Builder contract review in Kensington

As of 2026 the Town of Kensington requires a $50 to $5,000 bond or deposit before issuing a permit. Kensington builder contracts should say who pays it.

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The Service

Builder contract review

A builder contract review reads the document the way the builder’s lawyers wrote it, flagging escalation clauses, deposit exposure, delay remedies that only run one direction, and warranty language full of exits.

A builder contract review in Kensington surfaces costs that rarely appear on the price sheet. Inside the town, a town building permit is needed to build, alter or demolish any structure, including driveways and dumpsters, on top of any county permit. Before that permit issues, the applicant posts a bond or cash deposit of $50 to $5,000 against street and sidewalk damage. The town refunds it after inspection. On a custom rebuild, the contract should name who posts it, who receives the refund and who pays for any damage.

Utility and tree charges come next. WSSC Water bills a System Development Charge on new houses: $5,342 for plans with three or four toilets, rising to $7,479 when there are five. County code also has sediment control permit holders plant shade trees or pay a per-tree amount, listed at $470, into a canopy fund. Some agreements quietly pass those costs to the buyer at settlement. We find each clause and flag it.

Deposits deserve their own protection. Under Maryland law, funds a builder collects ahead of completion have to go into escrow or be protected by a bond or letter of credit. Before any wire, we find out which of those protections applies, and upgrade deposits get the same check. Should construction stall, that safeguard decides whether your money returns.

Clauses that shift risk follow: loose delivery dates, material substitutions, builder-picked title companies and limits on outside inspections, each marked with suggested wording. Builder contract review describes this service broadly. Choosing among projects happens on new construction buyer representation in Kensington. Lot questions get answered on buildable land in Kensington. Estate-scale custom building is covered in Builder contract review in Potomac. When a current home has to sell too, our Kensington real estate agent can price it the same week.

Where We Work

Kensington

Contract formats follow the project. Custom rebuilds across North and South Kensington usually pair an owner with a small local builder under a fixed price or a cost-plus fee. Projects within the Town of Kensington add town permits, the street deposit and protection for nearby right-of-way trees. Units in small multifamily buildings near the town center are sold on the developer’s purchase form, which sets its own deposit schedule and delivery window. Historic district work adds county design review. Risk lands in a different spot under each format, so we read the contract against the plans, permits and warranty booklet together.

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Kensington, block by block.

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Answered

Kensington, answered.

Q: Who pays the Town of Kensington permit deposit on a rebuild? A: Whoever the contract names. The Town of Kensington requires a $50 to $5,000 bond or cash deposit before a permit issues and refunds it after inspection. A Kensington builder agreement should state who posts it, who gets it back and who pays for any street or sidewalk damage. Q: What water hookup fee applies to a new Kensington house? A: WSSC Water’s System Development Charge applies. The figure is $5,342 if the plans include three or four toilets and $7,479 if they include five. Some Kensington builder contracts move that cost to the buyer at settlement, so we locate the clause and negotiate it before you sign anything. Q: Is my deposit on a new Kensington home protected? A: Under state law, yes. Maryland Real Property 10-301 requires that money a builder receives before completion sit in escrow or carry bond or letter-of-credit backing. We verify which protection backs your Kensington deposit, and any upgrade deposits, before any money moves.

Sources

Last reviewed October 3, 2026 by Levi Loveless, licensed in Maryland and Virginia. Every rule, rate and figure on this page links to the source we checked.

Town of Kensington Code of Ordinances (amended through September 10, 2025), September 10, 2025
Md. Code, Real Property 10-301
WSSC Water, July 1, 2026
Montgomery County Code 55-6

Selling or buying

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Find each fee clause before wiring money.

Email the purchase agreement, every addendum and the option sheet once the builder hands them over. We mark every clause that moves cost or risk onto you, confirm how deposits are protected and suggest wording for the changes worth requesting.