Read the March Newsletter

The CHARM Maryland Advocate

March 2025

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 Out (Research)

6. Seek Help: Maryland Attorney General’s CPD

7. Contact CHARM Maryland 

Launching CHARM Maryland, Inc.

In December 2024, homeowners in Maryland banded together to amend the state laws that govern homeowner associations (HOAs), condo associations (CAs), and cooperatives. We were compelled to act by the abuses we have suffered, and seen our neighbors suffer, from the actions of community associations that oppress and attack their own members–namely, homeowners who live within the boundaries of the community. We have registered with the state under the name CHARM Maryland, Inc. Here are our vision and mission statements:

VISION:

CHARM Maryland envisions a future where individual homeowners in common ownership communities can live without fear of their own association, which shall abide by the law; be transparent, accountable, fair; and be welcoming to all residents.

MISSION:

The mission of CHARM Maryland is to advocate for fair and equitable state and county laws to:

* End predatory practices of homeowner associations; 

* Protect the civil rights and financial security of the individual homeowner; and 

* Strengthen the democratic aspects of elections and decision making in homeowner associations.

We have found that when community associations harm their members, there’s either no help at all available from county or state agencies, or the response is slow and weak. That’s why CHARM Maryland is working with state legislators on bills empowering state and county agencies to protect the fiduciary interests and civil rights of homeowners in common communities. 

We believe our voices are being heard by our elected officials and the general public.

CHARM-Maryland Endorses Del. Ryan Spiegel’s Bill HB1117

CHARM Maryland has reviewed House Bill 1117 and believes that it supports our mission.

HB1117: "Montgomery County – Common Ownership Communities –

Disputes, Payments, and Elections"

The beginning of a bill has a highly technical preamble. At our Advocacy webpage, read our user-friendly highlights of the earlier version of the bill, testimony by sponsor Delegate Ryan Spiegel, by Gaithersburg City Councilor Neil Harris, and by CHARM-MD steering committee members.

   Del. Spiegel writes, “There are a lot of COCs [Common Ownership Communities] that work well, follow the rules, and treat their members fairly. And it’s reasonable for COCs to be able to impose certain sensible regulations and processes on their residents, in order to ensure the quality of the community.

    “But there are some COCs that pose too great a risk of exposing their unit owners to abuse, unfair policies, and even retribution for simply exercising reasonable rights or speaking out against problems. There are plenty of horror stories about what happens when a small group or even a single person wields unchecked power over huge financial penalties, and other major negative impacts on a person’s use of their own home, without sufficient accountability. And I think you might hear some of those stories from some of the witnesses tonight–on behalf of whom I bring this bill.”

CHARM Maryland will alert our subscribers of opportunities to advocate for this bill, and other bills, through May. See the calendar below. 

Maryland Legislative Calendar 2025

We hope you will encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to become supporters of CHARM Maryland and sign up to receive updates and action alerts as bills make their way through committee hearings and votes. We'll describe and critique bills as they come up, and will be asking you to contact your legislators at crucial moments to either push a good bill through or block a bill that would weaken homeowner protections or offer only milquetoast “reforms.”

Be sure to bookmark:

* Find your elected officials (local to federal) at www.usa.gov/elected-officials.

* Key dates from 2025 “Maryland General Assembly Dates of Interest.” Watch for email alerts, especially in March, from CHARM Maryland.

March 31         Budget bill to be passed by both Chambers 

April 7              ADJOURNMENT “SINE DIE” (Monday) 

May 7              Final date for an extended session (Wednesday)

May 27            Governor to sign/veto bills by this date

Grassroots Seeds of Discontent (Opinion)

In past decades, there have been earnest efforts to educate individual homeowners, uplift their rights, and guide association boards of directors away from abusive practices. See, for example, the book Happy Homeowners: A Consumer’s Guide to Maryland Condo and HOA Law by Jeanne N. Ketley.

   But with the support of powerful interests, the oppression of homeowners by rogue and abusive boards and the vendors they hire has been on the rise. The absence of reporting on this issue by legacy media is, no doubt, fueled by their need for advertising dollars from real estate companies, lawyers, and property management firms – who are members of the “HOA industry.”  

   News of abusive practices leaks out, however, in the form of citizen reporting (e.g., NextDoor postings, the “Living on Cuckoo Court” blogs on PATCH.com, and online petitions such as “End Abusive HOA Laws and Practices in Maryland”).

   CHARM Maryland hopes to add energy to the awakening that is happening in Maryland and across the nation: Too many HOAs are distorting housing markets, harming homeowners, and wrecking community spirit. We aim to change the laws that allow or facilitate the abuses.

What We Don’t Know, but Need to Find Out (Research)

Common Ownership Community (COC) homeowners need a responsible agency such as the Montgomery County Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO), or perhaps the Maryland Attorney General, to gather data on vital questions.  These include:

* How many homeowners cite “HOA harassment” as a reason for selling their home?

* Of homeowners who do cite harassment, what percentage are members of a protected class such as ethnic, language, or national-origin minorities? 

* How many houses go to closing with HOA debt needing to be resolved (i.e., paid in full before the house can be purchased)?

* What is the total amount of that HOA debt across the state? 

* What is the total amount paid for “debt collection” by HOA communities?

* What is the total amount of money paid by HOAs to lawyers generally (i.e., for any reason whatsoever)? 

* What are the monthly assessments of each common ownership community in the state?

* What is the number of homeowners who are satisfied or dissatisfied with the outcome of their appeals for mediation (such as those delivered to Montgomery County’s Commission on Common Ownership Communities, or CCOC)?

This is part of a larger list that CHARM Maryland is composing. We’d be happy to share that list with anyone seeking to honestly research and report on HOA behavior. We hypothesize that if the full extent of these costs were known, then HOA abuse would be properly understood as a major source of economic distress for homeowners in Maryland and a major cause of unhealthy distortions in the housing market.

Anecdotal evidence is powerful, but we also need quantitative data.  Right now, no one in Maryland appears to be gathering data on these important questions. This data is crucial for the estimated 395,000 homeowners in Maryland living in common ownership communities.

Seek Help: Consumer Protection Division of the

Maryland Attorney General

The MD Consumer Protection Division (CPD) has explained that it “deals only with statutory matters.” Disputes regarding rules in your association governing documents “must be addressed with your governing body, or you may file a lawsuit.” However, if your association is “fining you or removing your rights without providing a dispute settlement process as required by law,” then you can file a complaint with the CPD.

Visit: www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/CPD/Complaint.aspx

“Debts owed to a debt collection agency fall under the regulatory authority of the Office of Financial Regulation (OFR), which is part of the Department of Labor.”

Visit: www.labor.maryland.gov/finance/consumers/comphow.shtml 

CHARM-Maryland does not engage in disputes or offer legal advice; We hope to raise public awareness and recommend useful resources to individual homeowners in common ownership communities (HOAs, condominium associations, and co-operatives) in Maryland.

Contact CHARM-Maryland

The editors of The CHARM Maryland Advocate newsletter are eager to receive corrections, opinion pieces, and reportage (with documentation) about HOA abuses, governance, and reform. We also invite you to become a supporter when you visit our website. Reach us at: 

Website: www.charm-md.org

Email: charm.md.contact@gmail.com 

Be sure to share your story about your community and HOA!

Visit: www.charm-md.org/stories

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