(a) A declarant of a condominium containing conversion buildings, and any person in the business of selling real estate for his own account who intends to offer units in such a condominium shall give each of the residential tenants and any residential subtenant in possession of a portion of a conversion building notice of the conversion and provide those persons with the public offering statement no later than 120 days before the declarant will require the tenants and any subtenant in possession to vacate. The notice must set forth generally the rights of tenants and subtenants under this section and shall be hand delivered to the unit or mailed by prepaid United States' mail to the tenant and subtenant at the address of the unit or any other mailing address provided by a tenant. No tenant or subtenant may be required by the declarant 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. Failure of a declarant to give notice as required by this section is a defense to an action for possession. [PL 1981, c. 699 (NEW).] (b) For 60 days after delivery or mailing of the notice described in subsection (a), the declarant shall offer to convey each unit or proposed unit occupied for residential use to the tenant who leases that unit. If a tenant fails to purchase the unit during that 60-day period, the declarant may not offer to dispose of an interest in that unit 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 unit in a conversion building if that unit 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. [PL 1981, c. 699 (NEW).] (c) If a declarant, in violation of subsection (b), conveys a unit to a purchaser for value who has no knowledge of the violation, recordation of the deed conveying the unit extinguishes any right a tenant may have under subsection (b) to purchase that unit 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 declarant for a violation of subsection (b). [PL 1981, c. 699 (NEW).] (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 Title 14, section 6001, the notice also constitutes a notice to vacate specified by that statute. [PL 1981, c. 699 (NEW).] (e) Nothing in this section permits termination of a lease by a declarant in violation of its terms. [PL 1981, c. 699 (NEW).] (f) Nothing in this Act, including section 1601-106, shall be construed to prohibit a municipality from enacting ordinances imposing more stringent standards than those contained in subsections (a) and (b), or otherwise providing for the protection of tenants or the conversion of rental housing stock, including ordinances controlling the number of housing units within a municipality that may be converted to the condominium form of ownership. [PL 1981, c. 699 (NEW).]
‹ Prev All Maine sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.