Condo Media - September 2020 - 38

The Region

RHODE ISLAND

Determining and Changing Responsibility
Maintenance, Repair, and Replacement of Limited Common Elements
[by Mary-Joy Howes, Esq.]

A re-occurring question from association boards and property managers deals
with ascertaining the responsibility for
maintenance, repair, and replacement of
certain items and areas on the property.
When the answer to that question is that
the cost is an association expense, the
follow up question is almost always, "can
that be changed?" I will address both
these questions below.
Pursuant to Section 3.07(a) of the
Rhode Island Condominium Act, 3436.1-1.01 ("The Act"):
"3.07. Upkeep of condominium: (a) Except to the
extent provided by the
declaration, subsection (b),
or ยง 34-36.1-3.13(h), the
association is responsible
for maintenance, repair,
and replacement of the
common elements, and
each unit owner is responsible for maintenance, repair,
and replacement of his or
her unit..."

38

CONDOMEDIA September 2020

Aside from insurance issues, which are
beyond this article, typically, as stated in
Section 3.07, the unit owner is responsible
to maintain his or her unit, and the association maintains the common areas.
The unit owner's responsibility for his or
her unit is determined by the boundary
descriptions in the Declaration, which
define what is included within a unit.
Common elements are generally defined
as all those items not included in the
definition of a unit, including those areas
referred to as limited common elements.
A classic example of such common element would be the roof.
COMMON ELEMENTS VS.
LIMITED COMMON ELEMENTS
Limited common elements are part of
the common elements, but are limited
in use to a specific unit owner. Limited
common elements may be located
completely outside the unit's boundaries such as a porch, balcony, or patio, or
may be an item that is located partially
within and partially outside the unit's
boundaries, such as a pipe or wire, which
item (or portion thereof ) serves only
that particular unit. Examples of such

limited common elements are given in
The Act at Section 2.02(2) and (4):
"2.02. Unit Boundaries.
Except as provided by the declaration...(2) If any chute, flue,
duct, wire, conduit, bearing wall,
bearing column, or any other
fixture lies partially within and
partially outside the designated
boundaries of a unit, any portion
thereof serving only that unit is
a limited common element allocated solely to that unit, and any
portion thereof serving more
than one unit or any portion of
the common elements is a part
of the common elements...(4)
Any shutters, awnings, window
boxes, doorsteps, stoops, porches, balconies, patios, and all
exterior doors and windows or
other fixtures designed to serve
a single unit, but located outside
the unit's boundaries, are limited
common elements allocated
exclusively to that unit."



Condo Media - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2020

Contents
Condo Media - September 2020 - Cover1
Condo Media - September 2020 - Cover2
Condo Media - September 2020 - Contents
Condo Media - September 2020 - 2
Condo Media - September 2020 - 3
Condo Media - September 2020 - 4
Condo Media - September 2020 - 5
Condo Media - September 2020 - 6
Condo Media - September 2020 - 7
Condo Media - September 2020 - 8
Condo Media - September 2020 - 9
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Condo Media - September 2020 - 11
Condo Media - September 2020 - 12
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Condo Media - September 2020 - 14
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Condo Media - September 2020 - 16
Condo Media - September 2020 - BB1
Condo Media - September 2020 - BB2
Condo Media - September 2020 - 17
Condo Media - September 2020 - 18
Condo Media - September 2020 - 19
Condo Media - September 2020 - 20
Condo Media - September 2020 - 21
Condo Media - September 2020 - 22
Condo Media - September 2020 - 23
Condo Media - September 2020 - 24
Condo Media - September 2020 - 25
Condo Media - September 2020 - 26
Condo Media - September 2020 - 27
Condo Media - September 2020 - 28
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Condo Media - September 2020 - 40
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Condo Media - September 2020 - 42
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Condo Media - September 2020 - 48
Condo Media - September 2020 - Cover3
Condo Media - September 2020 - Cover4
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