‘An Act To Amend the Maine Condominium Act Regarding Escrow of Assessments’

‘Sec. 1. 33 MRSA §1603-115-A  is enacted to read:

§ 1603-115-A.  Optional escrow of assessments

(a) The association may require that a person who purchases a unit after October 1, 2009 make payments into an escrow account established by the association until the balance in the escrow account for that unit is equal to 6 months of assessments as established under section 1603-115.

(b) All assessment payments made under this section and received after October 1, 2009 must be held in an account of a bank or other financial institution under terms that place these assessment payments beyond the claim of creditors of the association. Upon request by a unit owner, the association shall disclose the name of the institution and the account number where these assessment payments are being held. An association may use a single escrow account to hold assessment payments made under this section from all of the unit owners.

(c) The association shall pay interest on the assessment payments under this section in an amount equivalent to the rate required under Title 9-B, section 429.

(d) The association shall return the assessment payments made under this section, together with the interest earned under subsection (c), to the unit owner when the owner sells the unit and has fully paid all assessments under section 1603-115. The association may use the balance in the account to offset any assessments remaining unpaid.

(e) The assessment payments made under this section may be used by the association to cover up to 6 months of the costs attributable to a unit for which assessment payments have not been made.’