2023 Minnesota Statutes

515B.3-113 INSURANCE.

(a) Commencing not later than the time of the first conveyance of a unit to a unit owner other than a declarant, the association shall maintain, to the extent reasonably available:

(1) subject to subsection (b), property insurance (i) on the common elements and, in a planned community, also on property that must become common elements, (ii) for broad form covered causes of loss, and (iii) in a total amount of not less than the full insurable replacement cost of the insured property, less deductibles, at the time the insurance is purchased and at each renewal date, exclusive of items normally excluded from property policies; and

(2) commercial general liability insurance against claims and liabilities arising in connection with the ownership, existence, use or management of the property in an amount, if any, specified by the common interest community instruments or otherwise deemed sufficient in the judgment of the board, insuring the board, the association, the management agent, and their respective employees, agents and all persons acting as agents. The declarant shall be included as an additional insured in its capacity as a unit owner or board member. The unit owners shall be included as additional insureds but only for claims and liabilities arising in connection with the ownership, existence, use or management of the common elements. The insurance shall cover claims of one or more insured parties against other insured parties.

(b) In the case of a common interest community that contains units, or structures within units, sharing or having contiguous walls, siding or roofs, the insurance maintained under subsection (a)(1) shall include those units, or structures within those units, and the common elements. The insurance need not cover the following items within the units: (i) ceiling or wall finishing materials, (ii) finished flooring, (iii) cabinetry, (iv) finished millwork, (v) electrical, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, and plumbing fixtures serving a single unit, (vi) built-in appliances, or (vii) other improvements and betterments, regardless of when installed. If any improvements and betterments are covered, any increased cost may be assessed by the association against the units affected. The association may, in the case of a claim for damage to a unit or units, (i) pay the deductible amount as a common expense, (ii) assess the deductible amount against one or more of the units affected in any reasonable manner, or (iii) require the unit owners of one or more of the units affected to pay the deductible amount directly.

(c) If the insurance described in subsections (a) and (b) is not reasonably available, the association shall promptly cause notice of that fact to be hand delivered or sent prepaid by United States mail to all unit owners. The declaration may require the association to carry any other insurance, and the association in any event may carry any other insurance it considers appropriate to protect the association, the unit owners or officers, directors or agents of the association.

(d) Insurance policies carried pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) shall provide that:

(1) each unit owner and secured party is an insured person under the policy with respect to liability arising out of the unit owner's interest in the common elements or membership in the association;

(2) the insurer waives its right to subrogation under the policy against any unit owner of the condominium or members of the unit owner's household and against the association and members of the board of directors;

(3) no act or omission by any unit owner or secured party, unless acting within the scope of authority on behalf of the association, shall void the policy or be a condition to recovery under the policy; and

(4) if at the time of a loss under the policy there is other insurance in the name of a unit owner covering the same property covered by the policy, the association's policy is primary insurance.

(e) Any loss covered by the property policy under subsection (a)(1) shall be adjusted by and with the association. The insurance proceeds for that loss shall be payable to the association, or to an insurance trustee designated by the association for that purpose. The insurance trustee or the association shall hold any insurance proceeds in trust for unit owners and secured parties as their interests may appear. The proceeds shall be disbursed first for the repair or restoration of the damaged common elements and units. If there is a surplus of proceeds after the common elements and units have been completely repaired or restored or the common interest community is terminated, the board of directors may retain the surplus for use by the association or distribute the surplus among the owners on an equitable basis as determined by the board.

(f) Unit owners may obtain insurance for personal benefit in addition to insurance carried by the association.

(g) An insurer that has issued an insurance policy under this section shall issue certificates or memoranda of insurance, upon request, to any unit owner or secured party. The insurance may not be canceled until 60 days after notice of the proposed cancellation has been mailed to the association, each unit owner and each secured party for an obligation to whom certificates of insurance have been issued.

(h) Any portion of the common interest community which is damaged or destroyed as the result of a loss covered by the association's insurance shall be promptly repaired or replaced by the association unless (i) the common interest community is terminated and the association votes not to repair or replace all or part thereof, (ii) repair or replacement would be illegal under any state or local health or safety statute or ordinance, or (iii) 80 percent of the unit owners, including every unit owner and holder of a first mortgage on a unit or assigned limited common element which will not be rebuilt, vote not to rebuild. Subject to subsection (b), the cost of repair or replacement of the common elements in excess of insurance proceeds and reserves shall be paid as a common expense, and the cost of repair of a unit in excess of insurance proceeds shall be paid by the respective unit owner.

(i) If less than the entire common interest community is repaired or replaced, (i) the insurance proceeds attributable to the damaged common elements shall be used to restore the damaged area to a condition compatible with the remainder of the common interest community, (ii) the insurance proceeds attributable to units and limited common elements which are not rebuilt shall be distributed to the owners of those units, including units to which the limited common elements were assigned, and the secured parties of those units, as their interests may appear, and (iii) the remainder of the proceeds shall be distributed to all the unit owners and secured parties as their interests may appear in proportion to their common element interest in the case of a condominium or in proportion to their common expense liability in the case of a planned community or cooperative.

(j) If the unit owners and holders of first mortgages vote not to rebuild a unit, that unit's entire common element interest, votes in the association, and common expense liability are automatically reallocated upon the vote as if the unit had been condemned under section 515B.1-107. The association shall have the power to, and shall, promptly prepare, execute and record an amendment to the declaration reflecting the reallocations. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, if the common interest community is terminated, insurance proceeds not used for repair or replacement shall be distributed in the same manner as sales proceeds pursuant to section 515B.2-119(e).

(k) The provisions of this section may be varied or waived in the case of a common interest community in which all units are restricted to nonresidential use.

History:

1993 c 222 art 3 s 13; 1994 c 388 art 4 s 10; 1995 c 258 s 65; 1999 c 11 art 2 s 21; 2005 c 121 s 28; 2010 c 267 art 3 s 10