by Tom Schild

Board members of condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing coops in Montgomery County, Maryland will soon have to complete a class on the responsibilities of serving on the board of directors.  Beginning in January 2016, a new County law  mandates training for all board members within 90 days of first being elected or appointed to the board of directors of a condo, HOA or coop.

The Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities (CCOC) has been tasked with developing an educational curriculum and approving a similar training program administered by other organizations. Where a condo, HOA, or coop board member does not complete the mandatory board education, the CCOC may take legal action to enforce the new training requirement.  Additionally, a CCOC dispute resolution panel may consider a board member’s failure to complete the training in deciding a dispute between a homeowner and a community association.

However, failure to complete the training requirement does not disqualify a board member from continuing to serve on the board or invalidate a vote by the member.

Each community association in Montgomery County will have to certify to the CCOC that each board member has completed the required training and must provide an annual report which includes the name and address of each board member, the date each member completed the training, the number of vacancies on the board, and the length of time each vacancy existed.

The legislation to require board education was considered by the County Council for several months before it was enacted in February, 2015.

POSTED BY: Thomas Schild Law Group, LLC