2018 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 47 - Property Law
Article 7C - Condominium Act - Management of Condominium
Section 47-7C-12 - Conveyance or encumbrance of common elements.

A. Portions of the common elements may be conveyed or subjected to a security interest by the association if persons entitled to cast at least eighty percent of the votes in the association, including eighty percent of the votes allocated to units not owned by a declarant, or any larger percentage the declaration specifies, agree to that action, but all the owners of units to which any limited common element is allocated shall agree in order to convey that limited common element or subject it to a security interest. The declaration may specify a smaller percentage only if all of the units are restricted exclusively to nonresidential uses. Proceeds of the sale are an asset of the association.

B. An agreement to convey common elements or subject them to a security interest shall be evidenced by the execution of an agreement, or ratifications thereof, in the same manner as a deed, by the requisite number of unit owners. The agreement shall specify a date after which the agreement will be void unless recorded before that date. The agreement and all ratifications thereof shall be recorded in each county in which a portion of the condominium is situated, and is effective only upon recordation.

C. The association, on behalf of the unit owners, may contract to convey common elements or subject them to a security interest, but the contract is not enforceable against the association until approved pursuant to Subsections A and B of this section. Thereafter, the association has all powers necessary and appropriate to effect the conveyance or encumbrance, including the power to execute deeds or other instruments.

D. Any purported conveyance, encumbrance, judicial sale or other voluntary transfer of common elements, unless made pursuant to this section, is void.

E. A conveyance or encumbrance of common elements pursuant to this section does not deprive any unit of its rights of access and support.

F. A conveyance or encumbrance of common elements pursuant to this section does not affect the priority or validity of preexisting encumbrances.

History: Laws 1982, ch. 27, § 45.

Compiler's notes. — This section is similar to § 3-112 of the Uniform Condominium Act, with the following main exception: Subsection F of this section of the state Condominium Act does not include the bracketed optional language, "[unless the declaration otherwise provides]," which appears at the beginning of subsection (f) of § 3-112 of the Uniform Condominium Act.

COMMISSIONERS' COMMENT

1. Subsection (a) [Subsection A] provides that, on agreement of unit owners holding 80% of the votes in the association, parts of the common elements may be sold or encumbered. (80% is the percentage required for termination of the condominium under § 2-118 [47-7B-18 NMSA 1978].) This power may be exercised during the period of declarant control, but, in order to be effective, 80% of non-declarant unit owners must approve the action.

The ability to sell a portion of the common elements without termination of the condominium gives the condominium regime desirable flexibility. For example, the unit owners, some years after the initial creation of the condominium, may decide to convey away a portion of the open space which has been reserved as a part of the common elements because they no longer find the area useful or because they wish to use sale proceeds to make other improvements. Similarly, the ability to encumber common elements gives the association power to raise money for improvements through the device of mortgaging the improvements themselves. Of course, recreational improvements will frequently not be sufficient security for a loan for their construction. Nevertheless, the ability to take a security interest in such improvements may lead lenders to be more favorably disposed toward making a loan in larger amounts and at lower interest rates.

2. Subsection (b) [Subsection B] requires that the agreement for sale or encumbrance be evidenced by the execution of an agreement in the same manner as a deed by the requisite majority of the unit owners. The agreement then must be recorded in the land records. The recorded agreement signed by the unit owners is not the conveyance itself, but is rather a supporting document which shows that the association has full power to execute a deed or mortgage. Under subsection (c) [Subsection C], it is contemplated that the association will execute the actual instrument of conveyance. Under subsection (e) [Subsection E], a conveyance or encumbrance of common elements may not deprive a unit owner of rights of access and support.

3. Under the condominium form of ownership, each unit owner owns a share of the common elements as an appurtenant interest to his unit and, when the unit owner mortgages his unit, he also mortgages his appurtenant interest. The unit owner himself cannot convey his unit separately from its interest in the common elements nor can he convey his common element interest separately from the unit. Therefore, if there is a mortgage or other lien against any unit, the problem arises as to whether the association under this section can convey a part of the common elements free from the mortgage interest of the unit mortgagee. Subsection (f) [Subsection F] answers that question no. Therefore, a sale or encumbrance of common elements under this section would be subject to the superior priority of any prior mortgagee on the unit unless the mortgagee releases his interest therein.

The bracketed introductory language to subsection (f) [Subsection F] is intended to permit an enacting state to choose whether or not the declaration could vary the rule of subsection (f) [Subsection F]. If the bracketed language is included, the declaration might provide, for example, that any subsequent conveyance of specified portions of the common elements would be free of prior security interests. In that case, the security interest in the common elements held by unit mortgagees would be cut off. Since the loss of the security interest in the common elements could significantly affect mortgagees, states considering inclusion of the bracketed language probably should consult mortgagee groups. If limited to particular common element real estate such as portions of recreational area land, and if protections are provided for lender interests, the ability to convey free of prior security interests could contribute significantly to the continued economic viability of a project. Therefore, lenders may be favorable to inclusion of the bracketed language.

The declaration could protect lender interests in connection with a conveyance free of the security interests in a number of ways. For example, the declaration might provide for payment of a specified percentage of the sales price to unit mortgagees or it might provide that a specified percentage of the mortgage debt be paid to them. Also, the declaration might provide that no sale or encumbrance of common elements would be effective without the approval of a specified percentage of lenders. There are, no doubt, other devices which could afford substantial protection to lenders.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 15A Am. Jur. 2d Condominiums and Cooperative Apartments §§ 14, 16, 29, 33, 38, 40, 41.

31 C.J.S. Estates § 153 et seq.