By Nicholas D. Cowie, Esq.

The warranty reform legislation that unanimously passed the Maryland General Assembly and was signed into law by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley will become effective on October 1, 2010.. The legislation, known as Senate Bill (SB) 597, is intended to close "loopholes" that unfairly deny homeowner and condominium associations the protections afforded by statutory implied warranties for construction defects in new residential communities.

Succinctly put, SB 597 achieves the following:

By Lucia Anna "Pia" Trigiani, Attorney at Law

The 2010 Session of the Virginia General Assembly convened on January 13, 2010 and adjourned on March 14, 2010. This was a "long session" of the General Assembly, lasting 61 days - one day more than the routine 60-day long session. The session was extended one additional day to allow for adoption of the budget. The reconvened session (more commonly referred to as the veto session) was held on April 21, 2010.

By Rafael Martinez

As the U.S. economy slowly puts itself on the road to recovery, consumers and businesses alike are still wondering if all is settled in the financial sector. After all, the recent woes of a seemingly immovable force like Goldman Sachs have once again given the American people a reason to pause and think about the safety of their investments and the integrity of the financial institutions that manage their assets. Though the broad landscape in the financial sector is certainly better than a year ago, several institutions are still bogged down by poor performing portfolios and are teetering on the brink and may or may not be around 6-12 months from now. Associations use financial institutions to deposit their operating and reserves funds and must pay special attention to the performance of their chosen institution and make note of their participation in government backed insurance programs. 

By Michelle Thompson

The Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Branch of the Department of Cable Communications and Consumer Protection assists consumers by providing advice and guidance on consumer issues, mediating complaints, developing and distributing educational publications and resources, and providing educational training and outreach.

By Kimberly Knight Wayland, Attorney at Law

As of April 22, 2010, contractors, renovators, community managers, painters, plumbers, carpenters, or anyone else who performs renovations for compensation in residential housing constructed before 1978, must comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting requirements. Generally speaking, any activity that serves to disturb paint in residential housing and child-care facilities built before 1978, such as repair, maintenance, remodeling, plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, and window replacement is subject to the regulatory provisions. Approximately three-fourths of the homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint. Most commonly, lead-based paint is found on interior woodwork, exterior painted surfaces, doors, and windows. In 1978, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of lead-based paint in housing.

By Shayna Rudick, CMCA, AMS

It's the middle of the day and your inbox is flooded. Out of the corner of your eye you see an email pop up. The subject header reads, "Legislative Alert - voice your support for House Bill 141." What do you do? Do you immediately delete the email? Do you read through it to learn how the proposed legislation might impact your community or you as an individual? Do you review the talking points provided? Do you decide that it is too much of a hassle to contact your representative? Or do you decide to respond and take action? Do you wonder how many people respond to these alerts and how effective the response is? If you're a community manager, do you pass it on to your board members and encourage them to respond? Or if you're a board member, do you share the alert with your community?