Clarifying ground rent

The recent editorial "Fixing ground rent" (Oct. 27) reveals a common misconception about ground rents. The ground rent holder does not own the land on which a dwelling is located. The land is owned by the homeowner, but the land is subject to the ground rent established by a lease.

The property owner is responsible for the care and maintenance of the land, because it is in fact his property. The owner of the ground rent is only entitled to receive the annual rent. Ground rent owners are in no way landlords.

Robert S. Armstrong, Towson