Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 42 - Creation, Alteration and Termination of Cooperatives
Section 4219 - Master associations

(a) General rule.--If the declaration provides that any of the powers described in section 4302 (relating to powers of association) are to be exercised by or may be delegated to a profit or nonprofit corporation or unincorporated association (a "master association") which exercises those or other powers on behalf of one or more cooperatives, condominiums, homeowners associations or any combination of the foregoing or for the benefit of the proprietary lessees of one or more cooperatives, unit owners of one or more condominiums, members of one or more homeowners associations or some combination of the foregoing, all provisions of this subpart applicable to associations apply to any such corporation or unincorporated association insofar as such association is acting on behalf of one or more cooperatives, except as modified by this section.
(b) Exercise of powers of association.--Unless a master association is acting in the capacity of an association described in section 4301 (relating to organization of association), it may exercise the powers set forth in section 4302 only to the extent expressly permitted in the declarations of the cooperatives which are part of the master association or expressly described in the delegations of power from those cooperatives to the master association.
(c) Liability for exercise of delegated powers.--If the declaration of any cooperative provides that the executive board may delegate certain powers to a master association, the members of the executive board have no liability for the acts of omissions of the master association with respect to those powers following delegation. The officers and members of the governing board of the master association are subject to liability to the cooperative association whose powers are delegated thereto and the proprietary lessees of such cooperative on the same basis as officers and executive board members of such cooperative immediately before such delegation of power.
(d) Rights and liabilities of proprietary lessees.--The rights and responsibilities of proprietary lessees with respect to the association set forth in sections 4303 (relating to executive board members and officers), 4308 (relating to meetings), 4309 (relating to quorums), 4310 (relating to voting; proxies), 4312 (relating to conveyance or encumbrance of cooperative) and 4320 (relating to declarant delivery of items to association) apply in the conduct of the affairs of a master association only to those persons who elect the board of a master association, whether or not those persons are otherwise proprietary lessees within the meaning of this subpart.
(e) Election of executive board.--Notwithstanding the provisions of section 4303(f) with respect to the election of the executive board of an association by all proprietary lessees after the period of declarant control ends and even if a master association is also an association described in section 4301, the certificate of incorporation or other instrument creating the master association and the declaration of each cooperative, the powers of which are assigned by the declaration or delegated to the master association, may provide that the executive board of the master association must be elected after the period of declarant control in any of the following ways:
(1) All proprietary lessees of all cooperatives subject to the master association may elect all members of that executive board.
(2) All members of the executive boards of all cooperatives subject to the master association may elect all members of that executive board.
(3) All proprietary lessees of each cooperative subject to the master association may elect specified members of the executive board.
(4) All members of the executive boards of each cooperative subject to the master association may elect specified members of that executive board.
(e.1) Independent reviewer.--The certificate of incorporation or other instrument creating the master association and the declaration of each cooperative, the powers of which are assigned by the declaration or delegated to the master association, shall provide that a vote by a proprietary lessee in an election of the executive board of an association must be submitted by the proprietary lessee to an independent reviewer who shall tally the results of the election and certify the results to the executive board and proprietary lessees. In order to be eligible to vote in the election, a proprietary lessee shall be in good standing with the master association. The executive board shall present the official election results based on the certified election report from the independent reviewer at a meeting of the proprietary lessees and shall enter the results in the meeting records. All votes by proprietary lessees under this subsection shall be submitted to the independent reviewer in accordance with the approved methods of voting as provided under this subpart. This subsection shall only apply to a cooperative with at least 500 units. If a cooperative has less than 500 units, the master association may opt in to the requirements under this subsection by a vote of at least 51% of the votes collected from the unit owners in person, electronically or by absentee ballot which are in favor of the requirements under this subsection.
(f) When section applicable to cooperative.--The provisions of this section shall apply to a cooperative if and when:
(1) there occurs either a date specified in the declaration or any amendment thereto from and after which this section shall apply to the cooperative;
(2) there occurs an event or action that the declaration or any amendment thereto states shall cause this section to become applicable, and the association causes to be recorded an instrument duly executed by the president of the association stating that:
(i) such event or action has occurred and the date of such occurrence, thereby causing this section to become applicable to the cooperative; and
(ii) that a copy of such instrument has been sent to all proprietary lessees; or
(3) the declarant executes and records an instrument stating that this section shall thereafter apply to the cooperative and that a copy of the instrument has been sent to the executive board and all proprietary lessees. Paragraph (3) shall be applicable only if the declarant expressly reserved in the declaration, pursuant to section 4205(a)(8) (relating to contents of declaration), the special declarant right to make this section applicable to the cooperative and only if the instrument exercising such right is recorded during the time period allowed for the exercise of such right.
(g) When executive board not required.--If all of the powers of a cooperative association are delegated to a master association and accepted by the master association pursuant to this section, then the governing body of the master association may act in all respects as the executive board of the cooperative and no separate executive board need be elected or exist.
(Nov. 3, 2022, P.L.1750, No. 115, eff. 180 days)

2022 Amendment. Act 115 added subsec. (e.1).
Cross References. Section 4219 is referred to in sections 4102, 4103, 4302 of this title.