Obligations of small HOAs in Pennsylvania

Small or large, all homeowner associations share obligations and responsibilities to the owner members, the state and federal governments, and to the healthy financial and maintenance operation of the association. 

The value of every owner’s property, and often the ability to sell or refinance your HOA property may depend on keeping up with these obligations. 

Assessment collection: Set up regular billing and process for payment of owner assessments; deposit funds; collect delinquencies. 

Bill payment: All association bills, such as insurance, landscaping, or utilities, need somewhere to send a bill and someone responsible for paying it.

Bookkeeping:  Association financial records must be kept beginning with turnover.  

Common area maintenance: Maintain grounds and buildings as defined in declaration; maintain, repair, and replace the common elements of the association. 

Budgeting:  A community budget should be made prior to the beginning of the next fiscal year.  Any changes to expenses should be included. 

Insurance:  Insurance policy for the association is required by state law and the association bylaws.

Annual meeting: A minimum annual meeting to record association business and governance decisions.  By law, meeting minutes and association records must be accessible by owners.

Record keeping: All association business records, communication, meeting minutes, and contracts must be kept and available for owner inspection upon request. 

Resale reporting: Processing of financial and other reporting for resale/refinances in the community, and adding new owners to the association for dues payment and communication. 

Reserve study:  HOAs with shared elements such as buildings or amenities must have a plan to maintain and fund repairs and replacement of those elements.

State registration annual renewals:  Your HOA is a small business and requires a business registration with the Secretary of State. 

Compliance:  Maintaining compliance with HOA bylaws and state laws, including new statutes that affect HOA governance in your state.

Tax filing:  Federal tax filing annually. 

These are the fundamentals of HOA operations, although your state may---and likely will---have additional obligations.   Find a list of requirements specific to your state here.

These are the laws that govern HOAs in Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania Uniform Condominium Act (UCA), Pa. Cons. Stat. §§ 3101, et seq.: The Act applies to condominiums created after the Act's effective date (120 days from July 2, 1980). However, certain provisions apply to all condominiums regardless of the date of their creation as long as the events involved occurred after the UCA became effective. See Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3102(a). https://www.hopb.co/pennsylvania-uniform-condominium-act

Pennsylvania Uniform Planned Community Act (UPCA), Pa. Cons. Stat. §§ 5101, et seq.: The UPCA generally applies to all planned communities with more than 12 units created after the Act's effective date, unless the community falls under the many exceptions outlined under §5102(a) of the UPCA. The UPCA was approved on December 19, 1996, and became effective 45 days later on February 3, 1997. See Pa.C.S. § 1908 (Computation of time). Additionally, the sections outlined in §5102(b) and (b.1)(1) of the UPCA apply retroactively to all planned communities created before the effective date. https://casetext.com/statute/pennsylvania-statutes/consolidated-statutes/title-68-pacs-real-and-personal-property/part-ii-real-property/subpart-d-planned-communities/chapter-51-general-provisions/section-5101-short-title-of-subpart

Pennsylvania Real Estate Cooperative Act, Pa. Cons. Stat. §§ 4101, et seq., recognizes and provides a legal framework relating to the general purpose of cooperative associations in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988, as amended, 15 Pa. C.S.A. §§ 5101 through 6146: The Act governs non-profit corporations with regard to corporate structure and procedure. If a condominium or planned community association is organized as a non-profit corporation, it will be governed by the Act.

These are the federal laws that apply to all HOAs in the United States:

https://www.hopb.co/federal-laws

The Community Associations Institute(CAI) is the international association for homeowner associations. CAI provides information, education, and resources to the homeowner volunteers who govern communities and the professionals who support them. Pennsylvania chapter: http://www.caikeystone.org

This basic information about HOAs in your state is a helpful start, but should not be used as legal advice. If you have questions about interpreting your state’s legal requirements or the association’s governing documents, please contact an attorney in your state who specializes in community association law. Reach out for a referral if you’re not sure who to contact.

If you would like additional information about our small HOA management services, please contact us. We are here to help and have great resources for small HOAs!