Medinah falls under the auspices of two property management associations: Cascades Community Association and Medinah Homes Condominium.
Cascades Community Association
Cascades, within which Medinah resides, is a 2,500-acre planned community with 6,500 homes along the Potomac River north of Route 7. Medinah residents have access to all Cascade amenities, including five community centers, five swimming pools, 15 tennis courts, 10 multipurpose courts, 25 tot lots, a bocce court, and a soccer field. Medinah condo owners pay a Cascades fee representing their share of Cascade’s expenses. The Cascades fee does not cover Medinah’s expenses.
Medinah Homes Condominium
Medinah is a community of 139 townhouse-style condominiums. Unlike the lower monthly fees charged for fee-simple townhouses and single-family homes, Medinah’s condominium fees pay for the following services and maintenance:
- Trash
- Recycling
- Pest control (includes on-demand in-unit service)
- Snow removal (streets only)
- Roofs, gutters, downspouts
- Foundations
- Exterior brickwork, vinyl siding, penetration seals
- Exterior wood and metal surfaces (trim, cladding, dormers, bump-outs, metal railings)
- Hardscape (entry monuments, street and entrance lighting, walkways, driveways, iron fences, terraces, front stoops, stairs, railings)
- Softscape (trees, shrubs, grass, flowers, ground cover, stone, mulch)
- Stormwater infrastructure (sumps, dry swales, underground piping)
- Streets and paths (streets, shared parking areas, cart paths, curb and gutter, painting, striping, signage)
- Professional Manager (licensed accredited managing agent)
- Financial (investments, accounts receivable, accounts payable, collections, tax preparation, audit reports)
- Budget (fiscal management, projected and emergency expenditures)
- Vendors (evaluation, selection, oversight)
- Compliance (covenant inspections, enforcement)
- Community website (online payments, current and historical documents, member directory, service requests, community calendar)
- Documents and records (storage, maintenance, access, distribution)
By pooling monthly fees and purchasing community-wide services, Medinah leverages unit owners’ collective buying power, thereby reducing the per-unit cost. Medinah condo owners also realize significantly lower insurance costs compared to owners of fee-simple townhouses and single-family homes. Buildings and grounds are insured through Medinah’s Master Insurance Policy. Individual condo owners need only purchase an HO-6 insurance policy costing a fraction of a fee-simple townhouse premium. HO-6 policies are ordinarily limited to personal items, appliances, carpeting, cabinets, wall coverings, and certain installed features.