Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 54 - Protection of Purchasers
Section 5410 - Planned communities containing conversion buildings

(a) Notice of conversion.--The declarant of every planned community containing one or more conversion buildings shall give each of the residential tenants and residential subtenants, if any, lawfully in possession of a unit or units in a conversion building or buildings a conversion notice no later than one year before the declarant requires the residential tenant and residential subtenant to vacate. The conversion notice must set forth generally the rights of residential tenants and residential subtenants under this section and shall be hand delivered to the unit or mailed by prepaid United States certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, to the residential tenant and residential subtenant at the address of the unit and not more than one other mailing address provided by the residential tenant. Every notice shall be accompanied by a public offering statement concerning the proposed sale of planned community units within such building or buildings. Except as provided in subsection (f), no residential tenant or residential subtenant in a conversion building may be required by the declarant to vacate the unit earlier than one year after the conversion notice date except by reason of nonpayment of rent, waste or conduct that disturbs other tenants' peaceful enjoyment of the premises, and the terms of the tenancy, including those terms that apply to a period occurring in whole or in part after the conversion notice date, may not be altered but may be enforced during that period. Failure of a declarant to give notice to a residential tenant or residential subtenant entitled to such notice under this subsection is a defense to an action for possession against such residential tenant or residential subtenant.
(b) Offer to tenant to purchase unit.--For six months after the conversion notice date, the declarant shall offer to convey each unit or proposed unit occupied for residential use in a conversion building to the tenant who leases that unit. If the tenant fails to purchase his unit during that six-month period, the declarant may not offer to dispose of an interest in that unit during the following six months at a price or on terms more favorable to the offeree than the price or terms offered to the tenant. This subsection shall not apply to any rental unit:
(1) which, immediately prior to the conversion notice date, was restricted or devoted exclusively to nonresidential use; or
(2) the boundaries of which, after the creation of the planned community, will not substantially conform to the boundaries of such unit on the conversion notice date.
(c) Effect of wrongful conveyance.--If a declarant, in violation of subsection (b), conveys a unit to a purchaser for value who has no knowledge of the violation, recording of the deed conveying the unit extinguishes any right a tenant may have under subsection (b) to purchase that unit if the deed states that the seller has complied with subsection (b) but does not affect the right of a tenant to recover damages from the declarant for a violation of subsection (b).
(d) Notice to vacate.--If a conversion notice specifies a date by which a unit or proposed unit must be vacated, the conversion notice also constitutes a notice of termination of the tenant's lease, subject to revocation in accordance with subsection (i), and a notice to quit specified by section 501 of the act of April 6, 1951 (P.L.69, No.20), known as The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951.
(e) Improper lease termination prohibited.--
(1) Nothing in this section permits termination of a lease by a declarant in violation of its terms.
(2) Nothing in this section or in any lease shall prohibit a residential tenant, after receiving notice under subsection (a), from terminating any lease without any liability for such termination provided such tenant gives the building owner 90 days' written notice of the intent to terminate the lease.
(3) The declarant or owner of any proposed conversion planned community shall not engage in any activity of any nature which would coerce the tenant into terminating any lease, including, but not limited to, harassing tenants or withholding normal services or repairs.
(f) Units leased to senior citizens and disabled persons.--
(1) For the purpose of this subsection, an eligible tenant or subtenant shall be a natural person who, on the conversion notice date, lawfully occupies a unit in a conversion building as a principal residence and is 62 years of age or older or is disabled and has occupied the unit for at least two years. For purposes of this subsection, a person shall be deemed to be disabled if on the conversion notice date he is totally and permanently unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impediment, including, but not limited to, blindness.
(2) Within 60 days after the conversion notice date, any tenant or subtenant in possession of a unit who believes that he is an eligible tenant or subtenant shall so notify the declarant and shall provide the declarant with proof of his eligibility. Any eligible tenant or subtenant who has established his eligibility as aforesaid shall be entitled to remain in possession of his unit for two years following the conversion notice date, notwithstanding any prior termination date in his lease, except by reason of nonpayment of rent, waste or conduct that disturbs other occupants' peaceful enjoyment of the planned community, and the terms of the tenancy, including terms that apply to a time period after the conversion notice date, may not be altered but may be enforced during the time period between the original lease termination date and the expiration of this two-year period except as is otherwise provided in paragraph (3).
(3) The monthly rental payable by the tenant during the time period commencing upon the later to occur of the original lease termination date or the first anniversary of the conversion notice date and ending upon the expiration of the two-year period described in paragraph (2) shall be the same monthly rental as was payable for the month immediately preceding the original lease termination date, except that, at the landlord's option, such monthly rental may be increased by the lesser of 5% of such monthly rental or the same percentage increase as the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index as calculated and published by the United States Department of Labor for the six-month time period commencing on the first day of the first full calendar month after the conversion notice date.
(4) Failure of a declarant to comply with the provisions of this subsection is a defense to an action for possession.
(g) Tenant meetings; open to the public.--With respect to any conversion building containing one or more units then occupied for residential use, at least 30 days before the conversion notice date, the declarant shall hold a tenant meeting open to the public in the municipality where the proposed conversion building is located at a place and time convenient to the persons who may be directly affected by the conversion. At least ten days' notice of the time and place of the meeting shall be given to residential tenants and subtenants in lawful possession of their units, in the same manner as is required for the giving of the conversion notice, and to the general public by a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality in which the planned community is located, except that no notice to the general public need be given with respect to conversion buildings as to which the provisions of section 5402(b) (relating to public offering statement; general provisions) are applicable. At such meeting, representatives of the declarant shall briefly describe the following and may, but shall not be required to, discuss other matters:
(1) The rights and obligations of tenants and subtenants under this section.
(2) Improvements, if any, then planned to be made to the planned community by the declarant.
(3) The anticipated approximate range of initial unit sales prices. Specific unit sales prices need not, however, be provided.
(4) The anticipated approximate range of estimated monthly common expenses for various types of units; however, specific per unit estimates need not be provided.
(h) Community development grants.--If Federal funds under the Community Economic Development Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-35, 42 U.S.C. § 9801 et seq.) have been used to finance the rehabilitation of multifamily rental housing, with the intent that such housing subsequent to the rehabilitation is to be used for residential rental purposes, such housing shall not be converted to a planned community for a period of ten years from the date the rehabilitation is completed.
(i) Revocation.--A declarant may subsequently revoke a conversion notice if the declarant has expressly reserved the right of revocation in the conversion notice and if the notice of revocation:
(1) Is given prior to the conveyance of any unit in the planned community occurring after the conversion notice date other than a unit or units conveyed to a successor declarant or as a result of foreclosure of a mortgage on the unit or a deed in lieu thereof.
(2) Is given in the same manner as is required for the giving of the conversion notice.
(3) Is given to all persons who were entitled to receive the conversion notice and who continue to be in lawful occupancy at the time such notice of revocation is given. The giving of a notice of revocation revokes all rights granted under this section but does not revoke the rights granted to residential tenants under subsection (a) or (f), and such rights shall be deemed to have been incorporated in each residential tenant's lease.
(j) Waiver of purchase rights.--Notwithstanding any provisions of this subpart prohibiting waiver of rights, any tenant may waive his right to purchase a unit under subsection (b) if the waiver is in writing, is acknowledged and is given in consideration of:
(1) an extension of the term of the tenant's tenancy and right of occupancy under this subpart beyond the time period required by subsections (a) and (f) as applicable;
(2) the tenant entering into an agreement to purchase another unit in the planned community; or
(3) all occupants of the unit making alternative living arrangements.
(k) Alteration of terms of tenancy.--Notwithstanding any provisions of subsection (a) or (f), the terms of the tenancy of a tenant or subtenant may be altered with the express written consent of that tenant or subtenant, and such altered terms shall then be the terms of tenancy referred to in this section.
(l) Application of section.--The provisions of this section shall apply only with respect to conversion buildings in which one or more residential tenants or residential subtenants are in lawful occupancy on the conversion notice date, and the only tenants who are entitled to exercise the rights granted under this section are residential tenants or residential subtenants:
(1) who are in lawful occupancy of conversion building on the date the declarant gives the conversion notice; or
(2) who commence their tenancy after the notice of conversion is given to the other residential tenants without having been notified in writing, at or prior to the commencement of their tenancy, that the property is then a planned community and that they are not entitled to the rights granted under this section. Such rights continue only so long as the lawful occupancy of the tenant or subtenant continues.
(Nov. 30, 2004, P.L.1486, No.189, eff. 60 days)

2004 Amendment. Act 189 amended subsecs. (d) and (j)(1).
Cross References. Section 5410 is referred to in section 5103 of this title.