HOA, Community Association and Condominium Lawyers
HOA, Community Association & Condominium Lawyers
Extensive Services and Experience
Oliveri & Larsen’s support services include but are not limited to:
- Assistance in budget preparation, passage of special assessments, and management of financial responsibilities.
- Collection of delinquent assessments and other debts via liens, lawsuits, and foreclosures, as well as enforcement of association rights in bankruptcy proceedings.
- Defense against allegations and claims of consumer protection violations.
- Enforcement of covenants, bylaws, and rules, including violation hearings and court action.
- Guidance for and resolution of Fair Housing Act issues, including requests for reasonable accommodations and defending against violation allegations.
- Formation of new associations and expansion of existing associations via annexations, mergers, and land conversion.
- Guidance on community meetings, including annual meetings and open and closed meetings of boards of directors, and issues related to voting, proxies, procedures, minutes, and confidentiality.
- Interpretation of governing documents (covenants, declarations, bylaws, and rules).
- Preparation, amendment, and adoption of governing documents.
- Responses to and resolution of complaints to the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation, and the Commission for Civil Rights.
- Guidance on selection of appropriate insurance, addressing insurance claims under master and individual homeowner policies, and advocating for coverage with insurers.
- Litigation in all Maryland state and federal trial and appellate courts and numerous federal, county, and state agencies (including but not limited to the Federal Communications Commission, Maryland Insurance Administration, local zoning boards, and county commissioners).
- Reviewing, negotiating, and enforcing contracts with all vendors, including but not limited to property management, insurance, landscaping, contractors, security, waste management, and pool management.
- Resolution of various issues involving board members, homeowners, employees/staff, and neighboring individuals and communities.
Effective Results
For decades, the attorneys at Oliveri & Larsen have been setting the standard for legal services for Maryland community associations, including homeowners’ associations and condominium associations. Our team is keenly aware of the many issues that associations face whether on a singular basis or as a going concern, and our dedication to navigating these issues for our clients is unmatched. The results achieved for our clients have earned the firm a reputation for its industry knowledge such that our team is often asked to conduct seminars at public and private events, provide assistance to other legal professionals both in and out of Maryland, and serve as area-specific consultants for professionals in other industries.
We understand the financial constraints under which associations may operate, so we dedicate ourselves to providing cost-effective representation aimed at obtaining the best economical results for our clients in and out of the courtroom. Some examples of these successful results include:
Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County: Successfully prosecuted a lawsuit against multiple lot owners in a homeowner’s association that endeavored to build piers in violation of the association’s riparian rights. The multiple favorable decisions obtained for the association in the litigation process led to settlement and termination of construction.
Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County: Successfully defended a homeowner’s association against a lot owner’s lawsuit which sought to force the association to perform more obligations than required by the Maryland Homeowners Association Act and Maryland corporate law.
Circuit Court for Baltimore City: Successfully prosecuted claims on behalf of a condominium association against a neighboring homeowner’s association regarding an easement agreement which led to a renewed agreement with terms favorable to the condominium association.
Circuit Court for Baltimore City: Obtained dismissal of owner’s lawsuit that attempted to collaterally attack a condominium association’s foreclosure of its lien against the owner’s unit.
Circuit Court for Baltimore City: Successfully defended a condominium association against an engineer’s lawsuit which sought indemnification from a unit owner’s claims. The matter was ultimately settled.
Circuit Court for Baltimore City: Obtained trial judgment against unit owner in a high-rise building who refused to participate in an improvement project mandated by condominium association’s board of directors at the advice of its engineers. The court required the owner to pay the association’s legal fees.
Circuit Court for Baltimore County: Obtained dismissal of a unit owner’s lawsuit against a condominium association which sought a declaration that his violative use of the limited common elements was grandfathered under successive changes to the community’s policies.
District Court of Maryland for Harford County: Successfully defended property manager against defamation claims made by condominium association resident which led to dismissal of lawsuit.
Circuit Court for Howard County: Obtained trial judgment establishing a lien against the unit of an owner who was delinquent on assessment payments for nearly a decade. The court required the owner to pay the condominium association’s legal fees.
Circuit Court for Talbot County: Obtained dismissal of former board of directors member’s lawsuit against homeowner’s association that sought to reverse new board of directors’ decisions.
Circuit Court for Queen Anne’s County: Obtained summary judgment against owner that filed a lawsuit against a condominium association to force the board of directors to approve a structural addition to his townhome. The court required the owner to pay the association’s legal fees.
Circuit Court for Queen Anne’s County: Obtained summary judgment against owner that filed a lawsuit challenging a board of directors’ determination that the owner had impermissibly built on the common elements. The court dismissed the remainder of the owner’s claims and the owner agreed to pay the association’s legal fees.
Worcester County / U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania: Obtained bankruptcy court’s approval, despite a unit owner’s objection, to record liens against vacation home for unpaid condominium assessments. Ultimately an agreement was reached for the owner to repay all collectible amounts owed to the condominium association.
Maryland Commission on Civil Rights: Successfully defended condominium association against claims of discrimination made by unit owner.
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland: Successfully prosecuted negligence claim against a telecommunications company that caused extensive damage to multiple units and displaced residents. The matter was ultimately settled.
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland: Successfully represented a condominium association that was defrauded by its property management company in a matter that led to federal criminal prosecution against the former manager. The association recovered the substantial majority of its stolen funds.
The Homeowners Association (HOA) and Condominium Association Lawyers at Oliveri & Larsen are Trusted Advisors to Communities Throughout Maryland
If you have a dispute you are unable to resolve, our Annapolis HOA, Community and Condominium Association lawyers at Oliveri & Larsen can help you resolve the matter. Call 410-295-3000 or contact us online today to schedule your initial appointment. Strategically located in Annapolis, Maryland, we serve clients throughout Maryland, including Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Calvert County, Harford County, Howard County, Ocean City, Queen Anne’s County, St. Mary’s County, Worcester County, and the upper and lower Eastern Shores of Maryland.
Are you a small business owner or part of a Community Association Board of Directors and interested in a free legal tutorial?