Happy Homes

by Jeanne N. Ketley Ph D.

Happy Homes is a user-friendly guide to help the average Maryland condominium association (Condo) and homeowner association (HOA) owner live in harmony and understand how to peacefully coexist with their neighbors and with their community association. The key to happiness in shared communities is to understand the association's governing documents and also to understand the requirements and protections of Maryland Condo and HOA law. Although anyone can look up these laws on the Maryland legislative web site aspx?tab=home), the average homeowner has difficulty understanding the "legalese" of the statutes. Drawing on what I learned from volunteering with the Maryland Homeowners' Association (MHA), a Maryland statewide group dedicated to protecting the rights of homeowners living in Condos and HOAs, this book is my translation of the applicable Maryland laws into easy to understand prose. I give references to actual statutes so readers can check the original statutes online. For completeness, this book defines terms found in the statutes and also provides association "Best Practices." This book is not a substitute for reliable legal advice but rather is intended to help homeowners understand the parameters of association living. Since state laws change yearly, updates to Happy Homes will be provided on my web site Every homeowner is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his or her home. For those of us living in Condos and HOAs, it is my hope that Happy Homes makes this goal a little easier for you.