Montgomery County
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What Would You Change?

GCAAR is shaping its 2018-2019 Legislative Priorities, and we want to hear from you !

What difficulties do you face?

What changes would you make to the real estate marketplace in MoCo?

Take this 2 minute survey and let us know!

We will use these answers - and any feedback you have - to work toward a more favorable REALTOR ® environment in Montgomery County.


Real Advocacy: Solar Panels Bill UPDATE  

After its first committee hearing, the residential solar bill is being reexamined.

When introduced, the bill would have required a seller to provide information on solar energy usage and when the solar array would become profitable to the buyer, and give the buyer the right to request solar panels to be installed on the home.

GCAAR publicly testified against this bill and met with Councilmember Elrich's Chief of Staff to go over our concerns before the committee meeting. GCAAR's Public Policy Committee will continue to monitor the bill when the Council reconvenes in September.

Reminder: Short-Term Rental Regulations Now in Effect

Last fall, the Montgomery County Council approved legislation and zoning changes to allow and regulate Airbnb-style short-term rentals in the county. The law directed the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to finalize the regulations for licensing the rentals and enforcing the regulations governing them. Over the past eight months, DHHS has crafted those regulations and licensing procedures.

On July 1, 2018, those regulations went into effect.

You can find the County's information on these regulations here . To learn more about the process check out the GCAAR-prepared short-term rental information sheet, or feel free to read this article from Bethesda Beat .
District of Columbia
New TOPA Forms Live on DHCD Site

The District of Columbia's Department of Community Development (DHCD) has released its new forms for the TOPA Single-Family Home Exemption. These forms are exclusively available on the DHCD website, linked here .

GCAAR is in the process of adjusting its internal tenancy-related forms, which will be released upon completion.

You can read more about the status of these forms here .