Category Archives: Maryland homeowner association laws

2023 Maryland Legislature Considers Condominium and Homeowner Association Legislation

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The 2023 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly is underway and several changes to the Maryland Condominium Act and Maryland Homeowners Association Act are under consideration.

Among the bills introduced are:

Community Association Manager Licensing. A Maryland Board of Common Ownership Managers would be created to license and regulate managers of condos, HOAs, and housing cooperatives. (House Bill 80)

Homeowner Bill of Rights. Homeowners would be granted certain statutory rights regarding the management and operation of common ownership communities. (House Bill 29)

Smoking Policies. The board of directors of a common ownership community would be required to develop a smoking policy if the property is a multifamily building. (House Bill 315)

Clean Energy Equipment. The condominium vote to approve the installation of certain clean energy equipment in the common elements would be reduced to make it easier to install vehicle recharging equipment and solar, geothermal or other energy-efficient equipment. (House Bill 101)

Homeowner Association Fines. A homeowners association would be provided statutory authority to levy reasonable fines for violations of the HOA declaration, bylaws or rules. (House Bill 532)

Task Force on Common Ownership Communities. A Maryland state task force would be created to study 21 issues related to the management and operation of common ownership communities. Topics include the education needs of boards and homeowners; establishing statewide dispute resolution services; association assessments; developer transition of new communities and much more. (House Bill 423)

The 2023 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly runs until mid-April.

Posted by Thomas Schild Law Group, LLC which represents condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives throughout Maryland (including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Howard County, Frederick County, and Baltimore) and Washington, D.C.

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2022 Maryland Condominium and HOA Laws Enacted

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The Maryland Legislature considered various bills regarding the management and operation of condominiums, homeowners associations and housing cooperatives in 2022.  Although most were not approved, several significant new laws took effect October 1, 2022.

            Reserve Studies Statewide (HB 107).  Most Maryland condos, HOAs and coops will now be required to obtain a reserve study of the association common property at least every 5 years to determine the remaining useful life of each major component of the common property and the estimated cost for long-term repair and replacement. The reserve study must also state the estimated annual reserve amount necessary to accomplish any identified future repair or replacement. This extends statewide the reserve study requirements previously enacted for communities in Prince George’s and Montgomery County.

            Where a reserve study is required, the recommended annual reserve amount must be included in the annual budget.  However, if the most recent reserve study is an initial reserve study, up to 3 years is allowed to attain the annual reserve funding recommendation level.

             No reserve study is required for homeowner associations where the initial purchase and installation costs of components which require periodic repair and replacement is less than $10,000. The reserve study law amends the Maryland Condominium Act, Maryland Homeowners Association Act, and Maryland Cooperative Housing Corporation Act.

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Maryland Condominium Repair Reserve Fund Law Enacted for Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties

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The sudden collapse of the 12-story Champlain Tower South Condominium in Surfside, Florida has focused attention on the need for all condominiums to determine and fund the long-term needs for repair and replacement of structural common components such as roofs, foundations, and walls, as well as the common plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems.

A prudent condo board should periodically obtain information regarding the estimated remaining life of each common property component and the estimated cost for future repair and replacement. Known as a “reserve study”, this evaluation should be performed by an independent construction professional. Based on the future estimated repair costs, the board should accumulate “reserve funds” as part of the annual owner assessment to pay for repairs when needed.

Recent changes in Maryland law now require all condos, housing cooperatives and homeowner associations in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County to obtain a reserve study every 5 years and to include funds for recommended repairs in the annual association budget. Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, bordering Washington D.C., are the 2 most populous Maryland counties with nearly 2 million total residents.

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Maryland General Assembly Wraps Up Virtual 2021 Legislative Session

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By Scott Silverman, Esq.

Maryland’s General Assembly recently concluded its 2021 legislative session which was mostly held by virtual video teleconference due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns. Several new laws regarding community association governance were enacted, and take effect October 1, 2021.

Common Property Replacement and Repairs. Reserve studies were again a top issue regarding condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives.   In 2020, a new law was enacted to require condos, coops and HOAs in Prince George’s County, Maryland to obtain a study of the association needs for future major replacement and repair of common property, and require the annual budget of condos and coops to provide funds for future repair work. Although statewide reserve legislation was considered in 2020 and 2021, it was not passed.

But, HB 567, a bill like the one applicable to Prince George’s County associations, was passed this year with respect to associations in Montgomery County, Maryland.  Under the new law, condominiums, cooperatives and homeowner associations in Montgomery County will be required to obtain reserve studies and to have them updated at least every five years. And, condominium, HOA, and housing cooperative boards must include reserve funds in the annual budget for future major replacement and repair of common property.

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2021 Maryland Condo and HOA Legislation Introduced

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The 2021 Maryland legislative session is now underway and runs until mid-April. Although the top priority for the Maryland General Assembly is Covid-19 relief funding, several bills affecting governance of condominiums, homeowner associations and housing cooperatives have been introduced and are under consideration by Maryland House and Senate legislative committees.

Replacement Reserve Funding. Legislation proposes to require all Maryland condos, HOAs and co-ops to conduct a study of the reserves necessary for major repair and replacement of common property components. The developer would be required to have the initial reserve study prepared and contribute to the reserve fund. The board would then be required to have a reserve study done every 5 years and would be required to fund the recommended amount of reserves. (House Bill 313).

A separate bill to require a reserve study and funding the recommended reserve amount only in Montgomery County was also introduced (House Bill 567). A similar reserve study and funding requirement applicable only in Prince George’s County was enacted in 2020.

Board Member Training. Legislation would require all board members to complete a training course on the responsibilities of being a board member or officer of a Maryland condominium, HOA or housing cooperative within 90 days of first being elected or appointed. A similar training requirement currently applies in Montgomery County. (House Bill 361)

Regulation of Community Association Managers. A proposal requiring community association mangers to be licensed by a Maryland State Board of Common Ownership Community Managers is again under consideration. Requirements for obtaining a community association manager license are based on training, community association management work experience, and knowledge of state laws and regulations concerning common ownership communities. Similar legislation has been introduced for the past several years.

The manager licensing legislation also requires each community association to register annually with the State of Maryland. (House Bill 367)

Electric Vehicle Re-charging Equipment. Covenants and other restrictions of a condominium or homeowners association which prohibit, or unreasonably restrict, the installation or use of electric vehicle recharging equipment in a parking space owned by, or designated for exclusive use by, a homeowner would be void and enforceable under proposed legislation. Additionally, an association board would have to approve a homeowner’s request to install electric vehicle re-charging equipment in the parking space if the owner agreed to comply with specified safety and use conditions. Similar legislation has been considered for the past several years. (House Bill 116/Senate Bill 144)

These bills and other related information can be found on the website of the Maryland General Assembly. To be enacted, proposed legislation must be passed by the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland Senate, and be approved by the Governor.

Posted by Thomas Schild Law Group, LLC which represents condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives throughout Maryland (including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Howard County, Frederick County, and Baltimore) and Washington, D.C.

Maryland Eases Hurdle to Amending Condo and HOA Covenants

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The governing documents of Maryland condominiums and homeowner associations often require that amendments to the governing documents must be approved by up to 100 percent of the lenders who hold the mortgage of homeowner’s property. The Maryland Condominium Act for several years has allowed lender approval of most condominium bylaw amendments to be presumed if a lender does not object to the amendment within 60 days.

A new Maryland law extends the presumed lender consent to amendments to a condominium declaration and to all governing documents of a homeowners association, including the declaration of covenants, bylaws, deed and agreement, and other recorded covenants and restrictions. The hurdle of obtaining lender approval has been eased for nearly all amendments to condominium and HOA covenants. The only exceptions are amendments which alter the priority of the mortgage lien; materially impair or affect an owner’s unit or lot as collateral; or materially impair or affect the right of the lender to exercise rights under the mortgage or law.

The presumed consent procedure requires the association to deliver the proposed amendment to each lender entitled to notice of the amendment. If the lender does not object in writing within 60 days of actual receipt of the proposed amendment, the lender is deemed to have consented to the amendment.

The new amendment procedure is included in the Maryland Condominium Act and Maryland Homeowners Association Act, effective October 1, 2020.

Separately, the Maryland Condominium Act insurance provisions were amended this year to allow a condominium to require a unit owner to pay the master insurance deductible amount up to $10,000 where the cause of damage originates in the owner’s condominium unit. This is increase from $5,000, beginning in October, 2020.

And, the Maryland Condominium Act and Maryland Homeowners Association Act were amended to require all Maryland condos and HOAs to submit the approved annual budget to all owners within 30 days after the meeting at which the budget was adopted. This is in addition to the requirement that the proposed annual budget be provided to owners at least 30 days before it is adopted. The budget information may be provided by email, posting on the association website or inclusion in the association newsletter.

Another new Maryland law requires all condominiums, housing cooperatives, and homeowner associations in Prince George’s County to obtain a replacement reserve study of the condition the common property every 5 years and include in the annual condominium fees a portion of the estimated future cost to repair and replace major components of the condominium.