ONLINE COMPLAINT FORM

Thank you for contacting the Commission on Common Ownership Communities.To file a complaint, please print the complaint form and return it to the address below.You may wish to keep a copy for your personal records.

It is very important that you also print and read Chapter 10B of the County Code and Regulation 10B.06 of the Code of Montgomery County Regulations (COMCOR).These are available online through the "Services" section of the website of the Office of the County Attorney which you can reach through http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/.These legal procedures govern your rights and duties if the dispute is set for a public hearing.(You can also call us and ask us to mail you a copy of them.)

Complaints filed by members of homeowner or condominium associations must be filed against the board of directors of the association, and cannot be filed against other members or against the property manager.Unfortunately, we cannot accept complaints against associations or owners if the property involved is in the city limits of the Cities of Rockville or Gaithersburg, as these two cities have not adopted the County's law on common ownership communities.

Once the complaint is filed and answered, mediation may be requested by either party at any time and is strongly encouraged by the Commission.If mediation is not requested, or if a complaint is not resolved through mediation, it will be presented to the Commission to consider jurisdiction of the complaint.If jurisdiction is accepted, a hearing will be scheduled.Parties in the case may be represented by an attorney or may represent themselves.

A copy of the complete set of the community's governing documents must accompany this complaint.Please do not send original documents.Please use as few stapled, tabs, and dividers as you can.More tips are available in the Winter, 2006 edition of the CCOC Communicator, which is also online.

Pursuant to Executive Regulation 22-96, effective November 18, 1996, there is a dispute filing fee of $50.00 for each dispute filed with this office.The fee is payable by the party filing the dispute, and must accompany the complaint form.Any checks should be made payable to "Montgomery County, Maryland."

Effective October 1, 2006, homeowner associations may be represented before the Commission by an authorized member of their Boards of Directors and do not have to be represented by an attorney.