§ 1560 — Definitions

§ 1560. Definitions. When used in this article, unless otherwise\nexpressly stated, the following words and terms shall have the following\nmeanings:\n 1. "Person" means an individual, partnership, limited liability\ncompany, society, association, joint stock company, corporation, estate,\nreceiver, trustee, assignee, referee or any other person acting in a\nfiduciary or representative capacity, whether appointed by a court or\notherwise, any combination of individuals, and any other form of\nunincorporated enterprise owned or conducted by two or more persons.\n 2. "Controlling interest" means (a) in the case of a corporation,\neither fifty percent or more of the total combined voting power of all\nclasses of stock of such corporation, or fifty percent or more of the\ncapital, profits or beneficial interest in such voting stock of such\ncorporation, and (b) in the case of a partnership, association, trust or\nother entity, fifty percent or more of the capital, profits or\nbeneficial interest in such partnership, association, trust or other\nentity.\n 3. "Real property" means every estate or right, legal or equitable,\npresent or future, vested or contingent, in lands, tenements or\nhereditaments, including buildings, structures and other improvements\nthereon, which are located in whole or in part within any designated\ncommunity. It shall not include rights to sepulture.\n 4. "Consideration" means the price actually paid or required to be\npaid for the real property or interest therein, including payment for an\noption or contract to purchase real property, whether or not expressed\nin the deed and whether paid or required to be paid by money, property,\nor any other thing of value. It shall include the cancellation or\ndischarge of an indebtedness or obligation. It shall also include the\namount of any mortgage, purchase money mortgage, lien or other\nencumbrance, whether or not the underlying indebtedness is assumed or\ntaken subject to.\n (a) In the case of a creation of a leasehold interest or the granting\nof an option with use and occupancy of real property, consideration\nshall include, but not be limited to, the value of the rental and other\npayments attributable to the use and occupancy of the real property or\ninterest therein, the value of any amount paid for an option to purchase\nor renew and the value of rental or other payments attributable to the\nexercise of any option to renew.\n (b) In the case of a creation of a subleasehold interest,\nconsideration shall include, but not be limited to, the value of the\nsublease rental payments attributable to the use and occupancy of the\nreal property, the value of any amount paid for an option to renew and\nthe value of rental or other payments attributable to the exercise of\nany option to renew less the value of the remaining prime lease rental\npayments required to be made.\n (c) In the case of a controlling interest in any entity that owns real\nproperty, consideration shall mean the fair market value of the real\nproperty or interest therein, apportioned based on the percentage of the\nownership interest transferred or acquired in the entity.\n (d) In the case of an assignment or surrender of a leasehold interest\nor the assignment or surrender of an option or contract to purchase real\nproperty, consideration shall not include the value of the remaining\nrental payments required to be made pursuant to the terms of such lease\nor the amount to be paid for the real property pursuant to the terms of\nthe option or contract being assigned or surrendered.\n (e) In the case of (1) the original conveyance of shares of stock in a\ncooperative housing corporation in connection with the grant or transfer\nof a proprietary leasehold by the cooperative corporation or cooperative\nplan sponsor, and (2) the subsequent conveyance by the owner thereof of\nsuch stock in a cooperative housing corporation in connection with the\ngrant or transfer of a proprietary leasehold for a cooperative unit\nother than an individual residential unit, consideration shall include a\nproportionate share of the unpaid principal of any mortgage on the real\nproperty of the cooperative housing corporation comprising the\ncooperative dwelling or dwellings. Such share shall be determined by\nmultiplying the total unpaid principal of the mortgage by a fraction,\nthe numerator of which shall be the number of shares of stock being\nconveyed in the cooperative housing corporation in connection with the\ngrant or transfer of a proprietary leasehold and the denominator of\nwhich shall be the total number of shares of stock in the cooperative\nhousing corporation.\n 5. "Conveyance" means the transfer or transfers of any interest in\nreal property by any method, including but not limited to, sale,\nexchange, assignment, surrender, mortgage foreclosure, transfer in lieu\nof foreclosure, option, trust indenture, taking by eminent domain,\nconveyance upon liquidation or by a receiver, or transfer or acquisition\nof a controlling interest in any entity with an interest in real\nproperty. Transfer of an interest in real property shall include the\ncreation of a leasehold or sublease only where (a) the sum of the term\nof the lease or sublease and any options for renewal exceeds forty-nine\nyears, (b) substantial capital improvements are or may be made by or for\nthe benefit of the lessee or sublessee, and (c) the lease or sublease is\nfor substantially all of the premises constituting the real property.\nNotwithstanding the foregoing, conveyance of real property shall not\ninclude a conveyance made pursuant to devise, bequest or inheritance;\nthe creation, modification, extension, spreading, severance,\nconsolidation, assignment, transfer, release or satisfaction of a\nmortgage; a mortgage subordination agreement, a mortgage severance\nagreement, an instrument given to perfect or correct a recorded\nmortgage; or a release of lien of tax pursuant to this chapter or the\ninternal revenue code.\n 6. "Interest in the real property" includes title in fee, a leasehold\ninterest, a beneficial interest, an encumbrance, development rights, air\nspace and air rights, or any other interest with the right to use or\noccupancy of real property or the right to receive rents, profits or\nother income derived from real property. It shall also include an option\nor contract to purchase real property. It shall not include a right of\nfirst refusal to purchase real property.\n 7. "Seller" means the person making the conveyance of real property or\ninterest therein. Where the conveyance consists of a transfer or an\nacquisition of a controlling interest in an entity with an interest in\nreal property, "seller" means the entity with an interest in real\nproperty or a shareholder or partner transferring stock or partnership\ninterest, respectively.\n 8. "Buyer" means the person who obtains real property or interest\ntherein as a result of a conveyance.\n 9. "Fund" means a community preservation fund created pursuant to\nsection six-s of the general municipal law.\n 10. "Recording officer" means the county clerk where the real property\nis located except in a county having a register, where it means the\nregister of the county.\n 11. "Designated community" means any town or city within the Hudson\nValley counties of Putnam, Ulster, or Westchester.\n 12. "Treasurer" means the county treasurer.\n 13. "Governing body" means the town board of a town; or the board of\naldermen, common council, council, or commission of a city.\n 14. "Residential real property" means property which satisfies at\nleast one of the following conditions:\n (a) the property classification code assigned to the property on the\nlatest final assessment roll, as reported on the transfer report form,\nindicates that the property is a one, two or three family home or a\nrural residence; or\n (b) the transfer report form indicates that the property is one, two\nor three family residential property that has been newly constructed on\nvacant land; or\n (c) the transfer report form indicates that the property is a\nresidential condominium.\n 15. "Tax" means the real estate transfer tax payable on a real\nproperty conveyance pursuant to section fifteen hundred sixty-one of\nthis article, but shall have a different meaning if the context clearly\nindicates such as the real estate transfer tax imposed pursuant to\narticle thirty-one of this chapter.\n