HUD Urged to Limit Association Fair Housing Liability

More than two years after new fair housing rules regarding discriminatory actions of residents which create a hostile housing environment for other residents were adopted by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in October 2016, it remains uncertain what  community association boards and managers must do to avoid liability for not ending the discriminatory conduct of owners and other residents of condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives.

The HUD rules establish nationwide standards which HUD will apply in enforcing the federal Fair Housing Act with respect to alleged harassment based on race, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability.    In addition to liability for a person’s own conduct and the conduct of that person’s agents and employees, the 2016 fair housing rules also make a community association liable for failing to take prompt action to end a discriminatory housing practice by residents where the person knew, or should have known, of the discriminatory conduct and had the power to correct it.  The HUD rule does not require that the housing provider have a discriminatory intent in not intervening to stop the resident’s discriminatory conduct. Continue reading

2018 Maryland Legislative Update–New Laws Help Condos and HOAs

The hot topic during the 2018 Maryland legislative session was how Maryland will adapt to recent changes in federal income tax and health insurance laws.

Beyond the headlines, the Maryland General Assembly considered many bills which directly affect Maryland condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives. Several new laws which help condos and HOAs were enacted. Continue reading

Maryland General Assembly OKs Bill to Help Condos Collect Delinquent Assessments

The Maryland General Assembly has approved legislation to make it easier for condominium associations to suspend use of the common area parking lot, pool and other recreational amenities when an owner is delinquent in paying the condo assessments for more than 60 days.

The new law allows approval by owners with 60 percent of the total eligible votes to amend a condominium declaration to provide for the suspension of use of these portions of the condominium common property.  This is far less than the 80 percent minimum required by the Maryland Condominium Act for other declaration amendments, and some older condo documents require as much as 100 percent unanimous approval.  Continue reading

Maryland Condo and HOA Restrictions on Commercial Vehicle Parking

Maryland condominium and homeowners association covenants often prohibit parking “commercial vehicles” without specifying what constitutes a commercial vehicle.

Where a word or phrase used in the declaration of covenants for a condominium or homeowners association is not defined in the covenants or by statute, the board of directors has broad discretion to adopt rules which explain how the provisions of the covenants will be applied.

If there are no community rules which define what constitutes a “commercial vehicle”, it is likely that a court would apply the Maryland statutory definition of “commercial motor vehicle” used in connection with the requirements for obtaining a commercial driver’s license.  Under that definition, a commercial vehicle includes any vehicle with a gross weight rating of at least 26,001 pounds; a vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers; or any size vehicle used to transport hazardous materials.  Excluded from the statutory definition are fire and rescue vehicles with audible and visual signals. Continue reading

Condo and HOA Board Member Training Classes

On Sunday February 25, 2018, a training class for condominium, homeowner association, and co-op board members was presented at the Civic Building in Silver Spring, Maryland by attorney Tom Schild of Thomas Schild Law Group, LLC and Mark Fine, Chair of the Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities (CCOC).    

All common ownership community board members in Montgomery County, Maryland are required to take a 2-hour training class within 90 days after being elected or appointed to the board for the first time.  The CCOC’s Community Governance Fundamentals class provides board members with a basic understanding of the responsibilities and procedures for governing their community association. The training class topics include association governing documents and statutes, meeting and decision-making procedures, financial management, and owner rights and responsibilities.

Attorney Scott Silverman of Thomas Schild Law Group, LLC  presented a program on hot topics in Fair Housing in Washington, D.C. at Annual Conference of the Washington Metro Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) on Saturday March 10, 2018.  Topics include an overview of fair housing laws, board response to disputes between residents, and accommodations for service and emotional supports animals.

Posted by Thomas Schild Law Group, LLC, attorneys for condominiums, homeowner associations and housing cooperatives in Maryland -– including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Howard County, Frederick County, and Baltimore County; and in Baltimore City and Washington, D.C.

Maryland Appeals Court Rejects Condo Owner Defamation Claim

A Maryland appeals court has ruled that emails sent to owners in a Baltimore condominium association by the condo President regarding a recent burglary were not defamatory with regard to the owner whose condominium unit was broken into.

An email was sent to another owner who reported the burglary and copied to several board members in part stating: “What do you think I should do in response to your email? Should I ask to be appointed police commissioner so I can station cops in our community 24/7? Should I tell our neighbors not to associate with criminals who might want to cause harm to them”?

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