3 Reasons to Care About Bylaws

Mention bylaws to anyone who’s not a corporate lawyer and he or she probably will tune out, keep scrolling or head for the exit. But, living in a condominium community as we do – particularly a high-rise community like St. Paul at Chase – means that bylaws are actually quite important to one’s homeownership piece of mind. Bylaws serve as an essential tool for helping maintain order, ensure security and allow for the full enjoyment of our respective homes that we all deserve. Here are three key reasons why you should understand and care about our bylaws.

1. Bylaws establish the rules of order. Condominium life offers many conveniences and “turnkey” features over owning a single-family house. But, living in a condominium also assumes a certain level of mutual respect and cooperative existence with your neighbors. Because we share common areas, facilities and services, it’s important for each of us to respect the needs of our fellow owners so that all of us can enjoy our homes without undue interference or stress. That a foundational purpose of any condominium’s bylaws. Under the Maryland Condominium Act, the Bylaws of the Council of Unit Owners of St. Paul at Chase (Council) serve as the principal governance document for this community. In other words, our bylaws have the force and effect of law. The bylaws give broad powers to the Council through its elected Board of Directors to take any actions that are not inconsistent with Maryland law. When you became a condominium unit owner at St. Paul at Chase, you agree to comply with the bylaws.

2. Bylaws protect all of us, not just some of us. As unit owners at St. Paul at Chase, we’re entitled to make our own personal decisions regarding how we use and enjoy our homes. But we’re also not living on a Texas ranch and we have to respect each other’s rights to do the same, particularly as we occupy and make use of common spaces. Bylaws ensure this careful balance by restricting or prohibiting certain activities (e.g., number of pets, tenant restrictions, etc.) that might cause harm or damage to fellow owners or their units. Bylaws should strike the right balance between ensuring relative individual freedom and protecting against potentially unsafe or damaging activities.

3. Bylaws help ensure the value of our investments. Moving or selling may not be on your horizon but St. Paul at Chase is in very strategic location at a very important time in the future of Baltimore generally - and our neighborhood in particular. Our values should be increasing, not generating “I’ll buy your condo for cash” flyers. And, we all have a stake in ensuring our home values increase over time, whether or not you have plans to sell or move. Bylaws can be an important tool in this effort. By having well-considered, comprehensive yet flexible rules of governance, potential purchasers can know up front what will be their obligations and responsibilities as members of this community and, at the same time, they also can have confidence they will be joining a community of responsible fellow unit owners. Because bylaws can be amended at any time, they also provide the necessary flexibility to adapt and change over time as circumstances require.

Like any democratic institution, none of us gets the winning vote on every decision. But our bylaws help ensure that decisions which affect all of us are made in a transparent and accountable manner - with input by all of us and protections for all of us.

Michael W. Briggs, Esq.