Steven Sellers Lapham is a retired editor (science & social studies education), amateur musician, PTA volunteer, MoCo Weed Warrior, and 21-year resident of Quail Valley, which is just outside the boundary of the City of Gaithersburg. These blogs are my own reporting & opinions. FYI, I'm a member of the Silver Spring Justice Coalition, Voices from the Holy Land Online Film Salon, and UUs for Justice in the Middle East, as well as the Quail Valley Friendly Team.
After 50 years of open discussions, an HOA board of directors now wants to hold closed hearings to discuss ... your crooked shutter?!?
HOA boards may discuss a property violation in an open meeting, but not as a secret tribunal, per MD state law ... and the US Constitution.
Has Montgomery County, MD's agency for resolving Homeowner disputes with HOA and Condo boards gone off the rails?
Does the HOA look carefully and then correct errors (whether the HOA's or the homeowner's) – or does it pile on more and more confusion?
An HOA offers delays and errors – for years – instead of clear instructions for homeowners striving to REPAIR their fences.
Our school board members and county councilors have the good sense to provide mental health services & gun control–not armed police. Right?
Any replies that we receive from "oversight" offices – tasked with protecting the public – we will share here on PATCH.com
If you live in a common ownership community (COC), your association often has no clue ... and won't even bother advising you Where to Ask.
Mud tracks and high-impact collisions with pedestrians are two reasons why motorized vehicles are forbidden in Quail Valley HOA.
A mat of hemp or jute– instead of plastic– is the best "erosion control blanket" to use when planting grass. Let's plan to convert.
Year after year, we observe this problem on our roads. Maybe old-fashioned road paint was the better method and material.
Absurd property violations were dropped, and records of monthly dues payments were clarified. Can a predatory system be curbed? Be reformed?
Another family gets some relief in court. Enough. Let's study, confront, & reform the abusive HOA system we have here in Maryland
Property inspections in the Spring of 2024: A predatory HOA industry targets families for living normal lives. Is this what we want?
This HOA cites "property violations" that are fraudulent, year after year. This is not an error. It's a profitable business model.
The inaccessibility of HOA board members is "Exhibit A" for lack of transparency and accountability in HOAs all over the United States.
Maryland upholds laws and practices that feed an HOA industry that profits by manufacturing homeowner debt. We demand Economic Justice.
A manager stifles discussion at the Quail Valley HOA meeting, blocking HOA legitimate business, and canceling First Amendment free speech.
A snag is the trunk that remains after you cut off ALL the dead (and deadly) limbs. Woodpeckers love it. Humans are safer. [TREE IS FELLED!]
Homeowners have been searching for a government agency–anywhere–that could curb HOA abuses. "We can't help you," was the refrain. Until now.
