Tag Archives: manager licensing

2017 Maryland Condo and HOA Legislation–The Final Score

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During the 2017 Maryland legislative session, the General Assembly considered many bills regarding condominium and homeowner association governance, foreclosure procedures, state registration of community associations, and regulation of community association managers.

Legislation passed includes bills to make it easier to amend condo bylaws and an HOA declaration; require lender notice of foreclosure sale postponement and cancellation; and require community associations to provide owner notice of common property sales, including government tax sales. Continue reading →

2017 Maryland Condo and HOA Legislation–The Home Stretch

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Two weeks until the 2017 Maryland legislative session ends on April 10.  Several bills affecting condominium and homeowner associations are still under consideration.

State Registration of Community Associations.  Passed by the House.  Reviewed by a Senate Committee and waiting further action.  Final passage possible but uncertain.

Manager Licensing.  Approval this year appears unlikely.  No action on the House bill, but summer study may be a possibility. Continue reading →

2017 Maryland Condo and HOA Legislation–What’s Hot and What’s Not

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With the Maryland General Assembly now in the final month of the 2017 legislative session which ends on April 10, several bills regarding community associations are still under consideration.  Other bills have died in committee.  A bill must be passed by the Maryland House and Senate and signed by the Governor in order to become law.

Here’s What’s HOT!

State Registration of Community Associations.  Legislation to require each condo, co-op and HOA to register with the state has been passed by the House after it was amended to limit the information required.  For communities which already register with the county, no additional state registration would be required. The bill is now under review in the Senate.

Manager Licensing.  A bill to require community managers to obtain a State license has been introduced again this year.  Manager licensing legislation was previously considered in 2014 and is under study again in the House of Delegates.  The proposed legislation would require a manager to have specified training, pass a test and pay a license fee in order to provide management services to condos, coops and HOAs.

Replacement Reserves for Capital Expenditures.  Every five years, each condominium and homeowners association would be required to obtain a study of the estimated costs to repair and replacement of building structural components, roads, recreation facilities and other similar items.  The House has passed this legislation which is now under review in the Senate.

Foreclosure Sale Notice.   A lender which sells a property at foreclosure would be required to give written notice of the proposed sale to any condo or HOA which has recorded an assessment lien against the property at least 30 days before the sale date.  Notice of any postponement or cancellation  of the foreclosure sale must also be provided to the property owner, condo and HOA.  This legislation has passed both the House and Senate.

Governing Documents.  Still under study are bills to make it easier to amend condo and HOA governing documents and to invalidate condo document provisions which limit the time for bringing condominium legal claims regarding construction defects.

Here’s What’s NOT

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations.  A bill to invalidate condominium and homeowner association covenants which prohibit or unreasonably restrict the installation electric vehicle charging stations in parking spaces designated for the exclusive use of a homeowner was killed by House and Senate committees.

Backyard Gardens.  Also killed in committee was a bill to invalidate association covenants which prohibited gardens in the backyard of a home.

Smoking Restrictions.  Legislation to allow the board of directors of a condominium or homeowners association to adopt rules to prohibit tobacco smoking in an owner’s  condo or townhome was voted down in committee.

For updates and details on legislation affecting Maryland condos, co-ops and homeowner associations, sign up for the Maryland Condominium & HOA Law Blog to receive the latest blogposts by email.

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 Washington, D.C.

 

2017 Maryland Legislative Session Begins

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Outside the glare of worldwide attention to the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States, the Maryland General Assembly began its 2017 90-day legislative session in mid-January.

Some bills considered–but not enacted–in 2016 will be examined again by legislative  committees in the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland Senate.  This includes legislation to establish a state registry for common ownership communities, to require lender notice to condominiums and homeowner associations when a lender postpones or cancels a foreclosure sale, and to make it easier to amend the governing documents of condominiums and homeowner associations.

Other proposed legislation would require Maryland community association managers to obtain a state license to provide management services and establish a State Board of Common Ownership Community Managers.  Several bills would limit the authority to prohibit or regulate uses such as electric vehicle charging stations and backyard gardens.  Also under consideration is a bill to require condos and HOAs to obtain an independent reserve study of the condition of the common areas every 5 years to determine future costs of major repairs and replacement.

A legislative committee will receive comments on each bill and make a recommendation on whether the bill should become law.  Only legislation which is passed by both the House and Senate, and approved by the Governor becomes law.

For updates and details on legislation affecting Maryland condos, co-ops and homeowner associations, sign up for the Maryland Condominium & HOA Law Blog to receive the latest blogposts by email.

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 Washington, D.C.

2015 Maryland Legislative Session Heats Up

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by Tom Schild

Despite the recent arctic air sweeping through Maryland, the 2015 Maryland legislative session is heating up.

After a slow start in January with many new legislators and a new Governor taking office, a rush of bills were introduced in February.  Among the bills concerning governance of Maryland condos, coops and HOAs are proposals to (1) prevent developers from limiting condominium statutory warranty rights; (2) require access to common areas for political candidates; and (3) require homeowner associations to provide resale disclosure information and cap the fee charged by condos and HOAs for providing resale disclosure information.

A proposal to change the housing cooperative law adopted in 2014 would eliminate a 3-month waiting period before a housing coop could initiate legal action to evict a coop member for not paying assessments.

Other legislation under review would restrict the ability to collect court judgments for delinquent assessments. Although not limited to condos, coops and HOAs, the bill would make it more difficult to obtain money in bank accounts and sell property to pay a person’s debts.

Legislation regarding licensing of community association managers (which had been considered the past several years) has not been introduced in 2015.

The 90-day legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly runs until April 13, 2015.

2012 Maryland Legislative Session Ends With Limited Action on Condo and HOA Legislation

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by Tom Schild

The Maryland General Assembly ended its 2012 session on April 9 without enacting  proposed legislation on community association manager licensing, developer to homeowner transition or HOA rules adoption and enforcement.  After considering dozens of bills regarding governance of condominium and homeowner associations, only a few bills passed.

New Laws Enacted

The Maryland Condominium Act was amended to authorize condo associations to gain access to units to investigate damage where necessary for public safety or to prevent damage to other portions of the condominium (HB 126).  Also enacted was a bill to require collection and removal of recyclable material by  condominiums and apartment buildings with 10 or more units beginning in October 2014 (HB 1). 

Legislation was approved  to permit Prince George’s County to enact an ordinance to impose and collect a fee for providing administrative hearing services for the resolution of disputes involving common interest communities (HB 906).

Other Legislation Considered

 Both the Senate and House of Delegates passed a bill to prohibit condominium developers from shortening the statute of limitations on condo unit warranties in sales contracts. It would also bar developers from including provisions in condo bylaws to require unit owner approval for a condo board to pursue legal claims by litigation or arbitration.  However, there were differences in the two versions passed and the bill died on the last day of the legislative session (HB 740/SB 725).

Legislation to regulate community association managers has been proposed for the past 4 years.  The bill considered this year would have established a State Board of Common Interest Community Managers to license and regulate managers.   Each manager would be required to obtain a state-issued license to act on behalf of a Maryland condo, HOA or co-op in its business, financial, legal or other transactions such as negotiating contracts, collecting and disbursing association funds, preparing budgets and financial reports, and enforcing association governing documents. The proposed Maryland Common Interest Community Managers Act was defeated by a Senate Committee but may be introduced again in 2013 (HB 433/SB 372).

Bills to require management contracts to include certain provisions and to require community association management companies to obtain fidelity insurance also died in committee.   Legislation regarding assessment collection and resale disclosures was also considered but not enacted.