3522

JOINT RESOLUTIONS

No. 4

(House Joint Resolution No. 2)

A House Joint Resolution concerning

Condominium Documents - Plain Language

FOR the purpose of encouraging the drafting of condominium
documents in a manner that is easily comprehensible by the
general public.

WHEREAS, Condominium ownership offers many advantages to the
average citizen; and

WHEREAS, The purchase of a condominium is usually one of the
most financially significant transactions in the life of an
average citizen; and

WHEREAS, When a person buys a condominium, the person
becomes affected by or bound by a number of documents, including
the contract of sale, the condominium declaration, the
condominium bylaws, and condominium rules and regulations; and

WHEREAS, It is prudent for prospective condominium buyers to
understand the documents that will bind or affect them; and

WHEREAS, Condominium documents drafted in language easily
understood by the general public would facilitate condominium
administration by the condominium's board of directors, whose
members usually are unskilled in the law, and would facilitate
understanding by owners and prospective buyers of condominiums;
and

WHEREAS, Condominium documents often are drafted in a manner
that is not readily understandable by the average owner or
prospective buyer of a condominium; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That those who
draft condominium documents are encouraged to draft them in a
manner that is easily comprehensible by the general public; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That those who draft condominium documents are
encouraged to divide and caption the condominium documents to
facilitate reading and reference, and to write in a clear,
concise, and coherent manner, using sentences and paragraphs of
moderate length, and, where possible, using words of commonly
understood meanings; and be it further

RESOLVED, That those who draft condominium documents are
encouraged to include in the documents definitions of words that
are not commonly understood, if it is necessary to use those
words, and if the definition is not so lengthy or complex that it