Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Maryland

I suggest you contact the attorney for hoa and explain the situation to them, offering to pay the fee. Before doing that, you ought to try and get a confirmatory email from the person who told you that you didn't have to pay until the end of the year. Frankly, it seems unusual that if the dues were due now, you were told you could wait that long to pay. Unfortunately, hoa's and their collection attorneys have become hard-nosed about these delinquencies of late. They may agree to let you off the hook for the attorney's fee since they won't have to prosecute you in court, although your case is probably just one of a number that they have scheduled for the same court date.