To amend sections 5311.18 and 5312.12 of the Revised Code to provide that a portion of a condominium or planned community assessment is prior to other liens on condominium units and planned community lots and to provide that a condominum unit owners association lien is a continuing lien.

Section 1.  That sections 5311.18 and 5312.12 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 5311.18.  (A)(1) Unless otherwise provided by the declaration or the bylaws, the unit owners association has a lien upon the estate or interest of the owner in any unit and the appurtenant undivided interest in the common elements for the payment of any of the following expenses that are chargeable against the unit and that remain unpaid for ten days after any portion has become due and payable:

(a) The portion of the common expenses chargeable against the unit;

(b) Interest, administrative late fees, enforcement assessments, or any other assessment or charge provided for by this chapter, the declaration, or bylaws and collection costs, attorney’s fees, and paralegal fees, and court costs the association incurs if authorized by the declaration, the bylaws, or the rules of the unit owners association and if chargeable against the unit.

(2) Unless otherwise provided by the declaration, the bylaws, or the rules of the unit owners association, the association shall credit payments made by a unit owner for the expenses described in divisions (A)(1)(a) and (b) of this section in the following order of priority:

(a) First, to interest owed to the association;

(b) Second, to administrative late fees owed to the association;

(c) Third, to collection costs, attorney’s fees, and paralegal fees incurred by the association;

(d) Fourth, to the principal amounts the unit owner owes to the association for the common expenses or penalty assessments chargeable against the unit.

(3) The lien described in division (A)(1) of this section is effective on the date that a certificate of lien in the form described in division (A)(3) of this section is filed for record in the office of the recorder of the county or counties in which the condominium property is situated pursuant to an authorization given by the board of directors of the unit owners association. The certificate shall contain a description of the unit, the name of the record owner of the unit, and the amount of the unpaid portion of the common expenses and, subject to subsequent adjustments, any unpaid interest, administrative late fees, enforcement assessments, collection costs, attorney’s fees, and paralegal fees. The certificate shall be subscribed by the president or other designated representative of the association.

(4) The lien described in division (A)(1) of this section is a continuing lien and is subject to automatic subsequent adjustments that reflect any additional unpaid interest, administrative late fees, enforcement assessments, collection costs, attorney’s fees, paralegal fees, and court costs.

(5) The lien described in division (A)(1) of this section is valid for a period of five years from the date of filing, unless it is sooner released or satisfied in the same manner provided by law for the release and satisfaction of mortgages on real property or unless it is discharged by the final judgment or order of a court in an action brought to discharge the lien as provided in division (C) of this section.

(B)(1) The lien described in division (A)(1) of this section is prior to any lien or encumbrance subsequently arising or created except liens for real estate taxes and assessments of political subdivisions and liens of first mortgages that have been filed for record and may be foreclosed in the same manner as a mortgage on real property in an action brought on behalf of by the unit owners association by the president or other chief officer of the association pursuant to authority given to that individual by the board of directors.

(2)(a) The lien described in division (A)(1) of this section, in the amount described in division (B)(2)(b) of this section, is prior to any lien or encumbrance previously arising or created except liens for real estate taxes and assessments of political subdivisions. Following the security interest created by division (B)(2)(a) of this section, the association’s lien returns to the priority outlined in division (B)(1) of this section.

(b) The security interest created by division (B)(2)(a) of this section shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the amount of the delinquency or six months of common expense assessments based on the budget adopted by the association for the year in which the foreclosure action against the unit is commenced, plus the association’s reasonable attorney’s fees, costs, and expenses related to the foreclosure.

(3) In a foreclosure action a unit owners association commences pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section or a foreclosure action the holder of a first mortgage or other lien on a unit commences, the owner of the unit, as the defendant in the action, shall be required to pay a reasonable rental for the unit during the pendency of the action. The unit owners association or the holder of the lien is entitled to the appointment of a receiver to collect the rental. Each rental payment a receiver collects during the pendency of the foreclosure action shall be applied first to the payment of the portion of the common expenses chargeable to the unit during the foreclosure action.

(3)(4) In a foreclosure action the holder of a lien on a unit commences, the holder of that lien shall name the unit owners association as a defendant in the action.

(4)(5) Unless prohibited by the declaration or the bylaws, following a foreclosure action a unit owners association commences pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section or a foreclosure action the holder of a lien on a unit commences, the association or its agent duly authorized by action of the board of directors, is entitled to become a purchaser at the foreclosure sale.

(5)(6) A mortgage on a unit may contain a provision that secures the mortgagee’s advances for the payment of the portion of the common expenses chargeable against the unit upon which the mortgagee holds the mortgage.

(6)(7) In any foreclosure action, it is not a defense, set off, counterclaim, or crossclaim that the unit owners association has failed to provide the unit owner with any service, goods, work, or material, or failed in any other duty.

(C) A unit owner who believes that the portion of the common expenses chargeable to the unit, for which the unit owners association files a certificate of lien pursuant to division (A) of this section, has been improperly charged may commence an action for the discharge of the lien in the court of common pleas of the county in which all or a part of the condominium property is situated. In the action, if it is finally determined that the portion of the common expenses was improperly charged to the unit owner or the unit, the court shall enter an order that it determines to be just, which may provide for a discharge of record of all or a portion of the lien.

Sec. 5312.12. (A) The owners association has a lien upon the estate or interest in any lot for the payment of any assessment or charge levied in accordance with section 5312.11 of the Revised Code, as well as any related interest, administrative late fees, enforcement assessments, collection costs, attorney’s fees, and paralegal fees, that are chargeable against the lot and that remain unpaid ten days after any portion has become due and payable.

(B) All of the following apply to a lien charged against a property pursuant to this section:

(1) The lien is effective on the date that a certificate of lien is filed for record in the office of the recorder of the county or counties in which the lot is situated, pursuant to authorization by the board of directors of the owners association. The certificate shall contain a description of the lot, the name of the record owner of the lot, and the amount of the unpaid assessment or charge. It shall be subscribed to by the president of the board or other designated representative of the owners association.

(2) The lien is a continuing lien upon the lot against which each assessment or charge is made, subject to automatic subsequent adjustments reflecting any additional unpaid interest, administrative late fees, enforcement assessments, or any other assessment or charge provided for by this chapter, the declaration, or bylaws and collection costs, attorney’s fees, paralegal fees, and court costs.

(3) The lien is valid for a period of five years from the date of filing, unless it is sooner released or satisfied in the same manner provided by law for the release and satisfaction of mortgages on real property or unless it is discharged by the final judgment or order of a court in an action brought to discharge the lien as provided in this section.

(4) The lien is prior to any lien or encumbrance subsequently arising or created, except liens for real estate taxes and assessments of political subdivisions and liens of first mortgages that have been filed for record prior to the recording of the lien, and may be foreclosed in the same manner as a mortgage on real property in an action brought by the owners association.

(5)(a) In the amount described in division (B)(5)(b) of this section, the lien is prior to any lien or encumbrance previously arising or created except liens for real estate taxes and assessments of political subdivisions. Following the security interest created by division (B)(5)(a) of this section, the association’s lien returns to the priority outlined in division (B)(4) of this section.

(b) The security interest created by division (B)(5)(a) of this section shall be in an amount equal to the lesser of the amount of the delinquency or six months of common expense assessments based on the budget adopted by the owners association for the year in which the foreclosure action against the unit is commenced, plus the owners association’s reasonable attorney’s fees, costs, and expenses related to the foreclosure.

(C)(1) In any foreclosure action that the holder of a lien commences, the holder shall name the owners association as a defendant in the action. The owners association or the holder of the lien is entitled to the appointment of a receiver to collect rental payments due on the property. Any rental payment a receiver collects during the pendency of the foreclosure action shall be applied first to the payment of the portion of the common expenses chargeable to the lot during the foreclosure action.

(2) Unless prohibited by the declaration or the bylaws, following any foreclosure action, the owners association or an agent the board authorizes is entitled to become a purchaser at the foreclosure sale.

(3) A mortgage on a lot may contain a provision that secures the mortgagee’s advances for the payment of the portion of the common expenses chargeable against the lot upon which the mortgagee holds the mortgage.

(D) An owner may commence an action for the discharge of the lien in the court of common pleas of the county in which all or a part of the property is situated if the owner believes that the liability for the unpaid assessment or charge for which the owners association filed a certificate of lien was improperly charged. In the action, if it is finally determined that the unpaid amount of the assessment or charge was improperly charged to the owner or the lot, the court shall enter an order that it determines to be just, which may provide for a discharge of record of all or a portion of the lien and an award of attorney’s fees to the owner.

Section 2.  That existing sections 5311.18 and 5312.12 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.