By Brittany A. Ketchum, Esq.
Published in the CAI-Greater Inland Empire Chapter's Connect 2016 Third Quarter Magazine
Section 4775 of the Civil Code currently holds associations responsible for maintaining, repairing, and replacing common areas while owners are responsible for maintaining their separate interests (e.g., condominium unit or lot) and any attached exclusive use common areas, unless the community’s governing documents state otherwise. However, the current law fails to delineate whether associations or owners are responsible for the repairs and replacements of exclusive use common areas if the community’s governing documents do not clearly establish same. In trying to clarify the current code’s language, the legislature passed Assembly Bill No. 968 to amend Section 4775.
Effective January 1, 2017, associations will be responsible for maintaining, repairing, and replacing the common areas and repairing and replacing the exclusive use common areas while the owners of each unit are responsible for maintaining, repairing, and replacing their units and merely maintaining the exclusive use common areas, unless the community’s CC&Rs provide otherwise.
This new bill may affect your community’s obligations pertaining to exclusive use common areas. Reviewing your community’s governing documents with legal counsel is strongly recommended to ensure that the new Civil Code language does not change how your association assigns maintenance duties. As many community’s governing documents do not clearly establish responsibilities for the repair and replacement of exclusive use common areas, associations may now be responsible for them, which significantly impact your community’s budget.