§514B-146 - Association fiscal matters; lien for assessments. - Hawaii Statutes

     §514B-146  Association fiscal matters; lien for assessments.  (a)  All sums assessed by the association but unpaid for the share of the common expenses chargeable to any unit shall constitute a lien on the unit with priority over all other liens, except:

     (1)  Liens for taxes and assessments lawfully imposed by governmental authority against the unit; and

     (2)  All sums unpaid on any mortgage of record that was recorded prior to the recordation of a notice of a lien by the association, and costs and expenses including attorneys' fees provided in such mortgages.

The lien of the association may be foreclosed by action or by nonjudicial or power of sale foreclosure procedures set forth in chapter 667, by the managing agent or board, acting on behalf of the association, in like manner as a mortgage of real property.  In any such foreclosure, the unit owner shall be required to pay a reasonable rental for the unit, if so provided in the bylaws, and the plaintiff in the foreclosure shall be entitled to the appointment of a receiver to collect the rental owed.  The managing agent or board, acting on behalf of the association, unless prohibited by the declaration, may bid on the unit at foreclosure sale, and acquire and hold, lease, mortgage, and convey the unit.  Action to recover a money judgment for unpaid common expenses shall be maintainable without foreclosing or waiving the lien securing the unpaid common expenses owed.

     (b)  Except as provided in subsection (g), when the mortgagee of a mortgage of record or other purchaser of a unit obtains title to the unit as a result of foreclosure of the mortgage, the acquirer of title and the acquirer's successors and assigns shall not be liable for the share of the common expenses or assessments by the association chargeable to the unit which became due prior to the acquisition of title to the unit by the acquirer.  The unpaid share of common expenses or assessments shall be deemed to be common expenses collectible from all of the unit owners, including the acquirer and the acquirer's successors and assigns.  The mortgagee of record or other purchaser of the unit shall be deemed to acquire title and shall be required to pay the unit's share of common expenses and assessments beginning:

     (1)  Thirty-six days after the order confirming the sale to the purchaser has been filed with the court;

     (2)  Sixty days after the hearing at which the court grants the motion to confirm the sale to the purchaser;

     (3)  Thirty days after the public sale in a nonjudicial power of sale foreclosure pursuant to section 667‑5; or

     (4)  Upon the recording of the instrument of conveyance;

whichever occurs first; provided that the mortgagee of record or other purchaser of the unit shall not be deemed to acquire title under paragraph (1), (2), or (3), if transfer of title is delayed past the thirty-six days specified in paragraph (1), the sixty days specified in paragraph (2), or the thirty days specified in paragraph (3), when a person who appears at the hearing on the motion or a party to the foreclosure action requests reconsideration of the motion or order to confirm sale, objects to the form of the proposed order to confirm sale, appeals the decision of the court to grant the motion to confirm sale, or the debtor or mortgagor declares bankruptcy or is involuntarily placed into bankruptcy.  In any such case, the mortgagee of record or other purchaser of the unit shall be deemed to acquire title upon recordation of the instrument of conveyance.

     (c)  No unit owner shall withhold any assessment claimed by the association.  A unit owner who disputes the amount of an assessment may request a written statement clearly indicating:

     (1)  The amount of common expenses included in the assessment, including the due date of each amount claimed;

     (2)  The amount of any penalty, late fee, lien filing fee, and any other charge included in the assessment;

     (3)  The amount of attorneys' fees and costs, if any, included in the assessment;

     (4)  That under Hawaii law, a unit owner has no right to withhold assessments for any reason;

     (5)  That a unit owner has a right to demand mediation or arbitration to resolve disputes about the amount or validity of an association's assessment, provided the unit owner immediately pays the assessment in full and keeps assessments current; and

     (6)  That payment in full of the assessment does not prevent the owner from contesting the assessment or receiving a refund of amounts not owed.

Nothing in this section shall limit the rights of an owner to the protection of all fair debt collection procedures mandated under federal and state law.

     (d)  A unit owner who pays an association the full amount claimed by the association may file in small claims court or require the association to mediate to resolve any disputes concerning the amount or validity of the association's claim.  If the unit owner and the association are unable to resolve the dispute through mediation, either party may file for arbitration under section 514B‑162; provided that a unit owner may only file for arbitration if all amounts claimed by the association are paid in full on or before the date of filing.  If the unit owner fails to keep all association assessments current during the arbitration, the association may ask the arbitrator to temporarily suspend the arbitration proceedings.  If the unit owner pays all association assessments within thirty days of the date of suspension, the unit owner may ask the arbitrator to recommence the arbitration proceedings.  If the owner fails to pay all association assessments by the end of the thirty-day period, the association may ask the arbitrator to dismiss the arbitration proceedings.  The unit owner shall be entitled to a refund of any amounts paid to the association which are not owed.

     (e)  In conjunction with or as an alternative to foreclosure proceedings under subsection (a), where a unit is owner-occupied, the association may authorize its managing agent or board to, after sixty days' written notice to the unit owner and to the unit's first mortgagee of the nonpayment of the unit's share of the common expenses, terminate the delinquent unit's access to the common elements and cease supplying a delinquent unit with any and all services normally supplied or paid for by the association.  Any terminated services and privileges shall be restored upon payment of all delinquent assessments but need not be restored until payment in full is received.

     (f)  Before the board or managing agent may take the actions permitted under subsection (e), the board shall adopt a written policy providing for such actions and have the policy approved by a majority vote of the unit owners at an annual or special meeting of the association or by the written consent of a majority of the unit owners.

     (g)  Subject to this subsection, and subsections (h) and (i), the board may specially assess the amount of the unpaid regular monthly common assessments for common expenses against a person who, in a judicial or nonjudicial power of sale foreclosure, purchases a delinquent unit; provided that:

     (1)  A purchaser who holds a mortgage on a delinquent unit that was recorded prior to the filing of a notice of lien by the association and who acquires the delinquent unit through a judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure proceeding, including purchasing the delinquent unit at a foreclosure auction, shall not be obligated to make, nor be liable for, payment of the special assessment as provided for under this subsection; and

     (2)  A person who subsequently purchases the delinquent unit from the mortgagee referred to in paragraph (1) shall be obligated to make, and shall be liable for, payment of the special assessment provided for under this subsection; and provided further that the mortgagee or subsequent purchaser may require the association to provide at no charge a notice of the association's intent to claim lien against the delinquent unit for the amount of the special assessment, prior to the subsequent purchaser's acquisition of title to the delinquent unit.  The notice shall state the amount of the special assessment, how that amount was calculated, and the legal description of the unit.

     (h)  The amount of the special assessment assessed under subsection (g) shall not exceed the total amount of unpaid regular monthly common assessments that were assessed during the six months immediately preceding the completion of the judicial or nonjudicial power of sale foreclosure.  In no event shall the amount of the special assessment exceed the sum of $3,600.

     (i)  For purposes of subsections (g) and (h), the following definitions shall apply, unless the context requires otherwise:

     "Completion" means:

     (1)  In a nonjudicial power of sale foreclosure, when the affidavit required under section 667-5 is filed; and

     (2)  In a judicial foreclosure, when a purchaser is deemed to acquire title pursuant to subsection (b).

     "Regular monthly common assessments" does not include:

     (1)  Any other special assessment, except for a special assessment imposed on all units as part of a budget adopted pursuant to section 514B‑148;

     (2)  Late charges, fines, or penalties;

     (3)  Interest assessed by the association;

     (4)  Any lien arising out of the assessment; or

     (5)  Any fees or costs related to the collection or enforcement of the assessment, including attorneys' fees and court costs.

     (j)  The cost of a release of any lien filed pursuant to this section shall be paid by the party requesting the release. [L 2004, c 164, pt of §2 and §35(1); am L 2005, c 93, §7; am L 2006, c 273, §32; am L 2007, c 21, §1; am L 2009, c 10, §3]