Condominium and Cooperative Law in Pennsylvania

Co-ops and condo communities are types of "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 responsible 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 know whether it's a cooperative or condominium community.

This is because there are no physical characteristics that can clearly distinguish one from the other. The main 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 Franklin Park, Pennsylvania

There are a large number of laws in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania 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 daily life in a cooperative or condominium community is more likely to be affected by the rules set by the owners or managers of the property, rather than the laws of your state or city.

The manager or owner of the land on which your residence is located will probably have a lot of rules concerning what can and cannot be done in and near the houses. These rules typically mandate cleanliness, keeping noise to a minimum, and regulate the presence of pets.

The authority of landowners is limited, however, and there are some rules that cannot be given legal effect. For instance, in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania, any rule which would exclude residents based on their race is completely unenforceable. Such discrimination is clearly prohibited under federal law, private property rights notwithstanding.

Can a Franklin Park, Pennsylvania Attorney Help?

If you are in a dispute with your homeowners' association, a neighbor, or your landlord in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania, a knowledgeable real estate lawyer may prove extremely helpful, if the dispute cannot be otherwise resolved.