FAQ

The Maryland Homeowners Association Act defines a homeowners association (HOA) as a person or entity with the authority to enforce the provisions of a declaration. HOAs are corporations that are created to manage planned communities, and their main purpose is to protect home values and maintain common areas. They are governed by their own documents, which include rules and regulations that vary from association to association. Some key things to know about HOAs in Maryland include:

• Membership - Homeowners are automatically part of the HOA when they purchase a property in an HOA-controlled community.
• Assessments - HOAs collect regular assessments from homeowners to cover the cost of maintaining the neighborhood.
• Legal standards - HOAs and their boards of directors are subject to many of the same legal standards as corporate boards.
• Enforcement - HOAs can ask the circuit court to order homeowners to stop or fix violations, and the court can order homeowners to take action.
• Establishment - To establish an HOA in Maryland, Articles of Incorporation must be created and filed with the State Department.

The Maryland Homeowners Association Act can be found on the MD General Assembly Website. Go to Laws -> Statutes, select ‘Real Property’ under the ‘Articles’ dropdown and navigate to Section 11B. The Maryland Homeowners Association Act is section 11B-101 through 11B-118.

In Maryland, a board of directors is a governing body for a homeowners association that is responsible for making decisions and determining policies for the association. The board of directors is responsible for the following:

• Ensuring that the association is run properly, including maintaining common areas, collecting fees, and ensuring that fees are fair.
• Ensuring that the community's governing documents are followed and enforced.
• Holding regular meetings to address association business, providing adequate notice to members.
• Managing the budget, including maintaining a reserve fund.
• Providing adequate insurance coverage.
• Managing elections.

The Wilson’s Grove Board of Directors is made up of elected volunteers from the community. Positions include president, vice president, and treasurer.

Some of the governing documents for a homeowners association (HOA) include (in hierarchical order):

• Plat - A recorded map that shows the location of the community and its structures, including units, lots, common areas, and limited common areas. The plat outlines the jurisdiction of the association. (Also known as a subdivision map).
• Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&R) - Provides the HOA with the power to enforce certain rules of the association. This is required to be signed by new home owners, and constitutes the contract between the homeowner and the association. The CC&Rs includes the association's covenant for assessments, which gives the association the right to charge dues to members.
• Articles of Incorporation - Establishes the HOA as a legal entity (non-profit organization) and defines its name, purpose, and corporate structure.
• Bylaws - Outlines the duties and responsibilities of the board, including meeting requirements, how many seats are on the board, election procedures, and members' voting rights.
• Rules & Regulations - Goes into more specifics compared to the CC&R. CC&R gives the HOA the right to enforce the rules and regulations and documents some of those rules and regulations. The R&R provides greater detail into what is being enforced. The HOA has the authority to create new rules and regulations (subject to federal and state laws). If the R&R conflicts with the CC&R, the CC&R takes precedence.

The Wilson's Grove homeowners association governing documents can be found in two locations:

• On the D.H. Bader Portal, navigate to Documents -> Governing Documents to find the CC&Rs, Articles of Incorporation, and Bylaws.
• The Documents Library on this site.

An homeowners association (HOA) management company is a professional service that manages the day-to-day operations of an HOA. They are hired by the HOA board to take on tasks that the board members can't or don't have time to do. Some tasks that a management company can assist with include:

• Ensuring the association is well-maintained and that common areas are in good condition.
• Contracting with vendors for lawn care, pool maintenance, electrical maintenance, etc.
• Managing and balancing bank accounts and ledgers, providing financial reports, and maintaining reserve accounts.
• Coordinating resident requests and sharing important information about the community.
• Processing fines and late fees, and sending notices to homeowners about them.

The management company for the Wilson's Grove homeowners association is D.H. Bader. Their company website is https://www.dhbader.com/.

The preferred avenue of communication with the Wilson's Grove (WG) homeowners association (HOA) board of directors (BoD) begins with contacting the HOA management company (D.H. Bader). This can be done via 2 avenues:

• Via the D.H. Bader Portal (preferred) - When you get to the portal, Navigate to Requests, select ‘General Request’, fill out the provided form and submit. The WG HOA BoD and DH Bader have access to view these requests.
• Direct to the D.H. Bader lead - If you have not received a response via the portal, you can contact Amanda Rhodes via email - arhodes@dhbader.com

If you have tried these avenues and have not received a response, you can contact the WG HOA BoD at wilsonsgroveboard@gmail.com. While this email address is monitored, the board will not respond to emails. Instead, the board will follow up with the management company and ensure your concern is addressed.

The Board of Directors (BoD) will hold elections for new board members once per year in the spring for any vacant spots. To become a member, a resident may fill out an application and send it back to DH Bader when the call is put out in the spring. To be eligible, the resident must be in good standing (e.g. all dues, fines, and fees paid to date). The application will be mailed out in the spring when the call for new board members is sent to all homeowners.

Yes, all board meeting are open to all residents. The Board of Directors holds formal quarterly meetings and monthly working meetings. All meeting dates and times can be found on the Calendar and Events tab of the D.H. Bader Portal. They will also be posted to the Events Calendar on this site.

If you are selling your home, please visit HomeWise Docs to order a resale package. An homeowners association (HOA) resale package is a collection of documents that provides information about Wilson's Grove and the HOA. This includes the governing documents, property information, financial information, etc.

First and foremost, if police are required, please immediately reach out to the appropriate authorities. If that is not the case and if homeowners cannot resolve a situation between themselves, please reach out to the homeowners association (HOA) management company:

• Via the D.H. Bader Portal (preferred) - When you get to the portal, Navigate to Requests, select ‘General Request’, fill out the provided form and submit. The Wilson's Grove HOA Board of Directors and DH Bader have access to view these requests.
• Direct to the management lead - If you have not received a response via the portal, you can contact Amanda Rhodes via email - arhodes@dhbader.com

Another option is to reach out to the Anne Arundel County Conflict Resolution Team.

Wilson’s Grove trash collection occurs every Thursday morning. Please visit the AACO Curbside Collection Schedule for more details on country trash collection. Homeowners should place containers at their curbside after 7:00 pm the evening prior to trash collection. Containers must be returned to the garage by the end of the collection day. All trash must be stored in closed receptacles, and all trash containers must be stored out of view at all times.

Also, be sure to check the Holiday Collection Schedule for any changes due to the holidays.

Visit the AACO Snow Service page for more info on snow removal during snow events. It includes information on who plows streets, a map with snow removal updates for all roads in the county, and a site that provides house-specific level of snow removal service.

Amenities are available to all homeowners who are in good standing with the homeowners association, including the pool, gym, tennis courts, playground, clubhouse (for a fee) and walking trails.

The tennis court, playground and walking paths are open and available to everyone. The pool and gym can be accessed via key fob during their operating hours. The clubhouse can be accessed via key fob and key after submitting and receiving approval to reserve the clubhouse.

Homeowners can reserve the clubhouse and tennis court. Homeowners cannot reserve the pool, gym, or the playground.

• The clubhouse reservation fee is $100. To reserve the clubhouse, go to the D.H. Bader Portal and navigate to Documents -> Forms -> Clubhouse Rental Form. Fill out the form and submit it to D.H. Bader (Requests -> Submit a Request -> General Request) along with the reservation fee. The reservation will not be final until payment is received. The clubhouse rental provides access to the main floor only, not the lower floor, pool or gym. Also, reserving the clubhouse does not reserve the playground.
• The tennis court can be reserved on the D.H. Bader Portal via a new request submission on the ‘Calendars and Events’ -> Amenities Calendar page. There is no fee to reserve the tennis court.

Some amenities (gym and pool) require a key fob to access. Each home is entitled to 2 free key fobs at settlement. To request a new key fob, please send a request via the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Requests -> Submit a Request -> General Request. Each new key fob is $20. Once payment is received, the Board will provide the resident with the requested number of key fobs.

There are currently 3 active committees in the community — the Pool Committee, Covenants Committee (aka the Architecture Review Committee), and the Events Committee.

The governing documents for the active committees can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal. When on the portal, navigate to Documents -> Governing Documents -> Committee Documents. They can also be found in the Documents Library on this site.

All meeting dates and times can be found on the Calendar and Events tab of the D.H. Bader Portal. They will also be posted to the Events Calendar on this site.

To volunteer for one of the committees, please send a request via the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Requests -> Submit a Request -> General Request.

The preferred method of contacting these committees is via the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Requests -> Submit a Request -> General Request. A secondary option is to email the DH Bader Management lead directly (Amanda - arhodes@dhbader.com). If the committee has an email address, it will be posted to the committee page on this site as well.

For calendar year 2025, the monthly homeowners association assessment is $172.

Viewing payment status and setting up auto-pay can be done on the D.H. Bader Portal. After logging in, navigate to the Payments section where you can see all recent activity. To establish auto-pay or to make a one-time payment, click on ‘Payment Center’.

Please refer to the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&R), Section 5.9 for full details. In general, a late fee of $15 applies after a homeowner is 15 days delinquent, and interest begins accruing after 30 days. Homeowners are notified via email if a payment is missed. If attorney involvement is required, the homeowner shall be obligated to pay all attorney fees, court costs, and administrative costs. Homeowners cannot waive or escape liability via non-use of common areas and amenities.

Monthly assessments cover all community expenses, to include amenities upkeep (pool, gym, playground, basketball court, and tennis court), landscaping, management company fees, legal fees, community activities, utilities, and snow removal. Please refer to the current year budget for a comprehensive list of expenses. The budget can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Documents -> Financials.

Homeowners association (HOA) special assessments are extra “unusual” fees that the HOA board may charge the community under certain emergency conditions, such as unexpected large-scale damages. Please refer to the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&R), Section 5.4 for more details on the specifics of special assessments. There are no special assessments as of the writing of this FAQ.

Payment of monthly HOA assessments makes a homeowner eligible to access the pool facilities. To gain access, please visit Cell Badge and register your family. The pool committee and lifeguard company use cell badge to verify membership upon arrival, track total guests, post pool operating status, etc.

The pool hours for 2024 are:

• Mon / Tues: 12:00pm - 7:45pm
• Wed / Thurs: 10:00am - 7:45pm
• Fri: 12:00pm - 7:45pm
• Sat: 11:00am - 8:45pm
• Sun: 11:00am - 7:45pm

Exceptions include:

• All Holidays: 11:00am - 7:45pm
• Weekdays from 5/25 - 6/11: pool opens at 5pm
• Weekdays from 8/26 - 9/2: pool opens at 5pm

More pool information can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Documents -> Pool Information, on the Pool Committee page on this site.

Please visit Cell Badge for up-to-date status on pool operations.

No, the pool cannot be reserved for a private event.

The full set of pool rules can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Documents -> Pool Information.

The limit on guests is four (4) guests per household per visit. There is no overall yearly limit on the number of guests, and there is no charge for guest passes. Guests must be accompanied by an adult homeowner at all times.

In general, a Covenants Committee for an Association is created in order to ensure the community is maintained in a manner that provides for visual harmony and soundness of repairs, avoids activities deleterious to the aesthetic or property values of the community, and promoting the general welfare and safety of the Owners. In laymen terms, this committee reviews and approves all architectural modifications to homes.

The full set of Wilson's Grove Design Guidelines can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Documents -> ACC Information -> Guidelines. Whether or not a modification requires HOA approval can be found in this document.

Please refer to the Wilson's Grove Design Guidelines for the full process, which can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Documents -> ACC Information -> Guidelines. A general process is below:

The Covenants Committee (aka the ARC) has 60 days from the date of receipt of a completed application to review and provide approval decision. A completed application includes:

• The paper application, which can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Documents -> Forms.
• Fee.
• Supporting Documentation:
• House Location Survey (Plat) with a sketch of the location of the proposed improvement
• Site / Construction Plan
• Photographs of the area where the work will be completed
• Construction Documents
• Materials & Colors
• Landscape Plan
• Construction Estimates (fees can be deleted)
• Lighting

The form to request an architectural modification can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Documents -> Forms. It is also available in the Documents Library.

Application fees are designed to cover costs of processing applications, including outside consultant(s), communications with homeowners, copying, travel, and any added costs reasonably related to the application. This fee schedule is not all inclusive because it is not possible to predict all the types of applications and their complexity levels with complete specificity. The current schedule includes:

No Fee: This applies to any project where the Applicant can demonstrate a total cost of less than Two Hundred Dollars.

Tier 1: Fee $35

• Air Conditioners & Mechanical Equipment
• Arbors & Awnings
• Attic Fan & Ventilators
• Pre-fabricated Gazebos, Pavilions & Tents
• Basketball Backboards
• Flagpoles & Masts
• Plant Bed Edging, Rain Barrels & Compost Bins
• Dog or Play Houses/Structures
• Exterior Decorative Objects, Lighting, Painting or Surfacing Changes
• Fire Pits & Firewood Storage
• Lawn Irrigation & Minor Landscape Plan
• Skylights, Storm/Screen Doors/Windows
• Sun Control Devices
• Single Tree Removal

Tier 2: Fee $75

• Patios, Terraces, Decks, Fences & Driveway Changes
• Custom Gazebos & Pavilions
• Greenhouses & Sheds
• Hot tubs and Spas
• Walkways & Landscape Plans with greater than 10 plants
• Retaining Walls less than 2 feet in height
• Outdoor Fireplaces, Kitchens, Barbeques & audio visual systems
• Small Garden Ponds
• Trampolines & Tree Houses

Tier 3: Fee $125

• Covered Porches
• Home Additions or Architectural Changes
• Projects that required a grading plan or site plan
• Projects which propose clearing of wooded areas or a grouping of trees
• Retaining Walls greater than 2 feet in height
• Sport Courts
• Swimming Pools

The Covenants Committee is required to provide notification to homeowners of the approval or disapproval of any proposed improvement within sixty (60) days after receipt of the completed application. Please note that the 60 day time frame begins once the application is deemed complete by the D.H. Bader Management company, to include receipt of funding. If the Covenants Committee does not respond within sixty (60) days of the receipt of a completed application, the Application will be deemed to have been disapproved.

The current budget can be found on the D.H. Bader Portal by navigating to Documents -> Financials.

The yearly budget is voted upon and approved at the last quarterly meeting of the year, which is typically held in November.