RA 4726 Condo Act
RA 4726 Condo Act
RA 4726 Condo Act
4726 June 18, 1966 AN ACT TO DEFINE CONDOMINIUM, ESTABLISH RE UIREMENTS FOR ITS CREATION, AND !O"ERN ITS INCIDENTS. Sec. 1. The short title of this Act shall be "The Condominium Act". Sec. 2. A condominium is an interest in real property consisting of separate interest in a unit in a residential, industrial or commercial building and an undivided interest in common, directly or indirectly, in the land on which it is located and in other common areas of the building. A condominium may include, in addition, a separate interest in other portions of such real property. Title to the common areas, including the land, or the appurtenant interests in such areas, may be held by a corporation specially formed for the purpose hereinafter !nown as the "condominium corporation"" in which the holders of separate interest shall automatically be members or shareholders, to the e#clusion of others, in proportion to the appurtenant interest of their respective units in the common areas. The real right in condominium may be ownership or any other interest in real property recogni$ed by law, on property in the Civil Code and other pertinent laws. Sec. %. As used in this Act, unless the conte#t otherwise re&uires' a" "Condominium" means a condominium as defined in the ne#t preceding section. b" "(nit" means a part of the condominium pro)ect intended for any type of independent use or ownership, including one or more rooms or spaces located in one or more floors or part or parts of floors" in a building or buildings and such accessories as may be appended thereto. c" "*ro)ect" means the entire parcel of real property divided or to be divided in condominiums, including all structures thereon, d" "Common areas" means the entire pro)ect e#cepting all units separately granted or held or reserved. e" "To divide" real property means to divide the ownership thereof or other interest therein by conveying one or more condominiums therein but less than the whole thereof. Sec. +. The provisions of this Act shall apply to property divided or to be divided into condominiums only if there shall be recorded in the ,egister of -eeds of the province or city in which the property lies and duly annotated in the corresponding certificate of title of the land, if the latter had been patented or registered under either the .and ,egistration or Cadastral Acts, an enabling or master deed which shall contain, among others, the following' a" -escription of the land on which the building or buildings and improvements are or are to be located/ b" -escription of the building or buildings, stating the number of stories and basements, the number of units and their accessories, if any/ c" -escription of the common areas and facilities/ d" A statement of the e#act nature of the interest ac&uired or to be ac&uired by the purchaser in the separate units and in the common areas of the condominium pro)ect. 0here title to or the appurtenant interests in the common areas is or is to be held by a condominium corporation, a statement to this effect shall be included/ e" Statement of the purposes for which the building or buildings and each of the units are intended or restricted as to use/ f" A certificate of the registered owner of the property, if he is other than those e#ecuting the master deed, as well as of all registered holders of any lien or encumbrance on the property, that they consent to the registration of the deed/ g" The following plans shall be appended to the deed as integral parts thereof' 1" A survey plan of the land included in the pro)ect, unless a survey plan of the same property had previously bee filed in said office/
2" A diagrammatic floor plan of the building or buildings in the pro)ect, in sufficient detail to identify each unit, its relative location and appro#imate dimensions/ h" Any reasonable restriction not contrary to law, morals or public policy regarding the right of any condominium owner to alienate or dispose of his condominium. The enabling or master deed may be amended or revo!ed upon registration of an instrument e#ecuted by the registered owner or owners of the property and consented to by all registered holders of any lien or encumbrance on the land or building or portion thereof. The term "registered owner" shall include the registered owners of condominiums in the pro)ect. (ntil registration of a revocation, the provisions of this Act shall continue to apply to such property. Sec. 1. Any transfer or conveyance of a unit or an apartment, office or store or other space therein, shall include the transfer or conveyance of the undivided interests in the common areas or, in a proper case, the membership or shareholdings in the condominium corporation' Provided, however, That where the common areas in the condominium pro)ect are owned by the owners of separate units as co2owners thereof, no condominium unit therein shall be conveyed or transferred to persons other than 3ilipino citi$ens, or corporations at least si#ty percent of the capital stoc! of which belong to 3ilipino citi$ens, e#cept in cases of hereditary succession. 0here the common areas in a condominium pro)ect are held by a corporation, no transfer or conveyance of a unit shall be valid if the concomitant transfer of the appurtenant membership or stoc!holding in the corporation will cause the alien interest in such corporation to e#ceed the limits imposed by e#isting laws. Sec. 4. (nless otherwise e#pressly provided in the enabling or master deed or the declaration of restrictions, the incidents of a condominium grant are as follows' a" The boundary of the unit granted are the interior surfaces of the perimeter walls, floors, ceilings, windows and doors thereof. The following are not part of the unit bearing walls, columns, floors, roofs, foundations and other common structural elements of the building/ lobbies, stairways, hallways, and other areas of common use, elevator e&uipment and shafts, central heating, central refrigeration and central air2 conditioning e&uipment, reservoirs, tan!s, pumps and other central services and facilities, pipes, ducts, flues, chutes, conduits, wires and other utility installations, wherever located, e#cept the outlets thereof when located within the unit. b" There shall pass with the unit, as an appurtenance thereof, an e#clusive easement for the use of the air space encompassed by the boundaries of the unit as it e#ists at any particular time and as the unit may lawfully be altered or reconstructed from time to time. Such easement shall be automatically terminated in any air space upon destruction of the unit as to render it untenantable. c" (nless otherwise, provided, the common areas are held in common by the holders of units, in e&ual shares, one for each unit. d" A non2e#clusive easement for ingress, egress and support through the common areas is appurtenant to each unit and the common areas are sub)ect to such easements. e" 5ach condominium owner shall have the e#clusive right to paint, repaint, tile, wa#, paper or otherwise refinish and decorate the inner surfaces of the walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors bounding his own unit. f" 5ach condominium owner shall have the e#clusive right to mortgage, pledge or encumber his condominium and to have the same appraised independently of the other condominiums but any obligation incurred by such condominium owner is personal to him. g" 5ach condominium owner has also the absolute right to sell or dispose of his condominium unless the master deed contains a re&uirement that the property be first offered to the condominium owners within a reasonable period of time before the same is offered to outside parties/ Sec. 6. 5#cept as provided in the following section, the common areas shall remain undivided, and there shall be no )udicial partition thereof. Sec. 7. 0here several persons own condominiums in a condominium pro)ect, an action may be brought by one or more such persons for partition thereof by sale of the entire pro)ect, as if the owners of all of the condominiums in such pro)ect were co2owners of the entire pro)ect in the same proportion as their interests in the common areas' Provided, however, That a partition shall be made only upon a showing'
a" That three years after damage or destruction to the pro)ect which renders material part thereof unit for its use prior thereto, the pro)ect has not been rebuilt or repaired substantially to its state prior to its damage or destruction, or b" That damage or destruction to the pro)ect has rendered one2half or more of the units therein untenantable and that condominium owners holding in aggregate more than thirty percent interest in the common areas are opposed to repair or restoration of the pro)ect/ or c" That the pro)ect has been in e#istence in e#cess of fifty years, that it is obsolete and uneconomic, and that condominium owners holding in aggregate more than fifty percent interest in the common areas are opposed to repair or restoration or remodeling or moderni$ing of the pro)ect/ or d" That the pro)ect or a material part thereof has been condemned or e#propriated and that the pro)ect is no longer viable, or that the condominium owners holding in aggregate more than seventy percent interest in the common areas are opposed to continuation of the condominium regime after e#propriation or condemnation of a material portion thereof/ or e" That the conditions for such partition by sale set forth in the declaration of restrictions, duly registered in accordance with the terms of this Act, have been met. Sec. 8. The owner of a pro)ect shall, prior to the conveyance of any condominium therein, register a declaration of restrictions relating to such pro)ect, which restrictions shall constitute a lien upon each condominium in the pro)ect, and shall insure to and bind all condominium owners in the pro)ect. Such liens, unless otherwise provided, may be enforced by any condominium owner in the pro)ect or by the management body of such pro)ect. The ,egister of -eeds shall enter and annotate the declaration of restrictions upon the certificate of title covering the land included within the pro)ect, if the land is patented or registered under the .and ,egistration or Cadastral Acts. The declaration of restrictions shall provide for the management of the pro)ect by anyone of the following management bodies' a condominium corporation, an association of the condominium owners, a board of governors elected by condominium owners, or a management agent elected by the owners or by the board named in the declaration. 9t shall also provide for voting ma)orities &uorums, notices, meeting date, and other rules governing such body or bodies. Such declaration of restrictions, among other things, may also provide' a" As to any such management body/ 1" 3or the powers thereof, including power to enforce the provisions of the declarations of restrictions/ 2" 3or maintenance of insurance policies, insuring condominium owners against loss by fire, casualty, liability, wor!men:s compensation and other insurable ris!s, and for bonding of the members of any management body/ %" *rovisions for maintenance, utility, gardening and other services benefiting the common areas, for the employment of personnel necessary for the operation of the building, and legal, accounting and other professional and technical services/ +" 3or purchase of materials, supplies and the li!e needed by the common areas/ 1" 3or payment of ta#es and special assessments which would be a lien upon the entire pro)ect or common areas, and for discharge of any lien or encumbrance levied against the entire pro)ect or the common areas/ 4" 3or reconstruction of any portion or portions of any damage to or destruction of the pro)ect/ 6" The manner for delegation of its powers/ 7" 3or entry by its officers and agents into any unit when necessary in connection with the maintenance or construction for which such body is responsible/ 8" 3or a power of attorney to the management body to sell the entire pro)ect for the benefit of all of the owners thereof when partition of the pro)ect may be authori$ed under Section 7 of this Act, which said power shall be binding upon all of the condominium owners regardless of whether they assume the obligations of the restrictions or not.
b" The manner and procedure for amending such restrictions' Provided, That the vote of not less than a ma)ority in interest of the owners is obtained. c" 3or independent audit of the accounts of the management body/ d" 3or reasonable assessments to meet authori$ed e#penditures, each condominium unit to be assessed separately for its share of such e#penses in proportion unless otherwise provided" to its owners fractional interest in any common areas/ e" 3or the subordination of the liens securing such assessments to other liens either generally or specifically described/ f" 3or conditions, other than those provided for in Sections eight and thirteen of this Act, upon which partition of the pro)ect and dissolution of the condominium corporation may be made. Such right to partition or dissolution may be conditioned upon failure of the condominium owners to rebuild within a certain period or upon specified inade&uacy of insurance proceeds, or upon specified percentage of damage to the building, or upon a decision of an arbitrator, or upon any other reasonable condition. Sec. 1;. 0henever the common areas in a condominium pro)ect are held by a condominium corporation, such corporation shall constitute the management body of the pro)ect. The corporate purposes of such a corporation shall be limited to the holding of the common areas, either in ownership or any other interest in real property recogni$ed by law, to the management of the pro)ect, and to such other purposes as may be necessary, incidental or convenient to the accomplishment of said purposes. The articles of incorporation or by2laws of the corporation shall not contain any provision contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, the enabling or master deed, or the declaration of restrictions of the pro)ect. <embership in a condominium corporation, regardless of whether it is a stoc! or non2stoc! corporation, shall not be transferable separately from the condominium unit of which it is an appurtenance. 0hen a member or stoc!holder ceases to own a unit in the pro)ect in which the condominium corporation owns or holds the common areas, he shall automatically cease to be a member or stoc!holder of the condominium corporation. Sec. 11. The term of a condominium corporation shall be co2terminus with the duration of the condominium pro)ect, the provisions of the Corporation .aw to the contrary notwithstanding. Sec. 12. 9n case of involuntary dissolution of a condominium corporation for any of the causes provided by law, the common areas owned or held by the corporation shall, by way of li&uidation, be transferred pro2indiviso and in proportion to their interest in the corporation to the members or stoc!holders thereof, sub)ect to the superior rights of the corporation creditors. Such transfer or conveyance shall be deemed to be a full li&uidation of the interest of such members or stoc!holders in the corporation. After such transfer or conveyance, the provisions of this Act governing undivided co2ownership of, or undivided interest in, the common areas in condominium pro)ects shall fully apply. Sec. 1%. (ntil the enabling or the master deed of the pro)ect in which the condominium corporation owns or holds the common area is revo!ed, the corporation shall not be voluntarily dissolved through an action for dissolution under ,ule 1;+ of the ,ules of Court e#cept upon a showing' a" That three years after damage or destruction to the pro)ect in which the corporation owns or holds the common areas, which damage or destruction renders a material part thereof unfit for its use prior thereto, the pro)ect has not been rebuilt or repaired substantially to its state prior to its damage or destruction/ or b" That damage or destruction to the pro)ect has rendered one2half or more of the units therein untenantable and that more than thirty percent of the members of the corporation, if non2stoc!, or the shareholders representing more than thirty percent of the capital stoc! entitled to vote, if a stoc! corporation, are opposed to the repair or reconstruction of the pro)ect, or c" That the pro)ect has been in e#istence in e#cess of fifty years, that it is obsolete and uneconomical, and that more than fifty percent of the members of the corporation, if non2stoc!, or the stoc!holders representing more than fifty percent of the capital stoc! entitled to vote, if a stoc! corporation, are opposed to the repair or restoration or remodeling or moderni$ing of the pro)ect/ or d" That the pro)ect or a material part thereof has been condemned or e#propriated and that the pro)ect is no longer viable, or that the members holding in aggregate more than seventy percent interest in the corporation, if non2stoc!, or the stoc!holders representing more than seventy percent of the capital stoc! entitled to vote, if a stoc! corporation, are opposed to the continuation of the condominium regime after e#propriation or condemnation of a material portion thereof/ or
e" That the conditions for such a dissolution set forth in the declaration of restrictions of the pro)ect in which the corporation owns of holds the common areas, have been met. Sec. 1+. The condominium corporation may also be dissolved by the affirmative vote of all the stoc!holders or members thereof at a general or special meeting duly called for the purpose' Provided, That all the re&uirements of Section si#ty2two of the Corporation .aw are complied with. Sec. 11. (nless otherwise provided for in the declaration of restrictions upon voluntary dissolution of a condominium corporation in accordance with the provisions of Sections thirteen and fourteen of this Act, the corporation shall be deemed to hold a power of attorney from all the members or stoc!holders to sell and dispose of their separate interests in the pro)ect and li&uidation of the corporation shall be effected by a sale of the entire pro)ect as if the corporation owned the whole thereof, sub)ect to the rights of the corporate and of individual condominium creditors. Sec. 14. A condominium corporation shall not, during its e#istence, sell, e#change, lease or otherwise dispose of the common areas owned or held by it in the condominium pro)ect unless authori$ed by the affirmative vote of all the stoc!holders or members. Sec. 16. Any provision of the Corporation .aw to the contrary notwithstanding, the by2laws of a condominium corporation shall provide that a stoc!holder or member shall not be entitled to demand payment of his shares or interest in those cases where such right is granted under the Corporation .aw unless he consents to sell his separate interest in the pro)ect to the corporation or to any purchaser of the corporation:s choice who shall also buy from the corporation the dissenting member or stoc!holder:s interest. 9n case of disagreement as to price, the procedure set forth in the appropriate provision of the Corporation .aw for valuation of shares shall be followed. The corporation shall have two years within which to pay for the shares or furnish a purchaser of its choice from the time of award. All e#penses incurred in the li&uidation of the interest of the dissenting member or stoc!holder shall be borne by him. Sec. 17. (pon registration of an instrument conveying a condominium, the ,egister of -eeds shall, upon payment of the proper fees, enter and annotate the conveyance on the certificate of title covering the land included within the pro)ect and the transferee shall be entitled to the issuance of a "condominium owner:s" copy of the pertinent portion of such certificate of title. Said "condominium owner:s" copy need not reproduce the ownership status or series of transactions in force or annotated with respect to other condominiums in the pro)ect. A copy of the description of the land, a brief description of the condominium conveyed, name and personal circumstances of the condominium owner would be sufficient for purposes of the "condominium owner:s" copy of the certificate of title. =o conveyance of condominiums or part thereof, subse&uent to the original conveyance thereof from the owner of the pro)ect, shall be registered unless accompanied by a certificate of the management body of the pro)ect that such conveyance is in accordance with the provisions of the declaration of restrictions of such pro)ect. 9n cases of condominium pro)ects registered under the provisions of the Spanish <ortgage .aw or Act %%++, as amended, the registration of the deed of conveyance of a condominium shall be sufficient if the ,egister of -eeds shall !eep the original or signed copy thereof, together with the certificate of the management body of the pro)ect, and return a copy of the deed of conveyance to the condominium owner duly ac!nowledge and stamped by the ,egister of -eeds in the same manner as in the case of registration of conveyances of real property under said laws. Sec. 18. 0here the enabling or master deed provides that the land included within a condominium pro)ect are to be owned in common by the condominium owners therein, the ,egister of -eeds may, at the re&uest of all the condominium owners and upon surrender of all their "condominium owner:s" copies, cancel the certificates of title of the property and issue a new one in the name of said condominium owners as pro2indiviso co2owners thereof. Sec. 2;. An assessment upon any condominium made in accordance with a duly registered declaration of restrictions shall be an obligation of the owner thereof at the time the assessment is made. The amount of any such assessment plus any other charges thereon, such as interest, costs including attorney:s fees" and penalties, as such may be provided for in the declaration of restrictions, shall be and become a lien upon the condominium assessed when the management body causes a notice of assessment to be registered with the ,egister of -eeds of the city or province where such condominium pro)ect is located. The notice shall state the amount of such assessment and such other charges thereon a may be authori$ed by the declaration of restrictions, a description of the condominium, unit against which same has been assessed, and the name of the registered owner thereof. Such notice shall be signed by an authori$ed representative of the management body or as otherwise provided in the declaration of restrictions. (pon payment of said assessment and charges or other satisfaction thereof, the management body shall cause to be registered a release of the lien.
Such lien shall be superior to all other liens registered subse&uent to the registration of said notice of assessment e#cept real property ta# liens and e#cept that the declaration of restrictions may provide for the subordination thereof to any other liens and encumbrances. Such liens may be enforced in the same manner provided for by law for the )udicial or e#tra2)udicial foreclosure of mortgages of real property. (nless otherwise provided for in the declaration of restrictions, the management body shall have power to bid at foreclosure sale. The condominium owner shall have the same right of redemption as in cases of )udicial or e#tra2)udicial foreclosure of mortgages. Sec. 21. =o labor performed or services or materials furnished with the consent of or at the re&uest of a condominium owner or his agent or his contractor or subcontractor, shall be the basis of a lien against the condominium of any other condominium owner, unless such other owners have e#pressly consented to or re&uested the performance of such labor or furnishing of such materials or services. Such e#press consent shall be deemed to have been given by the owner of any condominium in the case of emergency repairs of his condominium unit. .abor performed or services or materials furnished for the common areas, if duly authori$ed by the management body provided for in a declaration of restrictions governing the property, shall be deemed to be performed or furnished with the e#press consent of each condominium owner. The owner of any condominium may remove his condominium from a lien against two or more condominiums or any part thereof by payment to the holder of the lien of the fraction of the total sum secured by such lien which is attributable to his condominium unit. Sec. 22. (nless otherwise provided for by the declaration of restrictions, the management body, provided for herein, may ac&uire and hold, for the benefit of the condominium owners, tangible and intangible personal property and may dispose of the same by sale or otherwise/ and the beneficial interest in such personal property shall be owned by the condominium owners in the same proportion as their respective interests in the common areas. A transfer of a condominium shall transfer to the transferee ownership of the transferor:s beneficial interest in such personal property. Sec. 2%. 0here, in an action for partition of a condominium pro)ect or for the dissolution of condominium corporation on the ground that the pro)ect or a material part thereof has been condemned or e#propriated, the Court finds that the conditions provided for in this Act or in the declaration of restrictions have not been met, the Court may decree a reorgani$ation of the pro)ect, declaring which portion or portions of the pro)ect shall continue as a condominium pro)ect, the owners thereof, and the respective rights of said remaining owners and the )ust compensation, if any, that a condominium owner may be entitled to due to deprivation of his property. (pon receipt of a copy of the decree, the ,egister of -eeds shall enter and annotate the same on the pertinent certificate of title. Sec. 2+. Any deed, declaration or plan for a condominium pro)ect shall be liberally construed to facilitate the operation of the pro)ect, and its provisions shall be presumed to be independent and severable. Sec. 21. 0henever real property has been divided into condominiums, each condominium separately owned shall be separately assessed, for purposes of real property ta#ation and other ta# purposes to the owners thereof and the ta# on each such condominium shall constitute a lien solely thereon. Sec. 24. All Acts or parts of Acts in conflict or inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended insofar as condominium and its incidents are concerned. Sec. 26. This Act shall ta!e effect upon its approval. Approved' >une 17, 1844