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HB1211 • 2026

Condominiums - Unit Owner Responsibility for Damage or Destruction

Condominiums - Unit Owner Responsibility for Damage or Destruction

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Delegate Tomlinson
Last action
2026-03-03
Official status
In the House - Hearing 3/05 at 1:30 p.m.
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Condominiums - Unit Owner Responsibility for Damage or Destruction

Providing that a certain unit owner is responsible for the full cost of repair, replacement, and, under certain circumstances, restoration of certain portions of a condominium if the cause of the damage to or destruction of the portion originates from the owner's unit.

What This Bill Does

  • Providing that a certain unit owner is responsible for the full cost of repair, replacement, and, under certain circumstances, restoration of certain portions of a condominium if the cause of the damage to or destruction of the portion originates from the owner's unit.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-03 House

    Hearing canceled

  2. 2026-03-03 House

    Hearing 3/05 at 1:30 p.m.

  3. 2026-02-17 House

    Hearing 3/05 at 1:00 p.m.

  4. 2026-02-11 House

    First Reading Economic Matters

  5. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Condominiums - Unit Owner Responsibility for Damage or Destruction

Official Summary Text

Providing that a certain unit owner is responsible for the full cost of repair, replacement, and, under certain circumstances, restoration of certain portions of a condominium if the cause of the damage to or destruction of the portion originates from the owner's unit.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1211*

HOUSE BILL 1211
N1 6lr3073
CF SB 633
By: Delegate Tomlinson
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Economic Matters

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Condominiums – Unit Owner Responsibility for Damage or Destruction 2

FOR the purpose of providing that a certain unit owner is responsible for the full cost of 3
repair, replacement, or restoration for certain portions of a cond ominium under 4
certain circumstances; and generally relating to condominium unit owners’ 5
responsibility for damage or destruction. 6

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – Real Property 8
Section 11–114(g) 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 12
Article – Real Property 13
Section 11–114(i) 14
Annotated Code of Maryland 15
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 16

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEM BLY OF MARYLAND, 17
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 18

Article – Real Property 19

11–114. 20

(g) (1) Subject to the applicable coverage specified under subsection (a)(1) of 21
this section, any portion of the common elements and the units, exclusive of improvements 22
and betterments installed in the units by unit owners other than the developer, damaged 23
or destroyed shall be repaired or replaced promptly by the council of unit owners unless: 24

2 HOUSE BILL 1211

(i) The condominium is terminated; 1

(ii) Repair or replacement would be illegal under any State or local 2
health or safety statute or ordinance; or 3

(iii) 80 percent of the unit owners, including every owner of a unit or 4
assigned limited common element which will not be rebuilt, vote not to rebuild. 5

(2) (i) 1. [The] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBPARAGRAPH (III) 6
OF THIS PARAGRAPH, THE cost of repair or replacement in excess of insurance proceeds 7
and reserves is a common expense. 8

2. A property insurance deductible is not a cost of repair or 9
replacement in excess of insurance proceeds. 10

(ii) If the cause of any damage to or destruction of any portion of the 11
condominium originates from the common elements or an event outside of the condominium 12
units and common elements, the council of unit owners’ property insurance deductible is a 13
common expense. 14

(iii) [1.] If the cause of any damage to or destruction of any portion 15
of the condominium originates from a unit, the owner of the unit where the cause of the 16
damage or destruction originated is responsible for the [council of unit owners’ property 17
insurance deductible not to exceed $10,000 ] FULL COST OF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT 18
OF THE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED PORTION OF THE CONDOMINIUM. 19

[2.] (IV) The council of unit owners shall inform each unit 20
owner annually in writing of: 21

1. THE UNIT OWNER ’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FULL 22
COST OF REPAIR OR RE PLACEMENT FOR DAMAGE OR DESTRUCTION THAT 23
ORIGINATED FROM THE OWNER’S UNIT; AND 24

2. A. The unit owner’s responsibility for A PORTION OF 25
the council of unit owners’ prop erty insurance deductible IF DAMAGE OR DESTRUCTION 26
OF ANY PORTION OF TH E CONDOMINIUM ORIGIN ATES FROM THE COMMON 27
ELEMENTS OR AN EVENT OUTSIDE THE CONDOMINIUM; and 28

B. The amount of the deductible. 29

[3. The council of unit owners’ property insurance deductible 30
amount exceeding the $10,000 responsibility of the unit owner is a common expense.] 31

[(iv)] (V) In the same manner as provided under § 11 –110 of this 32
title, the council of unit owners may make an annual assessment against the unit owner 33
responsible under subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph. 34
HOUSE BILL 1211 3

(3) (I) If the DAMAGE OR DESTRUCTIO N TO A PORTION OF TH E 1
CONDOMINIUM ORIGINATED FROM THE COMMON ELEMENTS OR AN EVENT OUTSIDE 2
THE CONDOMINIUM AND THE damaged or destroyed portion of the condominium is no t 3
repaired or replaced: 4

[(i)] 1. The insurance proceeds attributable to the damaged 5
common elements shall be used to restore the damaged area to a condition compatible with 6
the remainder of the condominium; 7

[(ii)] 2. The insurance proceeds attribut able to units and limited 8
common elements which are not rebuilt shall be distributed to the owners of those units 9
and the owners of the units to which those limited common elements were assigned; and 10

[(iii)] 3. The remainder of the proceeds shall be di stributed to all 11
the unit owners in proportion to their percentage interest in the common elements. 12

(II) IF THE DAMAGE OR DEST RUCTION OF A PORTION OF THE 13
CONDOMINIUM ORIGINATED IN A UNIT AND THE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED PORTION 14
OF THE CONDOMINIUM IS NOT REPAIRED OR REPLACED: 15

1. THE DAMAGED OR DESTRO YED AREA SHALL BE 16
RESTORED TO A CONDIT ION COMPATIBLE WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE 17
CONDOMINIUM; AND 18

2. THE OWNER OF THE UNIT WHERE THE DAMAGE OR 19
DESTRUCTION ORIGINAT ED IS RESPONSIBLE FO R THE COST TO RESTO RE THE 20
DAMAGED AREA. 21

(4) (i) If the unit owners vote not to rebuild any unit, that unit’s entire 22
common element interest, votes in the council of unit owners, and common expense liability 23
are automatically reallocated upon the vote as if the unit had be en condemned under § 24
11–112 of this title, and the council of unit owners promptly shall prepare, execute, and 25
record an amendment to the declaration reflecting the reallocations. 26

(ii) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, § 11 –123 of 27
this title governs the distribution of insurance proceeds if the condominium is terminated. 28

(i) The provisions of this section do not apply to a condominium all of whose units 29
are intended for nonresidential use. 30

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 31
October 1, 2026. 32