Condominiums - Buildings More Than 40 Years Old - Study
HB0956 requires the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to conduct a one-time study of buildings in the state that are more than 40 years old and contain condominiums. The study must identify how many such buildings exist, how many condominium units are in each building, the average age and annual income of unit owners, when the most recent reserve study was completed, and any gap between the current reserve fund balance and the amount required to be reserved.
The department must report its findings to the General Assembly by December 1, 2026. The act takes effect June 1, 2026 and is temporary, expiring automatically on June 30, 2027. As written, the bill does not change ongoing condominium regulation directly; instead, it creates a limited research mandate to inform future legislative or policy decisions about aging condominium buildings and their financial condition.
The bill adds a temporary statutory requirement for the Department of Housing and Community Development to gather data on older condominium buildings and report to the legislature. It does not amend the Real Property Article’s substantive condominium governance provisions, but it does direct state resources toward a targeted study of reserve funding, building age, and owner demographics in aging condominium communities. The affected parties are the department, the General Assembly, and condominium associations/unit owners in buildings over 40 years old.
The available record shows no committee transcript, recorded debate, or vote history indicating opposition or support, and the bill was ultimately approved by the Governor as Chapter 779. Based on the bill’s narrow, information-gathering purpose, the overall sentiment appears neutral to favorable, with the legislature choosing to study a housing issue rather than immediately impose new regulatory requirements.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of concern, if raised, would likely involve the burden of collecting owner age and income data, privacy considerations, the usefulness of a temporary study versus immediate action, and whether reserve-fund shortfalls in aging condominiums should be addressed through regulation, financing, or disclosure requirements. However, the record provided does not show any formal disagreement on those issues.