New Maryland Law Affects Developer Voting Rights in an HOA

Governor Hogan has signed into law legislation adopted by the General Assembly during 2019 session that deals with the voting rights of developers in homeowner associations where not all lots have been sold.  Senate Bill 305, which was passed unanimously by both Houses and signed by the Governor on April 30, 2019, amends Section 11B-111.7 of the Maryland Homeowners Association Act, and addresses the votes to which a developer is entitled with respect to whether lots have been subdivided and recorded.  Of course, any lot that has been sold must have first been subdivided and recorded.  The issue has been the developer’s votes on unsold lots that have not been subdivided and recorded.  Under current law, which will be changed when the new law takes effect on October 1, 2019, until all of the lots have been subdivided and recorded, a developer is entitled to the number of votes equal to the number of unsold lots that have been subdivided and recorded but remain unsold.  There is no vote for lots that have not yet been subdivided and recorded.  The new law provides that, once all of the lots have been subdivided and recorded, the developer is entitled to one vote per lot that remains unsold.  But, until all of the lots have been subdivided and recorded, the developer’s votes are to be as provided in the governing documents; i.e., the governing documents  control until every lot has been subdivided and recorded.  So developers will have control of determining the number of votes to which they are entitled by addressing the issue when the governing documents are prepared.  Arguably, however, if the governing documents are silent on the issue, the developer gets no votes on unsold lots until each and every lot is subdivided and recorded.