Facility Charges

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What are the charges for?

Previously, the county governments installed the public water and sewer lines in subdivisions and recovered the cost of this construction over a period of time through either charges known as a "front foot benefit charge" or an additional charge billed on the real estate property tax bill. As some counties not longer install these water and sewer lines, the responsibility for the installation of this equipment was left with the developers of the respective subdivisions. In a similar fashion to how the county had formerly recovered the cost of this construction, the developers arrange for the necessary installations and the cost of these installations create a debt that is tied to the land. This debt is recovered through the annual charges shown on your statement.

Is this charge legal?

The facility assessment charges are both legal and enforceable, just as homeowners association or condominium association fee's are. Recordation of the right to collect the facility assessment charges is in the county land records.

Who is responsible for the charges?

The owner of the home is the party responsible for paying the charges as the debt is associated with the land. In some cases, your bank or mortgage company may have established an escrow account to pay these charges similar to the way it would pay for homeowners insurance or real property taxes. Should this be the case, the bills are still sent to the homeowner and it is the homeowners responsibility to forward the bill to their lender for payment out of the appropriate escrow account. Please note that in all cases the homeowner is ultimately the party responsible for the payment of these charges.

Does my water bill cover these charges?

No - the water bill you receive periodically from the county is simply for the water and / or sewer usage of your home, and is imposed by the utilities provider based on the amount of water it supplies you and /or the volume of sewerage it processes.

How do I pay my facility charges?

Acceptable forms of payment include check, cash, or money order. Payments can be mailed or sent to Rudder Management, Inc., or made in person at RMI's office. There is a secure payment drop box next to our office entrance for customers attempting to submit payments during non-business hours. Additionally, please keep the following in mind:

Payments must be made payable to the appropriate entity as shown on your statement.
Please do NOT issue payments made payable to Rudder Management, Inc.

We hope you find the above information helpful. Please feel free to contact Rudder Management, Inc. at the number below with any further questions or concerns.

Rudder Management, Inc.
1021 Dorsey Road, Suite 101 | Glen Burnie, MD 21061
(P): 410.766.2556 | (F): 410.766.2561 | info@ruddermanagement.com