SECTION 55-487. Conversion buildings  

A. A declarant of a cooperative containing conversion buildings shall give each of the tenants of a conversion building formal notice of the conversion at the time the cooperative is registered by the agency. This notice shall advise each tenant of (i) the offering price of the cooperative interests for the unit he occupies, (ii) the projected common expense assessments against that cooperative interest for at least the first year of the cooperative's operation, (iii) any relocation services, public or private, of which the declarant is aware, (iv) any measure taken or to be taken by the declarant to reduce the incidence of tenant dislocation, and (v) the details of the relocation plan, if any is provided by the declarant, to assist tenants in relocating. No tenant or subtenant may be required to vacate upon less than 120 days' notice, except by reason of nonpayment of rent, waste or conduct that disturbs other tenants' peaceful enjoyment of the premises, and the terms of the tenancy may not be altered during that period. Until the expiration of the 120-day period, the declarant shall have no right of access to the unit except as provided herein and in subsection A of § 55-248.18 and except that, upon 45 days' written notice to the tenant, the declarant may enter the unit in order to make additional repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, provided (i) the making of the same does not constitute an actual or constructive eviction of the tenant; and (ii) such entry is made either with the consent of the tenant or only at times when the tenant is absent from the unit. Failure to give notice as required by this section is a defense to an action for possession. The declarant shall also provide general notice to the tenants of the cooperative or proposed cooperative at the time of application to the agency, in addition to the formal notice required by this subsection.

B. For 60 days after delivery or mailing of the formal notice described in subsection A, the person required to give the notice shall offer to convey the cooperative interest for each unit or proposed unit occupied for residential use to the tenant who leases the unit associated with that cooperative interest. A specific statement of the purchase price and the amount of any initial or special cooperative fee due from the purchaser on or before settlement of the purchase contract and the basis of such fee shall be given to the tenant. If a tenant fails to purchase the cooperative interest during that 60-day period, the offeror may not offer to dispose of an interest in that cooperative interest during the following 180 days at a price or on terms more favorable to the offeree than the price or terms offered to the tenant. This subsection does not apply to any cooperative interest in a conversion building if the unit which is part of that cooperative interest will be restricted exclusively to nonresidential use or the boundaries of the converted unit do not substantially conform to the dimensions of the residential unit before conversion.

C. If a seller, in violation of subsection B, conveys a cooperative interest to a purchaser for value who has no knowledge of the violation, that conveyance extinguishes any right a tenant may have under subsection B to purchase that cooperative interest if the deed states that the seller has complied with subsection B, but does not affect the right of a tenant to recover damages from the seller for a violation of subsection B.

D. If a notice of conversion specifies a date by which a unit or proposed unit must be vacated, and otherwise complies with the provisions of §§ 55-248.18 and 55-248.18 , the notice also constitutes a notice to vacate as specified by §§ 55-248.18 , 55-248.18 , and 55-248.18 . The details of the relocation plan, if any is provided by the declarant for assisting tenants in relocating, shall also be provided to the tenant.

E. Any county, city or town may require by ordinance that the declarant of a conversion cooperative file with that governing body all information which is required by the agency pursuant to § 55-248.18 and a copy of the formal notice required by subsection A. Such information shall be filed with that governing body when the application for registration is filed with the agency, and such copy of the formal notice shall be filed with that governing body whenever it is sent to tenants. No fee shall be imposed for such filings with a governing body.

F. The governing body of any county utilizing the urban county executive form of optional government (§§ 55-248.18 through 55-248.18 ) or the county manager plan of optional government (§§ 55-248.18 through 55-248.18 ), or of any city or town adjoining any such county, may require by ordinance that the declarant of any residential cooperative containing conversion buildings converted from multi-family rental use shall reimburse any tenant displaced by the conversion for amounts actually expended to relocate as a result of such dislocation. The reimbursement shall not be required to exceed the amount to which the tenant would have been entitled to receive under §§ 55-248.18 and 55-248.18 if the real estate comprising the condominium had been condemned by the Department of Highways and Transportation.

G. Any county, city or town may require by ordinance that elderly or disabled tenants, occupying as their residence up to twenty percent of the apartments or units in a cooperative containing conversion buildings at the time of issuance of the general notice required by subsection A hereof, be offered leases or extensions of leases on the apartments or units they occupy or on other apartments or units of at least equal size and overall quality for up to three years beyond the date of such notice.

The terms and conditions thereof shall be as agreed upon by the lessor and the lessee, provided that the rent for such apartment or unit shall not be in excess of reasonable rent for comparable apartments or units in the same market area as such conversion building.

Such leases or extensions shall not be required, however, in the case of any apartments or units which will, in the course of the conversion, be substantially altered in physical layout, restricted exclusively to nonresidential use, or be converted in such a manner as to require relocation of the tenant in premises outside of the project being converted.

H. For the purposes of this section:

"Agency" means the Common Interest Community Board.

"Disabled" means suffering from a severe, chronic physical or mental impairment which results in substantial functional limitations.

"Elderly" means not less than 62 years of age.

I. Nothing in this section permits termination of a lease by a declarant in violation of its terms.

1982, c. 277; 1983, c. 310; 1984, c. 321; 1985, c. 69; 1993, c. 634; 2008, cc. 55-248.18 , 55-248.18 .