Will a Proposed Bill Aim to Undo a 2025 Law Reforming HOA and Condo Elections?   Condo and HOA homeowners in Maryland celebrated good news in October 2025. The passage of an Election Reform law, Real Property Article 11-109(c)(17),  aimed to improve the fairness and transparency of Condo/HOA board elections. Our CHARM Maryland Newsletter article  summarizes the reforms. One section of the law  “requires that an “independent party” collects and counts ballots, and certifies th

When a pipe leaks in a condominium, determining who is financially responsible almost never comes down to where the pipe is located.

NOVEMBER 2025 CHARM Newsletter Learn the facts about HOA and condo associations!   MYTH : HOAs and condo associations must hire an outside vendor to run their board elections because of a new Maryland law. That will cost lots of money!   FACT: There is a new election law, but it does not require hiring an outside vendor.  The board and/or a meeting of the homeowner-members can create a committee of trusted neighbors to administer the community’s elections.  Proxy ballots can

OCTOBER 2025 CHARM Newsletter Patrick Johansen Founder of HOA Reform Leaders Standing Up for HOA Homeowners Across the U.S.: An Interview with Patrick Johansen of HRLNG   Patrick Johansen  is the founder of HOA Reform Leaders National Group  (HRLNG), “a volunteer association dedicated to changing the laws of all the states to protect and benefit the homeowners.” Nationwide, developers are building more and more houses in Common Ownership Communities

SEPTEMBER 2025 CHARM Newsletter Open and Fair Elections in HOAs and Condo Associations:  New Law Takes Effect on October 1 PHOTO: Washington, DC residents voting in 1938. (Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016873500/ ) Note : This is the first of several columns on new Maryland laws affecting homeowners in common ownership communities (COCs). This piece talks about elections . Future columns  will discuss enforcement , as well as examination  of books, r

New survey reveals top problems in Common Ownership Communities. Plus: Proposed solutions!

MAY 2025 CHARM Newsletter May’s newsletter reports on some of the legislation we’ve been working on to help protect your rights as a homeowner in a common ownership community. If you have suggestions for topics, or would like to share an opinion piece, please contact us at contact.charm-md@gmail.com .  We’re also happy to report we are now officially registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit , which allows us to raise funds, among other things. In This Issue  2025 CHARM-supported b

Local governments may be able to enact laws for condo and homeowners associations. City and county condo laws are largely preempted by state law -- so much so that many local elected officials think they can't help solve local problems unless they are granted certain authority through what is called a "state local law," a state  law written to apply only to a specific local jurisdiction. ( Here is one example that regulates just Frederick County .)  However, that authority ma

Suggestions for Maryland homeowners living in common communities 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.  For example,   “Dear Property Manager Joe Smith:   Thank you for the phone conversation on April 12, 2024. We are glad that you will inspect the new gate on our fence by Apr

MARCH 2025 CHARM Newsletter Welcome to our newsletter for updates on advocacy efforts and how you can make a difference in Maryland! If you have suggestions for topics, or would like to share an opinion piece, please reach us at charm.md.contact@gmail.com   In this Issue   1. Launching CHARM Maryland, Inc. 2. CHARM-Maryland Endorses Del. Spiegel’s Bill HB-11-25 3. MD Legislative Calendar 2025 4. Grassroots Seeds of Discontent (Opinion) 5. What We Don’t Know, but Need to Find

TIRED of Increasing HOA Fees? Your Condo Board Actions? Condo/HOA Owners: It’s Time to Make your Voices Heard!   TELL YOUR STORY. LEARN YOUR RIGHTS. ADVOCATE WITH US.   We Invite YOU to Speak Up at our Upcoming Community "Listening Session"   Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Quince Orchard Library/Meeting Room 3 - 5 pm 15831 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Your rights according to Maryland

On January 8, 2025, the Maryland General Assembly began its legislative session. Bill requests are due on January 17. Most bills of...

Have you ever written a check to your association and put "for assessments only" in the memo line? Did the association re-assign that payment to another charge or debt? Is that legal? Read this article: https://www.levelset.com/blog/beware-checks-payment-in-full-memo-mechanics-lien-rights/ If the board passes a collection policy permitting re-assignment without following the notice and other procedures of Real Property 11-111 , your attorney may be able to challenge the re

CHARM Newsletter * January 8, 2025 There’s hope for beleaguered HOA homeowners. Delegate Ryan Spiegel (Dist. 17, Gaithersburg - Rockville) has drafted a bill, MC 11-25 “Montgomery County – Common Ownership Communities – Disputes, Payments, and Elections,” that would address many grievances of homeowners who live in HOAs, condo associations, or cooperatives specifically in Montgomery County, Maryland today. Del. Spiegel hopes to win the support of the Montgomery County Del

Montgomery County - Common Ownership Communities - Disputes, Payments, and Elections (Bill)

Grassroots Maryland Group Advocates for Common Community Homeowners