Condominium and Cooperative Law in North Carolina

Cooperatives and condominium developments are examples of arrangements identified as "common interest communities."

This is a type of community in which the individual residents rent or own residential units in a building, or collection of buildings, but are collectively accountable for taking maintaining the common areas in their communities, such as lawns, gardens, swimming pools, and the like. This responsibility is typically taken care of by charging the residents a periodic maintenance fee, to pay for the upkeep of the common areas.

Merely viewing one of these communities from the outside (or inside) will not let you discern whether it's a cooperative or condominium community.

This is because there are no physical characteristics that can precisely distinguish one from the other. The general difference lies in the legal ownership arrangement. In a condominium community, the units are actually owned by the residents. The residents also collectively own the common areas, holding joint title to it. In a cooperative community, the buildings and land which make up the houses are owned by a single entity, and the individual units are often rented rather than owned by the residents.

Laws and Regulations Concerning Common Interest Communities in Guilford County, North Carolina

There are a huge number of laws in Guilford County, North Carolina that can affect condominiums and cooperatives, but few, if any, of them are unique to such common-interest communities. Alternatively, they're mostly governed by laws of general application, covering zoning, contracts, and landlord/tenant relations.

Your day-to-day life in a common interest community will likelyy be impacted more by the rules set by the owner or manager of the property, rather than any local or state laws.

The owner or manager of the property on which your unit sits will likely have a substantial number of regulations concerning what can be done in and around the housing units. These rules will likely concern cleanliness, noise, and policies governing the presence of pets and long-term guests.

This authority, however, has limits. There are some rules which landowners cannot impose. Most obviously, they can't bar people from renting or buying units based on their race, religion, or national origin in Guilford County, North Carolina. This conduct is illegal under state and federal law, and can result in grave civil penalties.

Can a Guilford County, North Carolina Attorney Help?

If you have a dispute with a neighbor, your landlord, or your homeowners' association, a reliable Guilford County, North Carolina real estate attorney can be instrumental in obtaining a desired outcome.