I've lived in Christopher Court since 1988. As with all communities, there have been ups and downs. The units are getting older, and so they need more repairs than they used to. It's to be expected. I've read the nasty reviews on this site; they've been written by people who do nothing for the community except complain about it. They have not spent a single minute serving on the condo board or doing anything else to to improve the community. I've made some wonderful friends here, thanks in part to my husband's tireless involvement with the condo board (he served as President for over 12 years). You get what you give, folks. Something to keep in mind when you're living in a community. I love it here. Walking distance to grocery stores, Costco, the library, and the mall, to name a few. Also very dog friendly (a BIG plus). read more

Casey D., I am writing a response to your post. You are as disappointed in this HOA and Vanguard Management Associates as most of us homeowners are. I created a website on Facebook, to finally get a community together to find a solution of our problems. read more

In July of this year, my tenant informed me that water was leaking into the condo from the exterior foundation wall causing damage to the drywall and insulation. I immediately notified Sandra Ewing of Vanguard Management Associates of the situation. She informed me that Gardeners (contractors) wrote a proposal to waterproof the foundation, which was approved by the board of Christopher Court Condominiums. I was informed in August that the work was completed. Due to the fact that the damage was caused by a common element, I was unsure of whose responsibility it was to pay for the repairs to the inside of the condo so I asked Sandra Ewing. Sandra Ewing quoted an article in the by-laws, which stated that it was my responsibility, so I paid for the repairs. On November 27, 2013, I received a call from my tenant stating that water was again leaking into the condo from the foundation causing damage to the drywall, insulation, wood flooring, and carpet. I drove to the office location and spoke with Stephon Collins who contacted Gardeners to look at the condo. I explained to Stephon that this problem was apparently fixed in August. Again, I was curious if it was still my responsibility to pay for the damages to the interior of the condo given that I reported this issue in August and was told that it was fixed. Stephon stated that Vanguard's master insurance policy should pay for the damages which are caused by a common element. This was surprising to me because it is the opposite of what Sandra Ewing told me in August. The employees from Gardener's inspected the inside and outside of the condo. It was explained to me that the problem is that the EIFS extends below grade and that there is no way to properly seal the EIFS below grade which is why waterproofing the foundation did not work the first time. It was explained that water is getting behind the EIFS and into the condo. During the inspection a hole in the concrete foundation was discovered. It was also explained to me that there may be a problem with the weeping system. While this was being explained to me, one of the employees commented on the poor workmanship as it related to the supposed repairs that were made in August. Those comments did not provide me with any confidence in Gardeners ability to fix this problem. At this time, I contacted my homeowners insurance and made a claim. On December 3, 2013, I spoke with Sandra Ewing about the above issues. She stated that she would contact the association's engineer so that he could examine the foundation. I explained to her my lack of confidence in Gardeners and their own employee's criticisms of the previous work done and her response was "that's good ammunition." I asked her about who is responsible for the damage and she stated that she could not do anything about the by-laws. She made no mention of exploring the work completed by Gardeners, which at this point is negligent at best. During that week, my insurance agent sent an email to Sandra Ewing with a link to a section of the Maryland Condominium Act, which appears to place the responsibility of the damage on the Association because the damage was caused by a common element. While I am not a lawyer, it seems only logical that Maryland Law would supercede the by-laws of Christopher Court Condominiums. I emailed Sandra Ewing on December 6, 2013 asking for an update on the situation as I am trying to figure out how to repair my condo for the sake of my tenant who is living in a condo, in December, where there are large portions of drywall and insulation missing. Her response was that the Associations lawyer is looking into the issue. I also emailed Sandra Ewing on December 7th to report that water was still leaking into the condo. I am writing this complaint on December 19th and I still have not had a response from Sandra Ewing addressing either of those issues. This is unacceptable to me. She has failed in managing this situation. There is a serious issue with the foundation that continues to leak and Sandra Ewing has not displayed any urgency in addressing this issue. Perhaps it is not important to her because she does not have to live in the conditions that my tenant is currently dealing with. I wonder what she would do if she were in my situation? I have no say in who the Association hires to repair common elements or no way to hold them responsible for the work that was supposed to have been completed. That is the job of Sandra Ewing but I have no faith that she is doing that job. While I do not expect Sandra Ewing to make decisions on legal issues, I do expect her to get answers from the Associations lawyer in a timely fashion, which she has failed to do. I have sent this letter to the President of the Homeowners Association with no response. Obviously he does not care about the residents of his community. read more

I cannot begin to tell potential homebuyers how bad Christopher Court Condominium is. My only reason for staying here is that my mortgage is upside down. Even though writing this truthful review will drive down my home's value even more, I finally can take no more after 11 years, and I have to let people know: Do NOT buy a condominium at Christopher Court. This list of problems represents a tiny sampling of the mess: - I live in a building with a common landing on which a stair has been steadily eroding for more than two years--to the point where the stair broke away, exposing the rusting iron support rod. It took the Board and the management company more than two years (that's right more than 2 X 365 days) to do anything about it (despite repeated emails). It just got fixed! - The paint on the railing surrounding my building's outdoor heat-pump unit enclosure has been badly chipping and peeling for more than two years (despite an email and photo sent over two years ago). The wood is now grey and deteriorated. -The ceiling on the top floor of my unit has leaked BADLY six times in one year (that's right--the leaking started in July 2015). Each time, I have to move furniture around and cover it in plastic to protect it. Finally today (finally!) the contractor came out and did a water test and determined where the leak is, sealed it, and put a tarp over it. Now the negotiations will begin about who pays for what. Keep reading--I'm saving the most horrific for last, but first ... - As I mentioned, I live in a building with a common landing. Well, the rules say, individuals can't put their belongings on the common areas. Completely logical right? Well, my neighbors have or have had on the common landing the following items off an on for years and the Board does nothing: dead, rotting plants; hanging dead plants infested with bugs and covered in cobwebs; dirty, pollution filemed statuettes filled with gray, pollution covered fake flowers; beat up old outdoor furniture with cigarette burns in them; a beat up old dining room chair (that's right a dining room chair on the outdoor landing and neither the Board nor the management company would do a thing about it); shoes; sandals; weed filled pots; large pots covered over with rat bedding (instead of proper mulch) that gets grey and sopping wet in the rain; a broken flower pot filled with cigarette butts; plastic containers filled with algae covered standing water in the summer. The list goes on. I have sent numerous emails with photos: nothing happens. Our Board and our management company (neither Vanguard nor Tidewater) do nothing. It's so bad, a neighbor from another building reported that a prospective buyer on walking by our landing said to her real estate agent: "This place is trashy. I won't buy here," and turned around and left. -And now the best for last: I am the. survivor of an aggressive form of breast cancer. Breast cancer likes to migrate to the lungs among other areas of the body. Well, my downstairs neighbor foreclosed and an investor bought her place and rented it out to three adult smokers. My condo was so badly polluted by second-hand smoke, my voice became hoarse, my cat developed chronic lung inflammation (and had to live on antihistamines and cortisone) and began sneezing blood (he died of cancer--I wonder why?), and the Board and the management company (Vanguard) declined to help me. According to HOA meeting minutes, the Board acknowledged that they could invoke the nuisance clause in our bylaws (but they never did). I forgot to mention I also have cardiac issues. Finally, because the only solution I had was to declare bankruptcy and leave, I hired a lawyer and prepared to sue. My cardiologist and oncologist wrote letters. A licensed engineer came out and measured nicotine levels in my apartment (they were 50 times higher than what the U.S. government would require to be regulated in terms of air pollution). Still the Board and management company did nothing (Vanguard). Vanguard's lawyer said they weren't responsible. My lawyer convinced them otherwise thanks to the HOA meeting minutes which recorded that they had said they could invoke the nuisance clause. Still nothing was done. Finally, the downstairs homeowner kicked the renters out. Folks, buy anywhere, but do not buy a condominium at Christopher Court. I would even suggest avoiding condos all together. Unless you are willing to spend money to sue, you don't really have any rights at all. read more