Homeowners' rights a battleground. (includes related article) (Real Estate Monthly)

As associations spread, groups vie over how best to represent them

Evan McKenzie says two types of people join homeowner association boards of directors.

The first, said McKenzie, a political scientist and author of the fo2rthcoming book on homeowner associations, "are people who are genuinely community-oriented."

The second? "Power-hungry condo Nazis."

And it's the latter -- those board members who break out their tape measures whenever a unit owner installs a fence -- that has the Maryland Homeowners' Association asking, "What about the homeowner's rights?"

Not that all boards are bad, said MHA President Stephen Cottrelle. It's just that MHA, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting homeowners, questions the motives of some boards and, more specifically, the Community Associations Institute, a similar organization with a national backing devoted to counseling homeowner boards.

Consider a bill introduced by CAI this past legislative session.

The bill would have allowed associations to meet and conduct business with a 10 percent quorum. The Maryland Homeowners Act, enacted in 1986, requires 25 percent of all members to be present during association business.

Led by attorney Lawrence Holzman, MHA successfully …