Maryland

Maryland Condo & HOA News

Former Annapolis beach community president gets two years’ probation for embezzlement (MD) April 22, 2025
(This article is behind a subscription paywall) The former president of the community association of Oyster Harbor in Annapolis was sentenced Monday to two years’ probation for pilfering more than $18,000
Funding issues halt Cloverfields flooding mitigation project for now (MD) March 29, 2025
Originally established in 1959, certain areas of the Cloverfields subdivision are vulnerable to tidal and riverine flooding and due to when it was developed before modern day floodplain and building regulations, there is no stormwater plan for Cloverfields, John Kling, Public Works flood plain director said. Read the article…………………………….
Maryland Bills 2025 March 25, 2025
On January 8, 2025, the Maryland General Assembly began its legislative session. Bill requests are due on January 17. Most bills of interest to CHARM go through the Environment & Transportation Committee which handles citizen witness testimony. Read the article…………………………….
Urge Your Senator to OPPOSE HB 303 – Harmful to Community Associations (MD) March 22, 2025
The Maryland CAI Legislative Action Committee (LAC) needs your help! Tell the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to OPPOSE HB 303 Real Property – Regulation of Common Ownership Community Managers. This bill will be heard on Thursday, March 27th at 1pm. Read the article…………………………….
Residents of Coldspring Newtown voice concerns over increased HOA fees (MD) March 4, 2025
Homeowners in the Coldspring Newtown community are grappling with significant increases in their homeowners association (HOA) fees, a change prompted by House Bill 107 aimed at reforming reserve funding for maintenance and repairs. Read the article…………………………….
Condo managers stay on toes with changing times (MD) February 27, 2025
When an arctic vortex sent temperatures plummeting across Ocean City overnight, property manager Kelly Quinn suddenly had to deal with a dozen condo units flooded out at an uptown condo building because the pipes froze and burst. After dealing with the fire department, she had to break the bad news to the owners – and then once more, the next winter, when it happened all over again. Read the article…………………………….
Corporate Transparency Act Update: All Injunctions Lifted; New BOI Reporting Deadline Set February 23, 2025
The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is now fully enforceable. On February 18, 2025, a U.S. District Court lifted the last nationwide injunction that had blocked enforcement of the CTA by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As a result, all business entities—including condominiums and homeowners associations (HOAs)—must now report their beneficial ownership information (BOI) to FinCEN. This information includes the identities of the business owners. Read the article…………………………….

Maryland Condo & HOA Articles

New Legislation Requires Condominiums To Fund The Amounts Specified In a Reserve Study (MD)
Since the collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominium in Surfside, Florida during 2021, adequate funding for building reserves has become a much-discussed topic. Under Section 11-109.4 of the Maryland Condominium Act, condominiums have been required to have reserve studies performed at least every five years. However, the law has only required that the reserve study be available for inspection by the unit owners; that the reserve study be “reviewed” by the board or other governing body in connection with ...
Maryland’s 10-Year “Contractor” Statute of Repose and Developer Liability for Condominium and HOA Construction Defect Claims
“In Maryland Condominium and HOA Construction Defect Cases, the 10-year statute of repose for contractors, architects and engineers comes into play whenever damage or injury from a latent common area construction defect first occurs more than 10-years after the date that the community was completed. If the statute applies, it bars a condominium association or HOA from bringing a construction defect legal claims against a contractor, architect, or engineer that would otherwise be permissible under Maryland’s “discovery rule” extension of ...
Managing Amenity Access: Fair Policies for Pools, Gyms, and Common Facilities (MD)
One way for community associations, especially homeowner’s associations (HOAs), to distinguish themselves is through amenities. The most common community amenities are pools, gyms, and clubhouses. However, your community may also offer golf courses, lake access, and additional amenities. Without clear policies in place governing the use and maintenance of your community amenities, many of their advantages can be lost. Thus, a well-defined amenity access policy helps prevent conflicts, keeps facilities in good condition, and ensures all residents can enjoy the ...
How to protect yourself from abuse when communicating with your association (MD)
1) Send an email message. You need a written record of what you asked, and how the association responded. 2) If you do have a voice conversation, always follow that up with an email message. Write out Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Read the article…………………………….
HOAs vs. the Environment: Why It’s Time to Rethink the American Lawn
Growing up in a suburban neighborhood meant you most likely overheard adults bickering about the HOA at one point or another. My dad would often be irate after his weekly meetings with our HOA, and I vividly remember him coming home flabbergasted that the association wouldn’t let a family paint their shutters green. My dad is currently trying to find a way for us to have a wildflower lawn without getting in trouble, a choice that a homeowner who pays ...
Abrupt HOA Meeting Notice Leads to a Court Case on a Fire Alarm System
The Willoughby Condominium Association (the “Association”) needed to update its drastically outdated fire alarm system, which had not been updated for more than 50 years. The Board called for a special Board meeting to approve the more than $1 million project to bring the system into compliance with county code. The Board posted notice of the project and notice of the Board’s special meeting on the lobby bulletin board and on the Association website two days before the Board was ...
LEWIS D. THOMAS v. PATRIOT SQUARE HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC.
This case is about some modern-day descendants of the dinosaurs, i.e., chickens, and the U.S. mail. Lewis D. Thomas, appellant, owns a home on real property that is subject to a recorded Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions, the enforcement of which is committed to the Patriot Square Homeowners’ Association, Inc., appellee (“Patriot Square”). Read the article (PDF)…………………………….

Maryland Laws

Condominium Law

Homeowner Association

Timeshare

Maryland Condo & HOA Resources

Maryland Consumer Guide: Understanding Condominium Living (PDF)

Secretary of State: Condominium and Timeshare Information

Community Associations Institute – Washington Metropolitan Chapter; Chesapeake Bay Chapter

CHARM Maryland envisions a future where individual homeowners in common ownership communities can live without fear of their own association, which shall abide by the law; be transparent, accountable, and fair; and be welcoming to all residents.

Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities MISSION STATEMENT: The CCOC is committed to providing owners, tenants, residents, boards of directors, and management companies of self-governing residential communities with information, assistance, and impartial dispute resolution programs that: