diff --git a/plugin/pom.xml b/plugin/pom.xml
index 93aa2b7..d3b24d5 100644
--- a/plugin/pom.xml
+++ b/plugin/pom.xml
@@ -101,34 +101,6 @@
                     <target>1.8</target>
                 </configuration>
             </plugin><!-- maven-compiler-plugin -->
-            <plugin>
-                <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
-                <artifactId>properties-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-                <version>${properties-maven-plugin.version}</version>
-                <executions>
-                    <execution>
-                        <goals>
-                            <goal>set-system-properties</goal>
-                        </goals>
-                        <configuration>
-                            <properties>
-                                <property>
-                                    <name>maven-checkstyle-plugin.version</name>
-                                    <value>${maven-checkstyle-plugin.version}</value>
-                                </property>
-                                <property>
-                                    <name>checkstyle.version</name>
-                                    <value>${checkstyle.version}</value>
-                                </property>
-                                <property>
-                                    <name>sevntu.version</name>
-                                    <value>${sevntu.version}</value>
-                                </property>
-                            </properties>
-                        </configuration>
-                    </execution>
-                </executions>
-            </plugin><!-- properties-maven-plugin -->
         </plugins>
     </build>
     <profiles>
diff --git a/plugin/src/main/java/net/kemitix/checkstyle/ruleset/plugin/AbstractCheckMojo.java b/plugin/src/main/java/net/kemitix/checkstyle/ruleset/plugin/AbstractCheckMojo.java
index fbb72f1..ae39165 100644
--- a/plugin/src/main/java/net/kemitix/checkstyle/ruleset/plugin/AbstractCheckMojo.java
+++ b/plugin/src/main/java/net/kemitix/checkstyle/ruleset/plugin/AbstractCheckMojo.java
@@ -26,7 +26,12 @@ package net.kemitix.checkstyle.ruleset.plugin;
 
 import lombok.Setter;
 import lombok.val;
+import org.apache.maven.artifact.DefaultArtifact;
+import org.apache.maven.artifact.handler.DefaultArtifactHandler;
+import org.apache.maven.artifact.repository.ArtifactRepository;
 import org.apache.maven.execution.MavenSession;
+import org.apache.maven.model.Plugin;
+import org.apache.maven.model.io.xpp3.MavenXpp3Reader;
 import org.apache.maven.plugin.AbstractMojo;
 import org.apache.maven.plugin.BuildPluginManager;
 import org.apache.maven.plugin.MojoExecutionException;
@@ -34,14 +39,19 @@ import org.apache.maven.plugin.MojoFailureException;
 import org.apache.maven.plugins.annotations.Component;
 import org.apache.maven.plugins.annotations.Parameter;
 import org.apache.maven.project.MavenProject;
+import org.codehaus.plexus.util.xml.pull.XmlPullParserException;
 import org.twdata.maven.mojoexecutor.MojoExecutor;
 
+import java.io.FileReader;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.Properties;
+
 /**
  * Runs the Checkstyle Maven Plugin with the Kemitix Checkstyle Ruleset.
  *
  * @author Paul Campbell (pcampbell@kemitix.net)
  */
-public abstract class AbstractCheckMojo extends AbstractMojo {
+abstract class AbstractCheckMojo extends AbstractMojo {
 
     private static final String CHECKSTYLE_GROUPID = "com.puppycrawl.tools";
 
@@ -73,8 +83,11 @@ public abstract class AbstractCheckMojo extends AbstractMojo {
     @Parameter(defaultValue = "${session}", readonly = true)
     private MavenSession mavenSession;
 
+    @Parameter(defaultValue = "${localRepository}", readonly = true, required = true)
+    private ArtifactRepository artifactRepository = null;
+
     @Component
-    private BuildPluginManager pluginManager;
+    private BuildPluginManager pluginManager = null;
 
     /**
      * Execute Checkstyle Check.
@@ -84,28 +97,66 @@ public abstract class AbstractCheckMojo extends AbstractMojo {
      * @throws MojoExecutionException on execution error
      * @throws MojoFailureException   on execution failure
      */
-    protected final void performCheck(final String level) throws MojoExecutionException, MojoFailureException {
-        // load versions from plugin's pom.xml
-        val properties = System.getProperties();
-        val mavenCheckstylePluginVersion = properties.getProperty("maven-checkstyle-plugin.version");
-        val checkstyleVersion = properties.getProperty("checkstyle.version");
-        val sevntuVersion = properties.getProperty("sevntu.version");
+    final void performCheck(final String level) throws MojoExecutionException, MojoFailureException {
+        val properties = getProperties();
+        debug("properties: %s", properties);
 
+        // get versions from pom.xml properties
+        val pluginVersion = getProperty(properties, "maven-checkstyle-plugin.version");
+        val checkstyleVersion = getProperty(properties, "checkstyle.version");
+        val sevntuVersion = getProperty(properties, "sevntu.version");
+
+        // configure
+        val checkstylePlugin = getPlugin(pluginVersion, checkstyleVersion, sevntuVersion);
+        val configuration = MojoExecutor.configuration(
+                MojoExecutor.element(CONFIG_LOCATION, String.format("net/kemitix/checkstyle-%s.xml", level)));
+        val environment = MojoExecutor.executionEnvironment(mavenProject, mavenSession, pluginManager);
+
+        // run
+        info("Running Checkstyle %s (sevntu: %s) with ruleset %s (%s)", checkstyleVersion, sevntuVersion, level,
+             rulesetVersion
+            );
+        MojoExecutor.executeMojo(checkstylePlugin, "check", configuration, environment);
+        info("Checkstyle complete");
+    }
+
+    private String getProperty(final Properties properties, final String key) {
+        val property = properties.getProperty(key);
+        debug(key + ": %s", property);
+        return property;
+    }
+
+    private Plugin getPlugin(final String pluginVersion, final String checkstyleVersion, final String sevntuVersion) {
+        // create checkstyle dependencies
         val checkstyle = MojoExecutor.dependency(CHECKSTYLE_GROUPID, CHECKSTYLE_ARTIFACTID, checkstyleVersion);
         val sevntu = MojoExecutor.dependency(SEVNTU_GROUPID, SEVNTU_ARTIFACTID, sevntuVersion);
         val ruleset = MojoExecutor.dependency(KEMITIX_GROUPID, KEMITIX_ARTIFACTID, rulesetVersion);
-        val checkstylePlugin =
-                MojoExecutor.plugin(APACHE_PLUGIN_GROUPID, APACHE_PLUGIN_ARTIFACTID, mavenCheckstylePluginVersion,
-                                    MojoExecutor.dependencies(checkstyle, sevntu, ruleset)
-                                   );
-        val configLocation =
-                MojoExecutor.element(CONFIG_LOCATION, String.format("net/kemitix/checkstyle-%s.xml", level));
+        val dependencies = MojoExecutor.dependencies(checkstyle, sevntu, ruleset);
 
-        getLog().info(String.format("Running Checkstyle %s (sevntu: %s) with ruleset %s (%s)", checkstyleVersion,
-                                    sevntuVersion, level, rulesetVersion
-                                   ));
-        MojoExecutor.executeMojo(checkstylePlugin, "check", MojoExecutor.configuration(configLocation),
-                                 MojoExecutor.executionEnvironment(mavenProject, mavenSession, pluginManager)
-                                );
+        return MojoExecutor.plugin(APACHE_PLUGIN_GROUPID, APACHE_PLUGIN_ARTIFACTID, pluginVersion, dependencies);
+    }
+
+    private Properties getProperties() throws MojoFailureException {
+        // load properties from the plugin pom.xml
+        val pluginArtifactId = KEMITIX_ARTIFACTID + "-maven-plugin";
+        val pluginArtifact = new DefaultArtifact(KEMITIX_GROUPID, pluginArtifactId, rulesetVersion, null, "", null,
+                                                 new DefaultArtifactHandler("pom")
+        );
+        try {
+            val pomReader = new FileReader(artifactRepository.find(pluginArtifact)
+                                                             .getFile());
+            return new MavenXpp3Reader().read(pomReader)
+                                        .getProperties();
+        } catch (XmlPullParserException | IOException e) {
+            throw new MojoFailureException("Can't load properties from plugin's pom.xml", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void info(final String format, final Object... args) {
+        getLog().info(String.format(format, args));
+    }
+
+    private void debug(final String format, final Object... args) {
+        getLog().debug(String.format(format, args));
     }
 }