Front Foot Benefits collects annual assessments for water and sewer infrastructure. These fees are not related to water and sewer usage. Instead, these annual fees are charged separately by counties or other governmental entities to pay for the costs of installing sewer and water systems to a community and then hooking them up to individual dwelling units.
Upon execution of the contract to purchase your home, the front foot benefits charge should have been disclosed in the contract if you are the original owner of the property. In addition, the Declaration of Water and Sewer Charges is in public records and should have been disclosed by the title company upon their title search.
Front Foot Benefits has been assigned the right to collect these fees from homeowners in your community through Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority. The preferred method of payment is by check. Please make your check payable to "Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority" and send your payment to:
Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority
PO Box 82
Lothian MD 20711
PAYING FOR WATER & SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE OVER TIME
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ABOUT FRONT FOOT BENEFITS
Front Foot Benefit Companies, also known as Private Water and Sewer Companies or Water and Sewer Facilities Companies, are created in certain jurisdictions to enable the installers of water and sewer infrastructure to recover all or a portion of the cost of such infrastructure over time from the property owners benefited.
Assessments are created by recording a Declaration in the land records creating a lien on the property and establishing an annual assessment to be collected from the property owner, usually for a period of 23 to 40 years. The obligation to pay the Assessment runs with the land and is transferred to the new owner when a property is sold.
The Assessments are not related to water and sewer usage fees, which are charged separately by the county or other governmental entity. The infrastructure is dedicated for public use and any maintenance thereof is not the responsibility of the developer or other entity collecting the Assessment.
The right to collect the Assessments is frequently assigned or sold by the original developer of the property to third parties, such as Front Foot Benefits managed by Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority.
Understanding Your Water and Sewer Facilities Assessment
These fees are not related to the actual usage of water and sewer services, but are annual fees imposed by the builder or developer of your community to recover all or a portion of the costs of installing water and sewer components and systems for a community. These fees continue for a period of time, typically 20 to 40 years, and are binding on all homeowners of the property until paid in full. These fees are public record and are disclosed in the contract of the original property homeowner. These fees also should be disclosed by title companies in the title searches performed for homebuyers.
Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority is responsible for collecting these fees for the homeowner of the assessment lien, which may be the community developer or builder or another investor. Our firm works closely with developers, builders, and title companies in all matters related to water and sewer facilities charges.
Homeowners will receive an annual invoice from Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority and can pay their bill by mailing a check to P.O. Box 82, Lothian Maryland 20711.
If you just received your first bill from Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority, you may have questions about what the annual fee covers. The following are answers to the questions homeowners frequently ask us about their private water and sewer assessment changes:
Homeowner FAQ
What are other common names for this annual Water and Sewer Facilities Assessment?
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These charges are often called “Front Foot Benefit Fees” or “Water and Sewer Facilities Charges.”
What am I being charged for?
In the past, the local governments installed the water and/or sewer components and systems for new subdivisions, and then, recouped the cost of construction over a period of years from each individual property, which benefits from the services, by either a “Front Foot Benefit Charge” or an addition to the real estate tax bill. However, most jurisdictions now require developers to install all water and/or sewer infrastructure in new subdivisions. Developers manage the construction of these water and/or sewer facilities, and dedicate them to the utility provider (town, county, or sanitary commission), which assumes responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the public infrastructure installed. The developer is no longer responsible for the operation or maintenance of the water and/or sewer facilities once dedicated to the utility provider. Similar to the prior governmental approach, developers can recoup these infrastructure costs by establishing a lien against all properties, which will benefit from the utility connections at or near the time of construction. These obligations require the initial homeowner and each subsequent homeowner of the property to pay an annual assessment for a fixed term of years. If you have received an annual assessment notice, then the developer or builder of your community elected to recoup the infrastructure costs through this method that requires all homeowners to pay for these improvements. Please note that this annual assessment is not the same as, nor should it be confused with, the individual water and/or sewer home consumption charges billed by the utility provider, which are separate and distinct from the obligations imposed by the original developer of the subdivision. Whether you are the first purchaser of the home or not, the annual assessment is required to be paid as and when due until the obligation secured by the declaration has been paid in full.
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Why doesn’t my water bill cover this?
Your periodic water bill represents charges for water and sewage usage and is imposed by the utility provider based on the volume of water supplied and sewage processed by it. In other words, your water bill is the charge for the actual water and sewer flow through the pipes, whereas, the private water and/or sewer facilities assessment is for construction of the pipes.
Can these charges be enforced?
Yes, it is a legal and enforceable charge, just as homeowner’s association dues and condominium fees are. This water and/or sewer facilities assessment is established through the recordation of a declaration in the county land records.
Who is responsible for the charges?
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As the owner of your home, you are responsible for paying the charge(s). If your bank or mortgage company established an escrow account for homeowners insurance and real property taxes, it may also escrow for the private water and/or sewer facilities assessment. You should confirm this, and if an escrow was established, forward the bill to your lender with a request that it be paid from your escrow account. You will continue to receive a bill even if it is paid through your escrow, and you are responsible for forwarding the bill to your escrow manager each year. If funds are not escrowed for payment of this assessment, you should timely mail your payment on the 1st day of each quarter directly to “Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority” at P.O. Box 82, Lothian Maryland 20711.
In certain counties, a prior homeowner may have some responsibility for portion of the unpaid balance if it was not disclosed by the sale contract or if the balance accrued due to nonpayment by the prior homeowner. If applicable, those issues must be resolved between you and the prior homeowner— Surratts Garden FFB Collection Authority has no role in resolving those matters. Please remember, however, that as the property homeowner, you are ultimately responsible for payment of the charges. Similar to a mortgage, if the assessments are not timely paid, remedies for necessary collection efforts can include personal judgements and, ultimately, foreclosure.
If the property is leased, any allocation of responsibility for payment of these assessments in the lease may be binding on the homeowner/landlord and tenant, but is not binding on the homeowner of the utility lien. Accordingly, the homeowner of the property remains liable for repayment.
Why didn’t my title company tell me about this when I purchased my home?
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The purchase of a home is an exciting and often challenging process. Mortgage laws and practices require an ever increasing amount of disclosures and paperwork, resulting in the review and signature of a lot of information at the closing table. In most closings, title companies identify and disclose the existence of the water and/or sewer facilities assessment.
Your title company should have disclosed the assessment to you when you purchased your home. Sometimes, a title company identifies the assessment, but does not discuss it in detail with the purchaser(s).
If you do not recall hearing about or receiving information regarding the assessment, you should review your homeowner’s title insurance policy. Schedule B-Section II of the insurance policy identifies the circumstances and title matters that are excepted from or not covered by the title insurance. You will probably find that the declaration establishing the water and sewer facilities assessment is listed as an exception.
Where can I find legal documentation regarding the assessment?
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The declaration that established the assessment can be found in the land records maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court for the county in which your property is located. It may also be available from your title company. If the water and/or sewer facility assessment was paid or prorated at settlement, your closing disclosure should contain a line captioned “Water & Sewer Facilities Assessment,” “Water & Sewer Facilities Charge,” “Front Foot Benefit Fee,” “W.A.S.,” or “F.F.B.” Additionally, if you purchased a new home from the builder, your contract with the builder probably contains a disclosure statement or addendum that describes the assessment.
How do I pay my bill and when is it due?
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We accept payments by check or money order only. At this time, we are not set up to accept credit cards or payment by phone. You may send your payment by mail to the “remit to” address found on the bill. Payment is due the first day of each yearly quarter, the first days of the four quarters are Jan. 1, April 1, July 1 and Oct. 1. Please include your account number and the property address on the check or money order to ensure that it is properly credited to your account.
Can I prepay?
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Yes, you are always welcome to send in payments ahead of time to be credited to your account for the next billing cycle. You also have the right to pay this assessment in full for an amount equal to the present value of the future assessments at a discounted rate per annum. If interested in early pay off of the assessment, please Email us a request in writing.
What happens when I pay in full?
If you pay off the assessment early, you will receive a discounted rate on all remaining assessments beyond one year. When the assessment is paid off early, your lot will be released from the declaration and the release will be recorded in the county land records.
What happens if I don’t pay?
Thirty (30) days after becoming delinquent, if you have not paid the charges, your account may be turned over to an attorney for collection. The attorney may file a lien against your home, file a lawsuit against you, obtain a judgement against you, and then, garnish your bank account(s) and/or wages.