2018 -- H 7970 SUBSTITUTE A

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LC005217/SUB A

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RHODE ISLAND REAL ESTATE TIME-SHARE ACT

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Tobon, Cunha, Edwards, Maldonado, and Marshall

     Date Introduced: March 16, 2018

     Referred To: House Corporations

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 34-41-2.05 of the General Laws in Chapter 34-41 entitled "Rhode

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Island Real Estate Time-Share Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     34-41-2.05. Termination of time-shares.

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     (a) This section applies to all time-share estates, except it shall apply to time-share

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licenses only to the extent expressly provided by the time-share instrument.

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     (b) All time-shares in a time-share property may be terminated only as follows:

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     (1) By agreement of the time-share owners having at least sixty percent (60%) of the

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time-shares, or such larger majority as the time-share instrument may specify; or

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     (2) Any provision in the time-share instrument notwithstanding, by a plan of termination

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approved by the lesser of the lowest percentage of voting interests necessary to amend the

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instrument, or as otherwise provided in the instrument for approval of termination if:

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     (i) The estimated cost of construction for repairs which are necessary to restore the time-

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share property to its former condition or bring the time-share property into compliance with

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applicable laws or regulations exceeds the combined fair-market value of the units in the time-

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share property after completion of the construction or repairs;

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     (ii) It becomes impossible to operate or reconstruct a time-share property to its prior

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physical configuration because of land-use laws or regulations;

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     (iii) The association is not paying its debts as they become due;

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     (iv) The association's debts exceed its assets;

 

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     (v) More than twenty-five percent (25%) of the association members are delinquent in

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payment of the annual maintenance fee and/or any special assessments;

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     (c) An agreement to terminate all time-shares pursuant to subsection (b)(1) shall comply

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with the following:

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     (1) An agreement to terminate all time-shares in a time-share property must be evidenced

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by the execution of a termination agreement, or ratifications thereof, in the same manner as a

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deed, by the requisite number of time-share owners. The termination agreement must specify a

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date after which the agreement will be void unless it is recorded before that date. A termination

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agreement and a certification by the managing entity of the ratification thereof must be recorded

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in every municipal office of land-evidence records in which a portion of the time-share property

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is situated, and is effective only upon recordation.

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     (2) Unless the termination agreement sets forth the material terms of a contract, or

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proposed contract, under which an estate or interest in each time-share unit equal to the sum of

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the time-shares therein is to be sold and designates a trustee to effect the sale, title to an estate or

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interest in each time-share unit equal to the sum of the time-shares therein vests upon termination

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in the time-share owners thereof, in proportion to their respective interests as provided in

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subsection (e), and liens on the time-shares shift accordingly to encumber those interests. Any co-

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owner of that estate or interest in a unit may thereafter maintain an action for partition or for

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allotment or sale in lieu of partition pursuant to the laws of this state.

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     (3) If the termination agreement sets forth the material terms of a contract or proposed

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contract under which an estate or interest in each time-share unit equal to the sum of the time-

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shares therein is to be sold and designates a trustee to effect the sale, title to that estate or interest

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vests upon termination in the trustee, for the benefit of the time-share owners, in fee simple and

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free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, to be transferred pursuant to the contract. Proceeds

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of the sale must be distributed to time-share owners with the fractional interests in the time-shares

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and lienholders as their interests may appear, in proportion to the respective interests of the time-

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share owners as provided in subsection (e). After the title so vests in the trustee, the time-share

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owners shall have no further real property ownership interest or other right in and to their former

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unit, and their interest and rights shall be limited to only the proceeds remaining with the trustee

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or the registry of the court except as may be provided in subsection (c)(4) of this section.

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     (4) Except as otherwise specified in the termination agreement, so long as the former

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time-share owners or their trustee hold title to the estate or interest equal to the sum of the time-

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shares, each former time-share owner and his or her successors in interest have the same rights

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with respect to occupancy in the former time-share unit that he or she would have had if

 

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termination had not occurred, together with the same liabilities and other obligations imposed by

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this chapter or the time-share instrument.

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     (d) After termination of all time-shares in a time-share property and adequate provision

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for the payment of any liens or encumbrances on the property of the association and the claims of

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the creditors for time-share expenses, distribution must be made, in proportion to their respective

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interests as provided in subsection (e), to the former time-share owners and the mortgagees and

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lien holders having an interest in their respective time-share units as their interests may appear

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and their successors in interest of (i) the proceeds of any sale pursuant to this section, (ii) the

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proceeds of any personalty held for the use and benefit of the former time-share owners, and (iii)

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any other funds held for the use and benefit of the former time-share owners. Following

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termination, creditors of the association holding liens perfected against the time-share property

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before the termination may enforce those liens against only the proceeds from the sale of the

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property in the same manner as any other lienholder. All other creditors of the association are to

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be treated as if they had perfected liens on the time-share property immediately before

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termination.

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     (e) The time-share termination instrument may specify the respective fractional or

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percentage interest in the estate or interest in proceeds from the sale of each unit equal to the sum

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of the time-shares therein that will be owned by each former time-share owner. If specified in the

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termination instrument, such percentage interests shall be based upon an appraisal of the fair-

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market value of each time-share by one or more impartial qualified appraisers. Otherwise, not

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more than one hundred eighty (180) days prior to the termination, an appraisal must be made of

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the fair-market value of each time-share by one or more impartial qualified appraisers selected

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either by the trustee designated in the termination agreement, or by the managing entity if no

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trustee was so designated. The appraisal must also state the corresponding fractional or

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percentage interests calculated in proportion to those values and in accordance with this

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subsection. A notice stating all of those values and corresponding interests and the return address

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of the sender must be sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, by the

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managing entity or by the trustee designated in the termination agreements, to all of the time-

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share owners at their last known address as shown on the records of the association. The appraisal

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governs the magnitude of each interest and shall be presented to the superior court sitting in the

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county in which the time-share property is located for review and approval and distribution of the

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proceeds of such sale pursuant to the termination plan unless (i) At least twenty-five percent

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(25%) of the time-share owners deliver, within sixty (60) days after the date the notices were

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mailed, written disapprovals to the return address of the sender of the notice, or (ii) The final

 

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judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, entered during or after that period, holds that the

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appraisal should be set aside. The appraisal and the calculation of interests must be made in

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accordance with the following:

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     (1) If the termination agreement sets forth the material terms of a contract, or proposed

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contract, for the sale of the estate or interest equal to the sum of the time-shares, each time-share

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conferring a right of occupancy during a limited number of time periods must be appraised as if

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the time until the date specified for the conveyance of the property had already elapsed.

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Otherwise, each time-share of that kind must be appraised as if the time until the date specified

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pursuant to subsection (c) had already elapsed.

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     (2) The interest of each time-share owner is the value of the time share he or she owned

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divided by the sum of the values of all time-shares in the unit or units to which his or her time-

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share applies.

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     (f) Foreclosure or enforcement of a lien or encumbrance against all of the time-shares in a

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time-share property does not of itself terminate those time-shares. Provided, however, a

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foreclosure sale of a time-share association lien conducted in accordance with the Rhode Island

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general laws shall be deemed to vest title in the grantee/transferee at that sale upon the recording

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of the foreclosure deed, without further action if no adverse litigation contesting that foreclosure

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has been commenced within one year after recording of that foreclosure deed or the effective date

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of this statute, whichever is later, and if there is no cause of action commenced based solely on

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the consideration for that purchase pending within one year of the recording of that foreclosure

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deed or the effective date of this statute, whichever is later.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RHODE ISLAND REAL ESTATE TIME-SHARE ACT

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     This act would amend several processes relative to the termination of a time-share

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agreement and the division of the ownership interests thereto.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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