March 4, 2010
Legislation has been proposed in the current session of the Maryland General Assembly that would provide some relief to condominiums and homeowners associations in the event of a foreclosure. House Bill 842, known as the Residential Association Sustainability Act of 2010, provides that a specified portion of a lien on a condominium unit or lot [...]
January 5, 2010
The effects of the recession on real estate values, and the resulting wave of foreclosures throughout the country, has had a direct and immediate impact on the ability of many condominium councils to collect the assessments necessary to properly operate and maintain their communities. Unit owners who are unable to keep up with their mortgage [...]
September 17, 2009
During 2005, in Maryland’s venerable Eastern Shore seaport town of Crisfield, an ambitious redevelopment project commenced at the City Dock. The Captain’s Galley is a luxury condominium complex consisting of a six-story building with 23 residential units, a heated pool, fitness center, boat slips, and a rooftop restaurant. One notable component of the project specifications [...]
August 19, 2009
If you have bought a new home in Maryland during the last several years, including a new condominium, your purchase likely included what are commonly referred to as “ten-year warranty” policies.” But a careful reading of the typical provisions of many of these policies reveals that the suggested coverage benefits are nearly non-existent. In [...]
July 6, 2009
When mold was discovered in part of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, it ultimately resulted in the closing for more than a year of an entire 453-room 25-story tower. It is reported that Hilton spent some $20 Million on consulting and investigation costs, and an additional $35 Million in the remediation. This is one [...]
June 19, 2009
If you have decided that the condominium lifestyle is for you, and have purchased a sparkling new unit in a recently constructed complex, you probably take comfort in the fact that Maryland law provides for a three-year warranty on major components of the common elements. However, you may not be aware that when you purchased [...]
June 19, 2009
An important consideration of nearly all purchasers of residential condominium units is the fact that a condominium provides the advantages of home ownership without the time-consuming and laborious tasks that are an expected part of maintaining a house and property. After all, exterior maintenance is taken care of by the association. But that [...]
June 18, 2009
It has been nearly 30 years since I first became involved in the representation of a condominium association that was confronted with construction defect issues. That case was litigated for several years, and eventually grew to engulfing a multitude of parties, including developer entities, the general contractor, design professionals, engineers, numerous subcontractors and suppliers, [...]
Marylandcondolaw.com is written by Raymond D. Burke, a principal in Ober|Kaler’s Construction Group. One of the region's top construction and real estate development lawyers, Ray has more than 25 years of experience in matters relating to condominium and other multi-use development matters.