Representatives Ken Yuko and Brian Williams recently introduced House Bill 408, which would create a condominium “super lien” in Ohio. Ohio condominium associations currently have the right to lien a condominium owner’s unit for unpaid assessments; however, that lien almost always sits behind the first mortgage lien. When the unit is foreclosed upon and sold at sheriff’s sale, the association often finds that the sale proceeds all go to the first mortgage holder and the association is unable to collect what it is owed despite having filed a lien. Condominium associations have argued that their right to collect past due assessments deserves priority over the first mortgage because the association uses those assessments to keep up the entire condominium property, thereby protecting the collateral of the first mortgage holders. Thus, the associations have argued, it’s unfair for the first mortgagee to take all the sale proceeds and leave the remaining owners to make up for the lost assessments. To address this problem, some states have adopted “super lien” legislation, which allows a condominium association to collect up to six months of assessments from foreclosure proceeds before any other liens on the unit are paid. Not surprisingly, most mortgage lenders are opposed to these super liens. We will follow this legislation and keep our readers apprised of the latest developments.