominium status
41 (1) An
interested party may apply to the court under this sec tion for the court to
terminate the condominium status of a condo minium
parcel.
(2) In this section "interested party"
means the corporation or an owner or a registered mortgagee or the Minister.
(3) On an application to the court under this
section, the court, if it is satisfied that, having regard to the rights and
interests
of —
(a) the owners as a whole; and
(b) any other person appearing to the court to have
an in terest in the condominium parcel or any part of it ("an affected
person"),
it is just and
equitable that the condominium status of the condominium parcel should be
terminated, may make a declaration to that
effect.
(4) In a declaration that it makes under
subsection (3) the court may include such conditions and give such directions,
including directions
for the payment of money, as the court thinks fit for the
pur pose of adjusting the effect of the declaration —
(a) as between the corporation and the owners; or
(b) as amongst the owners; or
(c) as respects an affected person.
(5) In addition to any interested party, the
following have the right to appear in person or by counsel on an application to
the court
under this section—
(a) an affected person;
(b) an insurer who has effected insurance against
damage or destruction of the whole or part of a building on the condominium
parcel.
Effect of
termination of condominium status
42 (1) On
the condominium status of a condominium parcel being terminated, the
corporation shall forthwith give the Registrar notice in
writing in the
prescribed form of the termination.
(2) On receipt of a notice given under
subsection (1), the Reg istrar shall make a memorandum in the prescribed form
on the condo minium
plan in respect of the notice, and the owners of the units
in the condominium parcel are thereupon entitled to the condominium parcel
as
tenants in common in shares corresponding to the unit factors for their units,
but subject to the effect of any declaration
made by the court under section
41(3).
Disposal of
land
43 (1) Where
the condominium status of a condominium parcel has been terminated and it is
desired that the corporation should have power
to dispose of land that formed
part of the condominium parcel immediately before the termination of its
condominium status, the
court, if it is satisfied that every person having an
interest in that land has con sented in writing to the release of that
interest,
may by order authorize and empower the corporation to make the
appropriate transfer of that land.
(2) A transfer executed in accordance with
subsection (1) is valid and effective without execution by any person having
such an in terest
in the land as is mentioned in that subsection; and the
receipt of the corporation for the consideration given for the transfer
is a
sufficient discharge of, and exonerates, all persons taking under the transfer
from any responsibility for the application
of the consideration expressed to
have been so received.
Dissolution of
a corporation
44 (1) An
interested party may apply to the court under this sec tion for the court to order
the winding-up and dissolution of a corpora
tion in relation to the condominium
status of whose condominium parcel a declaration has been made under section
41.
(2) In subsection (1) "interested
party" means the corporation or a member of the corporation or the
Minister or a person
appointed as administrator under section 40 to exercise
functions of the corporation.
(3) On an application to the court under this
section concern ing a condominium, the court may, if it thinks fit, by order
appoint a
liq uidator of the corporation, and give directions for the
winding-up by him of the corporation's affairs.
(4) The law and practice governing the
winding-up by the court, and the dissolution, of a local company under the
Companies Act 1981
[title 17 item 5]
apply in relation to the winding-up of the affairs and the dissolution of a
corporation under subsection (3) mutatis mutandis
as they apply in relation to
such a company; and for the
purposes of the application of that law and practice to a corporation —
(a) a reference to a director of a company shall be
deemed to be a reference to a member of the corporation's board; and
(b) a reference to a member of a company shall be
deemed to be a reference to an owner.
PART V
LAND TAXATION
Supply of
information to land taxation authorities
45 (1) Not
later than 28 days after the incorporation of a condo minium, the corporation
shall furnish to the land taxation authority 2
copies of the condominium plan,
certified in the prescribed manner.
(2) For purposes of land taxation, in relation
to a condominium parcel or part of one —
(a) the particulars shown on a certified copy of a
condo minium plan furnished pursuant to subsection (1) are conclusive proof of
those
particulars; and
(b) the production by a land taxation authority of
what pur ports to be a certified copy of a condominium plan fur nished pursuant
to
subsection (1) is prima facie proof that it is the certified copy so
furnished.
(3) Where a corporation leases land to an owner
under section 31, it shall within 28 days of the execution of the lease furnish
to the
land taxation authority the prescribed particulars of the lease.
Units, but not
common property, subject to land taxation
46 Notwithstanding section 8(1)(b), for
land taxation purposes—
(a) common property is not a separate parcel of
land;
(b) a corporation's ownership of common property
shall be disregarded; and
(c) each unit shall be treated on the basis that
the unit, and the interest in common property belonging to the unit, together
constitute
a single parcel of land.
PART VI
CONTROL OF
DEVELOPERS
Supply of
documents by developer to corporation
47 (1) Where
a condominium has been incorporated on the appli cation of a developer, he
shall, within one year (or such longer period as
the Registrar may in any
particular case in writing allow) after the date of the incorporation, provide
to the corporation the
original or a copy of the following documents, in so far
as they relate to the condominium par cel—
(a) all warranties and guarantees on the real and
personal property of the corporation and the common property and the units;
(b) the—
(i) structural, electrical, mechanical and
architec tural working drawings and specifications; and
(ii) as-built drawings,
that exist for the common
property;
(c) the plans that exist showing the location of
underground utility services, sewer pipes and cable television lines lo cated
on the
common property;
(d) all written agreements to which the corporation
is a party;
(e) all certificates, approvals and permits issued
by any public authority.
(2) A corporation may at any time before it
receives a copy of a document under subsection (1) make to the developer a
request in writ
ing for a copy of that document, and the developer shall,
within 20 days of receiving that request, provide to the corporation without
charge a copy of that document if the document is in his possession or power.
Sale of
residential units by developer
48 (1) A developer shall not sell or agree to sell
a residential unit or a proposed residential unit to a purchaser unless he has
available
for the purchaser at the developer's place of business, and actually
provides to the purchaser, at a charge, if any, no greater
than the prescribed
charge if the purchaser so requests, a copy of —
(a) the purchase agreement;
(b) the bye-laws or proposed bye-laws;
(c) any management agreement or proposed management
agreement;
(d) any recreational agreement or proposed
recreational agreement;
(e) the condominium plan or the proposed
condominium plan;
(f) in relation to any mortgage that affects, or
any proposed mortgage that will affect, the title to the unit or proposed unit
(being
in either case a mortgage offered or arranged by the developer), either
—
(i) a copy of the mortgage; or
(ii) a notice setting forth the information
specified in subsection (2).
(2) The information referred to in subsection
(1)(f)(ii) is the fol lowing —
(a) the maximum principal amount available under
the mortgage;
(b) the maximum payment (calculated on a monthly
basis) that may be paid under the mortgage;
(c) the amortization period;
(d) the term;
(e) the interest rate or the formula, if any, for
determining the interest rate;
(f) the prepayment privileges, if any.
(3) Every purchaser of a residential unit has
the right, without incurring any liability for doing so, by notice in writing
to the developer
to rescind the purchase agreement within 10 days from the date
the pur chase agreement was executed.
(4) If a purchase agreement is rescinded under
subsection (3), the developer shall, within 10 days of receiving the
purchaser's notice
re scinding the agreement, return to the purchaser all money
that was paid by the purchaser in respect of the purchase.
Supply of information by developer to purchasers
49 Every developer who enters into a
purchase agreement shall in clude in the agreement the following —
(a) a statement that is at least as prominent as
the rest of the contents of the agreement, and that is printed in red ink on
the outside
front cover or on the first page of the agreement, in the following
terms —
"Section 48 of the Condominium Act 1986 confers upon the
purchaser the right to obtain certain documents and information of
vital
importance for this agreement.";
(b) a description, drawing or photograph showing —
(i) the interior finishing of all major
improvements to the common property located within a build ing;
(ii) the recreational facilities, equipment
and other amenities to be used by the persons living in the residential units;
(iii) the equipment to be used for the
maintenance of the common property;
(iv) the location of roadways, walkways,
fences, parking areas and recreational facilities;
(v) the landscaping; and
(vi) the exterior finishing of the building,
as they will exist when the developer has fulfilled his
obligations under the purchase agreement;
(c) the amount or estimated amount (calculated on a
monthly basis) of the contributions in respect of the unit; and
(d) the basis on which unit factors are established
for all units (whether residential or not), and the unit factor for the unit.
Certain
payments to be held in trust
50 (1) Subject
to subsection (7), there shall be held in trust, in the manner specified in
subsection (2), all money, other than money
paid by way of rent or security
deposit, paid by a purchaser under a purchase
agreement; and
(a) if the improvements to the residential unit and
the common property are substantially completed, that money may be paid to the
developer
upon the purchaser receiving title to the unit;
(b) if the improvements to the residential unit are
substan tially completed but the improvements to the common property are not
substantially
completed —
(i) not more than 50% of that money less
the inter est earned on it may be paid to the developer upon the purchaser
receiving title
to the unit; and
(ii) on the improvements to the common
property being substantially completed, the balance of that money and all the
interest earned
on the total amount held in trust in respect of that pur chase
agreement may be paid to the developer.
(2) A developer who receives money that is
required by subsec tion (1) to be held in trust shall forthwith deposit the
money in an inter
est-bearing trust account maintained by a licensed bank in
Bermuda,
(3) A bank where money is deposited under
subsection (2) shall keep it on deposit in Bermuda, and shall not pay it out to
a developer
ex cept in accordance with a statement in writing from the
Registrar certi fying that the relevant requirements of subsections (1)
and (6)
have been satisfied.
(4) If, where money is being held in trust
pursuant to subsec tion (1), a purchaser takes possession of the unit or
occupies it before
re ceiving title to the unit, the interest earned on that
money from the day the purchaser's possession or occupation of the unit
commences to the day he receives title to the unit shall be applied against the
purchase price.
(5) Subject to subsection (4), a developer is
entitled to the in terest earned on money held in trust pursuant to subsection
(1).
(6) For the purposes of this section, improvements
to a unit or the common property, as the case may be, are deemed to be substan tially
completed when the improvements are ready for use, or are being used, for the
purpose intended.
(7) Subsections (1) to (6) do not apply in
respect of money paid to a developer under a purchase agreement if that money
is held under
the provisions of a scheme approved by the Minister that provides
for the receipt, handling and disbursing of that money, or indemnifies
against
loss of that money, or both.
Limit on
security deposit
51 If a purchaser of a residential unit,
before receiving title to the unit, rents that unit from the developer, the
amount that the
developer may charge the purchaser as a security deposit in
respect of the unit shall not exceed one month's rent charged for the
unit or,
in the case of premises to which the Rent Increases (Domestic Premises) Control
Act 1978 [title 29 item 3] applies,
the limit prescribed that Act.
Management
agreements
52 (1) Subject
to subsection (2), a corporation may, notwith standing anything contained in a
developer's management agreement, terminate
a developer's management agreement
without cause at any time after the board of the corporation is comprised of
persons who were
elected to the board after the majority of the residential
units were owned by persons other than the developer.
(2) A developer's management agreement —
(a) may not be terminated under subsection (1)
until 2 years have elapsed from the day that the agreement was entered into
except where
the agreement permits termi nation at an earlier date; and
(b) may only be terminated under subsection (1) on
the cor poration giving 60 days notice in writing to the other party to the
agreement
of the corporation's intention to terminate the agreement;
and the corporation
is not liable to any other party to the agreement by reason only of the
agreement being terminated under this
section.
(3) In this section "developer's management
agreement" means a management agreement that was entered into by a
corporation
at a time when its board was comprised of persons who were elected
to the board at a time when the majority of residential units
were owned by the
developer.
(4) This
section does not derogate from any other rights that a corporation may have to
terminate a developer's management agreement.
53 (1) Any
waiver or release given of the rights, benefits or protec tions provided by or
under sections 47 to 52 is void.
(2) A remedy that a purchaser of a residential
unit has under this Act is in addition to any other rights or remedies that he
has.
PART VII
MISCELLANEOUS
Registration
under this Act
54 (1) The
Registrar shall establish and maintain official registers in which to record
documents or information which he is required or
empowered by or under this Act
to register.
(2) An official register, and a record in an
official register, shall be in such form as may be prescribed or, if a form is
not prescribed,
then in such form as the Registrar may think fit.
Corporation's
register of owners
55 (1) Every
corporation shall keep at its registered address a register (in this Act called
the corporation's "register of owners"),
and shall, in so far as the
information is duly supplied to the corporation, record in the register, in
respect of each unit —
(a) the name of the owner, and the date on which he
be came the owner; and
(b) the date on which a person ceased to be the
owner,
of the unit.
(2) Subject to subsection (1), a corporation
shall keep its reg ister of owners in such a form as may be prescribed or, if a
form is
not prescribed then in such a form as the corporation think fit.
(3) Until a change of ownership of a unit has
been duly notified to a corporation, the person duly recorded in the
corporation's register
of owners as the owner of the unit shall, so far as
concerns the rights, pow ers and duties of the corporation under this Act in
relation to owners, be deemed to be the owner of that unit; and he shall have
the corresponding rights, powers and duties of an
owner accordingly.
(4) A corporation shall keep its register of
owners readily avail able for inspection by owners and by the corporation's
officers.
Right of entry
56 Where any public authority or any
person authorized by a public authority has a statutory right to enter on any
part of a condominium
parcel, the authority or person is entitled to enter on
any part of the par cel to the extent necessary or expedient to enable it
or
him to exercise that statutory right.
Service on a
corporation
57 (1) A
document may be served on a corporation—
(a) by leaving it at its registered address, or by
sending it there by registered mail; or
(b) by personal service on a member of the board.
(2) For the purposes of this section
"document" includes sum mons, notice, tax notice, order and other
legal process.
Service by a
corporation
58 (1) A
corporation may serve on a landlord a notice given under section 35 or process
under section 36(2) or under section 37(2) —
(a) by personal service; or
(b) by registered mail sent to the address given to
the corpo ration under section 34(1) and (2).
(2) A corporation may serve on a tenant a notice
given under section 35 or process under section 36(2) or under section 37(2)—
(a) by personal service; or
(b) if the tenant cannot be served personally by
reason of his absence from the premises or by reason of his evad ing service—
(i) by giving it to an adult person who
apparently lives with the tenant; or
(ii) by posting it up in a conspicuous place
on some part of the premises; or
(iii) by sending it by registered mail to the
tenant at the address where he lives.
Change of
registered address
59 (1) A
corporation may by resolution of the board change its registered address.
(2) A
change in a corporation's registered address under sub-
section
(1) does not take effect until a notice of that change of address is
registered.
Fees for
documents
60 A corporation may charge a reasonable
fee to compensate it for any expenses it incurs in producing and providing a
document or infor
mation required of it under this Act.
Offences
61 (1) A
person who fails to comply with any duty or prohibition imposed upon him by any
provision to which this section applies com mits
an offence against this Act.
(2) The provisions to which this section applies
are:—
section 27;
section 28(1) and (2);
section 29;
section 34(1), (6), (7)
and (8);
section 42(1);
section 47(1) and (2);
section 48(1) and (4);
section 50(2) and (3);
section 51 ;
section 55(1), (2) and
(4); and
section 65(3).
(3) Where a condominium corporation commits an
offence un der subsection (1), each member of the board that is knowingly a
party to
the commission of the offence commits an offence against this Act.
Punishment of
offences
62 Any person committing an offence
against this Act may be pro ceeded against summarily:
Punishment on
conviction : imprisonment for 12 months or a fine of $5,000 or both such
imprisonment and fine.
Regulations
63 (1) The
Minister may make regulations—
(a) respecting the manner of registering a
condominium plan;
(b) prescribing forms to be used for the purposes
of this Act;
(c) prescribing fees (other than fees referred to
in section 60);
(d) prescribing anything that is required or
permitted by this Act to be prescribed, or that is necessary or conve nient to
be prescribed
for carrying out this Act or giving effect to it; and
(e) creating offences and prescribing penalties
(including, if thought fit, imprisonment) for such offences but not ex ceeding
the penalties
fixed by section 62.
(2) Regulations are subject to the affirmative
resolution proce dure.
Application of
Development and Planning Act 1974
64 (1) Subject
to subsection (2), nothing in this Act restricts the application of the
Development and Planning Act 1974 [title
20 item 1] ("the 1974 Act") , or of any development plan made
under the 1974 Act, in relation to land which it is proposed to develop,
or
which has been de veloped, as a condominium under this Act.
(2) The creation of
units as part of the development of land as a condominium under this Act and
any transfer or grant of a lease relating
to such a unit
(a) are not subdivisions of land within the meaning
of section 35A of the 1974 Act; and accordingly
(b) are not restricted or controlled by anything in
section 35B of that Act.
(3) In this section "develop" and
"development" have the meanings assigned to them in section 1 of the
1974 Act.
[Section 64
amended by 1997 : 3 effective 1 April 1997]
Investigation
of affairs of a corporation
65 (1) The
Minister may at any time either of his own volition or at the request of any
other person (an "applicant") appoint
one or more in-
spectors to
investigate the affairs of a corporation under this section.
(2) A request by an applicant for an
investigation shall be sup ported by such evidence as the Minister may require
showing that the
applicant is not actuated by malice; and the Minister may,
before ap pointing an inspector or inspectors pursuant to a request by
an appli cant,
require the applicant to give security for payment of the costs of the
investigation.
(3) Every officer or agent of a corporation
whose affairs are un der investigation under this section shall produce to an
inspector
all books or documents relating to the affairs of the corporation
that are in his possession or power, and shall answer truthfully
any question
so re lating that is put to him by an inspector; and an inspector may examine
on oath every such officer or agent
in relation to the affairs of the corpo ration,
and may administer an oath accordingly.
(4) On the conclusion of an investigation an
inspector shall re port to the Minister his opinion on the subject-matter of
the investiga
tion; and the Minister may supply a copy of the report to the
corporation or the applicant or both, if he thinks fit.
(5) All expenses of or incidental to an
investigation instituted pursuant to a request by an applicant shall be
defrayed by him unless
the Minister directs that they be defrayed in whole or
in part by the cor poration or out of public funds; and all expenses of or
incidental to an investigation instituted by the Minister of his own volition
shall be de frayed out of public funds.
Application of
this Act to existing condominiums
66 (1) The
Minister may by an order made under this section in accordance with subsection
(2)(b) modify this Act in its application to
a condominium to which this
section applies.
(2) This section applies to any condominium that
is wholly or mainly of a residential nature—
(a) which was formed before 17 July 1986; and
(b) as to which the Minister is satisfied—
(i) that all of the persons owning
dwellings in the condominium saw a draft of an order that the Minister proposed
to make under this
section in relation to the condominium ; and
(ii) not fewer than two-thirds of those
persons ap proved the draft.
(3) Where the Minister makes an order under and
in accor dance with this section in relation to a condominium, this Act applies
to that
condominium, subject to the modifications of this Act specified in the
order, with effect from the date of the commencement of the
order.
(4) An order made under this section in relation
to a condo minium may, if two-thirds of the persons owning dwellings in the con dominium
agree, contain such incidental provision as the Minister deems necessary or
expedient for adjusting the arrangements at that condominium
to the effect of
the order.
(5) For the purposes of this section, the person
who has the greatest beneficial interest in a dwelling in a condominium is the
person
who owns that dwelling.
(6) Section 6 of the Statutory Instruments Act
1977 [title 1 item 3] does not apply
to an order made under this section.
Commencement
67 [omitted]
[This Act was
brought into operation on 17 October 1987 by BR 55/1987]
SCHEDULE
I (Section 18(3))
STANDARD
CORPORATION BYE-LAWS
Interpretation
1 (1) In
these bye-laws—
(a) "the Act" means the Condominium Act
1986;
(b) "annual general meeting" means an
annual general meeting of the corporation;
(c) "general meeting" means a general
meeting of the corpo ration.
(2) Words defined in section 2 of the Act and
used in these by laws have the same meaning in these bye-laws.
(3) The rights and obligations given to or
imposed on the corpo ration or the owners by these bye-laws are in addition to
any rights
or obligations given to or imposed on the corporation or the owners
by or under the Act.
(4) If
there is any conflict between these bye-laws and the Act or the regulations,
the latter prevail.
Duties of owners
2 An owner—
(a) shall permit the corporation and its agents at
all reason able times on notice, (except in case of emergency, when no notice
is
required), to enter his unit for the purpose of—
(i) inspecting the unit;
(ii) maintaining, repairing or replacing
pipes, wires, cables and ducts existing in or on the unit and used or capable
of being used
in connection with the enjoyment of any other unit or the common
property;
(iii) maintaining, repairing or replacing the
common property; or
(iv) ensuring that the bye-laws are being
observed;
(b) shall forthwith—
(i) carry out all work that may be required
pur suant to these bye-laws or may be lawfully re quired by any public
authority in respect
of his unit, other than any work for the benefit of the
building generally; and
(ii) pay all rates, taxes, charges and
assessments that may be payable in respect of his unit;
(c) shall maintain his unit in a state of good
repair; and for the purposes of section 6A, "unit" shall be deemed to
include
the land referred to in that section
(d) shall notify the corporation forthwith of—
(i) any change in the ownership of the
unit; or,
(ii) any mortgage of the unit; and
(e) shall not make structural, mechanical or
electrical alter ations to his unit or to the common property without the prior
written
consent of the board, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.
[amended by 1998
: 40 effective 21 July 1998]
Constitution of
the board
3 (1) The
board shall consist of not fewer than 3 and not more than 9 individuals.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if there are
not more than 2 owners, the board may consist of one or more individuals not
exceeding
7 in number.
(3) An individual shall not be a member of the
board unless he is 21 years of age or older.
Eligibility to
sit on the board
4 (1) A
person does not need to be an owner in order to be elected to the board.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1)—
(a) if a unit has more than one owner, only one
owner may sit on the board in respect of that unit at one time; and
(b) an owner who has not paid to the corporation
the con tributions due and owing in respect of his unit may not be elected to
the board.
Voting
5 At an election of members of the board
each person entitled to vote may vote for the same number of candidates as
there are vacancies
to be filled on the board.
Term of office
6 (1) Subject
to paragraph (2), a member of the board shall be elected at an annual general
meeting for a term expiring at the conclu
sion of the annual general meeting
convened in the 2nd year following the year in which he was elected to the
board.
(2) At the statutory meeting convened under
section 16 of the Act—
(a) not more than 50% of the members of the board
shall be elected for a term expiring at the conclusion of the an nual general
meeting
convened in the year next following the year in which they were
elected; and
(b) the balance of the members shall be elected for
a term expiring at the conclusion of the annual general meeting convened in the
2nd year following the year in which they were elected.
(3) Each member of the board shall remain in
office until—
(a) his
term of office expires; or
(b) he is removed under bye-law 7; or
(c) the office becomes vacant under bye-law 8,
whichever happens
first.
Removal of a
member of the board
7 Except where the board consists of
fewer than 3 individuals, the corporation may by resolution at a general
meeting remove a member
of the board before the expiration of his term of
office and appoint another individual in his place to hold office for the
remainder
of the term.
Vacating of the
office of a member of the board
8 The office of a member of the board is
vacated if he—
(a) becomes bankrupt; or
(b) is more than 30 days in arrears in payment of
any con tribution required to be made by him as an owner; or
(c) is adjudged to be of unsound mind under any
statutory provision; or
(d) is convicted of an indictable offence for which
he liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than 2 years; or
(e) is absent from 3 consecutive meetings of the
board with out permission of the board and it is resolved at a sub sequent
meeting
of the board that his office be vacated; or
(f) resigns his office by serving notice in
writing on the cor poration; or
(g) dies.
Filling
vacancies
9 When a vacancy occurs on the board
under bye-law 8, the board may appoint an individual to fill the vacancy for
the remainder of
the former member's term.
Officers of the
corporation
10 (1) At
the first meeting of the members of the board held after the general meeting of
the corporation at which they were elected, the
board shall designate from its
members a president, a vice-president, a secretary and a treasurer of the
corporation, to be the
officers of the cor poration.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the board may
designate one person to fill the offices of secretary and treasurer.
(3) In addition to those duties assigned to the
officers by the board—
(a) the president or, in the event of his absence
or disability, the vice-president—
(i) is responsible for the daily execution
of the business of the corporation; and
(ii) shall act as chairman of the meetings of
the board;
(b) the secretary or, in the event of his absence
or disability, another member of the board designated by the board—
(i) shall record and maintain all the
minutes of the board;
(ii) is responsible for all the
correspondence of the corporation; and
(iii) shall carry out his duties under the
direction of the president and the board;
(c) the treasurer or, in the event of his absence
or disability, another member of the board designated by the board, shall—
(i) receive all money paid to the
corporation and deposit it as the board may direct;
(ii) properly account for the funds of the corporation
and keep such books as the board directs;
(iii) present to the board, when directed to do
so by the board, a full and detailed account of receipts and disbursements of
the corporation;
and
(iv) present at every annual general meeting—
(aa) a
budget for the forthcoming financial year of the corporation; and
(bb) an
audited statement for the most re cently completed financial year of the
corpora tion.
(4) A person ceases to be an officer of the
corporation if he ceases to be a member of the board.
(5) If a person ceases to be an officer of the
corporation, the board shall designate from its members a person to fill that
office
of the corporation for the remainder of the term.
(6) If a board consists of not more than 3
persons, those per sons may perform the duties of the officers of the
corporation in such
manner as the board may direct.
Majority vote
and quorum of the board
11 (1) At
meetings of the board, all matters shall be determined by majority vote and, in
the event of a tie vote, the chairman is entitled
to a casting vote in addition
to his original vote.
(2) A quorum for a meeting of the board is a
majority of the members of the board.
Written
resolutions
12 A written resolution of the board
signed by all of the members of the board has the same effect as a resolution
passed at a meeting
of the board duly convened and held.
Seal of the
corporation
13 (1) The
corporation's seal shall not be used except—
(a) under the authority of a resolution of the
board given prior to its use; and
(b) in the presence of not fewer than 2 members of
the board, who shall sign the instrument to which the seal is affixed.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if there are
not more than 2 members of the corporation, one member may be authorized by the
board
to use the corporate seal and sign any instrument to which the seal is
affixed.
Signing
authority
14 The board shall prescribe, by
resolution—
(a) those officers or other persons who are
authorized to sign cheques, drafts, instruments and documents not required to be
signed
under the corporate seal; and
(b) the manner, if any, in which those cheques,
drafts, in struments or other documents are to be signed.
Powers of the
board
15 (1) The
board shall—
(a) meet at the call of the president to conduct
its business, and adjourn and otherwise regulate its meetings as it thinks fit;
and
(b) meet when a member of the board gives to the
other members not less than 7 days notice of a meeting pro posed by him,
specifying
the reason for calling the meeting.
(2) The board may employ on behalf of the
corporation any agents and employees it thinks necessary to manage, administer
and control
the real and personal property of the corporation and the com mon
property, and in that respect may authorize those persons to exer
cise the powers
and carry out the duties of the corporation.
(3) The board may, subject to any restriction
imposed on it or direction given to it at a general meeting of the corporation,
delegate
to any of its members or to other persons any or all of its functions
as it thinks fit, and may any time revoke that delegation.
Duties of the
board
16 The board shall—
(a) cause proper books of account to be kept of all
money received and expended by it, and the matters in respect of which the
receipt
and expenditure took place;
(b) prepare for each annual general meeting
financial statements relating to all money of the corporation, and the income
and expenditures
of the corporation;
(c) maintain financial records of all the assets,
liabilities and equity of the corporation;
(d) submit
to the annual general meeting an annual report consisting of the financial
statements and other infor mation as the board
may determine or as may be di rected
by a resolution passed at a general meeting.
Procedure
17 All meetings of the board and all
general meetings shall be con ducted according to the rules of procedure
adopted by the board.
General
meetings other than annual general meetings
18 The board—
(a) shall convene a general meeting on the written
request of the owners who are entitled to vote and represent not less than 15%
of
the total unit factors for the units; and
(b) may convene a general meeting whenever it
considers it proper to do so.
Notice of
general meetings
19 (1) When
an annual general meeting or a general meeting is to be convened, the board
shall, not less than 7 days before the day on which
the meeting is to be held,
give to each owner notice in writing of the meeting stating—
(a) the place, date and time at which the meeting
is to be held; and
(b) the nature of any special business, if any, to
be dealt with at the meeting.
(2) An annual general meeting or a general
meeting or anything done at such a meeting is not invalid by reason only that —
(a) a person, by accident, was not, in respect of
that meet ing, give notice under paragraph (1) or section 21(3) of the Act; or
(b) a person did not in fact receive a notice given
under that paragraph or that subsection in respect of that meeting.
Quorum
20 (1) Except
as other wise provided by these bye-laws, no busi ness shall be transacted at
an annual general meeting or a general meeting
unless quorum of persons
entitled to vote is present, or repre sented by proxy, at the time when the
meeting commences.
(2) A quorum for an annual general meeting or a
general meeting consists of not less than 50% of all the persons entitled to re ceive
notice under bye-law 19 being present in person or represented by proxy at the
meeting.
(3) If a quorum is not present within 30 minutes
from the time appointed for the commencement of an annual general meeting or a
gen
eral meeting, the meeting shall stand adjourned to the corresponding day in
the next week at the same place and time; and, if at
the adjourned meeting a
quorum is not present within 30 minutes from the time ap pointed for the commencement
of the meeting, the
persons entitled to vote who are present or represented by
proxy constitute a quorum for the purpose of that meeting.
Chairmanship
and order of business at general meetings
21 (1) The
president or, in the event of his absence or disability, the vice-president or
other person elected at the meeting, shall act
as chairman of an annual general
meeting or a general meeting.
(2) The order of business at an annual general
meeting and, as far as practicable, at any other general meeting, shall be as
follows
—
(a) call to order by the chairman;
(b) calling of the roll and certifying of proxies;
(c) proof of notice of meeting, waiver or proxies,
as the case may be;
(d) reading and disposal of any unapproved minutes;
(e) reports of officers;
(f) reports of committees;
(g) election of members of the board;
(h) unfinished business;
(i) new business;
(j) adjournment.
Voting
22 Voting is regulated by section 21 of
the Act and bye-laws 23 to 31.
Show of hands
23 (1) At
an annual general meeting or a general meeting, a reso lution shall be voted on
by a show of hands unless a poll is demanded
by a person entitled to vote and
present in person or by proxy; and, unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration
by the chairman
that a resolution has been carried on the show of hands is
conclusive proof of
the fact without proof of the number or proportion of votes recorded in favour
of or against the resolution.
(2) If a person demands a poll, that person may
withdraw that demand, and on the demand being withdrawn the vote shall be taken
by a
show of hands.
Taking a poll
24 A poll, if demanded, shall be conducted
in such manner as the chairman may direct, and the result of the poll shall be
deemed to
be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.
Tie vote
25 In the case of a tie in a vote taken at
an annual general meeting or a general meeting, whether on a show of hands or
on a poll,
the chairman of the meeting is entitled to a casting vote in
addition to his original vote.
Votes at an annual
general meeting or a general meeting
26 Except for matters requiring a special
resolution, all matters shall be determined by a majority vote.
Manner of
voting
27 On a show of hands or on a poll, votes
may be given either per sonally or by proxy.
Appointment by
proxy
28 An instrument appointing a proxy shall
be in writing under the hand of the person making the appointment, and may be
either general
or for a particular meeting, but a proxy need not be an owner.
Restrictions on
voting
29 (1) Except
as provided for in paragraph (2) of this bye-law or section 21 of the Act,
there are no restrictions or limitations on an
owner's rights to vote at an
annual general meeting or a general meeting.
(2) If at the time of an annual general meeting
or a general meeting an owner has not paid to the corporation all contributions
that
are due and owing in respect of his unit, that owner is ineligible to cast
a vote at the meeting in respect of any resolution other
than a special res olution.
(3) An owner's ineligibility to cast a vote does
not affect the rights conferred on a mortgagee by section 21(3) to (5) of the Act.
Voting by
co-owners
30 (1) Where
two or more persons are recorded in the corpora tion's register of owners as
the owner of a unit, the vote of the most se
nior of them to tender a vote,
whether in person or by proxy, shall be ac cepted to the exclusion of the votes
of the others.
(2) Seniority for the purposes of paragraph (1)
is determined by the order in which the names stand in the register.
Signed resolutions
31 If a resolution of the members of the
corporation requires a ma jority vote, that resolution, signed in person or by
proxy by all
the per sons who at a properly convened annual general meeting or
general meeting would be entitled to vote, has the same effect
as a resolution
duly passed at such a meeting.
Capital
replacement reserve fund
32 The board shall establish and maintain
a fund called a "Capital Replacement Reserve Fund" to be used for the
repair or
replacement of—
(a) any real and personal property owned by the
corpora tion; and
(b) the common property,
when the repair or
replacement does not occur annually.
Failure to
comply with by-laws
33 The corporation is authorized to
exercise the powers provided for in section 20 of the Act.
Tenants
34 The corporation is authorized to —
(a) impose and collect deposits under section 34 of
the Act;
(b) give notices to give up possession of
residential units under section 35 of the Act; and
(c) make
applications to the court under section 37 of the Act.
Amendment of by-laws
35 Notwithstanding bye-law 19, if a
bye-law is to be amended, re pealed or replaced, the persons entitled to vote
shall be given written
copies of the text of the proposed amendment, repeal or
replacement not less than 14 days before the day on which the special
resolution
is to be voted on.
Restrictions on
use of property
36 (1) An
owner shall not —
(a) use or enjoy the real or personal property of
the corpo ration or the common property in such a manner as un reasonably to
interfere
with its use and enjoyment by other owners or their occupants;
(b) use his unit in a manner or for a purpose that
will cause a nuisance or hazard to any other owner or his occu pant;
(c) use his unit for a purpose that is illegal;
(d) make undue noise in or on his unit or on the
real prop erty the corporation or the common property;
(e) keep an animal in or on his unit or on the real
property of the corporation or the common property after a date specified in a
notice
given to him by the board;
(f) use his unit, if it is a residential unit, for
other than residential purposes;
(g) do anything in respect of his unit, the real or
personal property of the corporation or the common property, or bring or keep
anything
on the unit or such property that will in any way increase the risk of
fire or result in an in crease of any insurance premiums
payable by the corpo ration;
(h) use a toilet, sink, tub, drain or other
plumbing fixture for a purpose other than that for which it is constructed;
(i) hang or place on the real property of the
corporation or the common property or within or on a unit anything that is, in
the opinion
of the board, aesthetically un pleasing when viewed from outside
the units;
(j) leave articles belonging to his household on
the real property of the corporation or the common property when those articles
are
not in actual use;
(k) obstruct a sidewalk, walkway, passage, driveway
or parking area otherwise than for ingress and egress to and from his unit;
(l) use any portion of the real property of the
corporation or the common property except in accordance with the bye-laws.
(2) An owner shall ensure that his occupants
comply with re quirements which are binding upon him under paragraph (1).
(3) In this bye-law —
"occupant",
in relation to an owner, means a person present in or on that owner's unit or
in or on the real or personal
prop erty of the corporation or the common
property with that owner's permission;
"owner"
includes a tenant.
[schedule I
amended by 1998 : 40 effective 21 July 1998]
SCHEDULE II (section
6A(2))
ALL THOSE LANDS
being lands—
(a) known as Cedar Park Estate situated in the
parish of Devonshire delineated on the attached drawings prepared by
Bermuda-Caribbean
Engineering Consultants Ltd., containing 2.206 hectares or
thereabouts, and numbered SV 10442/Q/18;
(b) known as Prospect Estate situated in the parish
of Devonshire, delineated on the attached drawings prepared by
Bermuda-Caribbean
Engineering Consultants Ltd., containing 2.547 hectares or
thereabouts and numbered SV 10443/11/16;
(c) known as Top Square Estate situated in the town
of St. George delineated on the attached drawings prepared by Ted Gauntlett
Chartered
Surveyor containing 0.423 hectares or thereabouts and numbered
TG/0702.
[Drawings Omitted]
[schedule II inserted by 1998 : 40 effective 21
July 1998
[Amended by:
1997 : 3
1998 : 40]
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