Article On Condominium Law In Taiwan

Yun-chien Chang (Professor, University of Chicago Law School) recently published an article entitled, Condominium Law in Taiwan: Doctrinal Overview Under the Lens of Information-Cost Theory, 23 Asia Pac. L. Rev. 2 (2015). Provided below is abstract of the article:

This article describes the law relating to condominiums (‘condominium law’) in Taiwan, a densely populated country with many people residing in apartments. The Condominium Administration Act and Taiwan Civil Code are the major sources of the law, in addition to various land use regulations and court precedents. Several features and problems stand out among the intricate web of condominium law. First, the law gives condominium bylaws spacious room to supersede the default rules set by statutes, yet condominium bylaws are merely available upon request and need not be registered. Second, since day one it has been unclear whether a condominium association (or a condominium board) has juridical personality and who owns the common fund. Courts and scholars still differ as to what the judicial and legislative solutions are. Third, apartment owners and condominium boards have used courts as a viable dispute-resolution mechanism. Condominium boards have successfully evicted unneighbourly inhabitants and have even forced uncooperative apartment owners to sell their titles. Apartment owners, on the other hand, have persuaded courts to vacate unfair condominium bylaws.