HB1071eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1071 Engrossed LRB095 07052 AJO 27176 b

AN ACT concerning property.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Condominium Property Act is amended by adding Section 18.7 as follows:

(765 ILCS 605/18.7 new)

Sec. 18.7. Standards for community association managers.

(a) "Community association" means an association in which membership is a condition of ownership or shareholder interest of a unit in a condominium, cooperative, townhouse, villa, or other residential unit that is part of a residential development plan as a master association or common interest community and that is authorized to impose an assessment and other costs that may become a lien on the unit or lot.

(b) "Community association manager" means an individual who administers for compensation the coordination of financial, administrative, maintenance, or other duties called for in the management contract, including individuals who are direct employees of a community association. A manager does not include support staff, such as bookkeepers, administrative assistants, secretaries, property inspectors, or customer service representatives.

(c) Requirements. To perform services as a community association manager, an individual must meet these requirements:

(1) shall have attained the age of 21 and be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States;

(2) shall not have been convicted of forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretenses, larceny, extortion, conspiracy to defraud or other similar offense or offenses;

(3) shall have a working knowledge of the fundamentals of community association management, including the Condominium Property Act, the Illinois Not-for-Profit Corporation Act, and any other laws pertaining to community association management; and

(4) shall not have engaged in the following activities: failure to cooperate with any law enforcement agency in the investigation of a complaint; or failure to produce any document, book, or record in the possession or control of the community association manager after a request for production of that document, book, or record in the course of an investigation of a complaint.

(d) Access to community association funds. For community associations of 6 or more units, apartments, townhomes, villas or other residential units, a community association manager or the firm with whom the manager is employed shall not solely and exclusively have access to and disburse funds of a community association unless:

(1) There is a fidelity bond in place.

(2) The fidelity bond is in an amount not less than all monies of that association in the custody or control of the community association manager.

(3) The fidelity bond covers the community association manager and all partners, officers, and employees of the firm with whom the community association manager is employed during the term of the bond, as well as the community association officers, directors, and employees of the community association who control or disburse funds.

(4) The insurance company issuing the bond may not cancel or refuse to renew the bond without giving not less than 10 days' prior written notice to the community association.

(5) The community association shall secure and pay for the bond.

(e) A community association manager who provides community association management services for more than one community association shall maintain separate, segregated accounts for each community association. The funds shall not, in any event, be commingled with funds of the community association manager, the firm of the community association manager, or any other community association. The maintenance of these accounts shall be custodial, and the accounts shall be in the name of the respective community association.

(f) Exempt persons. Except as otherwise provided, this Section does not apply to any person acting as a receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, administrator, executor, or guardian acting under a court order or under the authority of a will or of a trust instrument.

(g) Right of Action.

(1) Nothing in this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly shall create a cause of action by a unit owner, shareholder, or community association member against a community association manager or the firm of a community association manager.

(2) This amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly shall not impair any right of action by a unit owner or shareholder against a community association board of directors under existing law.