Comments on: Homeowners Associations Pervert Justice

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 16:52:56 +0000

My parents live on a golf course that has a HOA. The HOA Board is obligated to provide for common maintenance including grass-cutting of all lawns, from which homeowners may NOT opt out.

The Board secretary routinely tells the grass-cutting service to stop cutting after her own yard is finished, saying that the grass isn’t tall enough to warrant the work. The mowers are paid full price anyway.

Two years ago, the HOA elected a new Board president, who asked to see the complete financial records. He was ousted by the remainder of the Board under its articles of impeachment, which do not require approval of the homeowners.

By: Helen

Helen — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 00:46:20 +0000

I lived happily in a rural community on an island for 17 years about 50 miles east of D.C. During the last 2 years I was there, 2003-2005, 50 percent of the homes changed owners, partly due to foreclosures, partly to aggressive real estate agents. People from the D.C. area moved east to pick up the “bargains,” and brought their attitudes about real estate as asset, where before I had enjoyed living in a diverse community where people thought of their property as a home. They took over the HOA, tried to make the dues mandatory, aggressively policed the neighborhood for anything that would “lower their property value.” The treasurer spent in excess of $8,000 in community association dues to sue her neighbor for putting up a building they didn’t like, then appealed, again with association dues, when the suit was unsuccessful. I put up a small leanto greenhouse in my back yard, invisible from the street, and an HOA member trespassed through my property to look at it and accuse me of starting a business on my premises.

I gave up my home and moved north to a secluded property where I am left alone to have a HOME and my animals, and I consider myself very fortunate.

By: Melvyn Klein (Author)

Melvyn Klein (Author) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 05:15:34 +0000

The author responds:

Marie is correct in stating that serving on the Board can be a terribly thankless task. In many cases only the best and most generous members of an association are willing to serve on an association Board. The article is certainly not meant as indictment of every Board and every Board member.

But there are cases where corrupt individuals take seats on a Board, often because other members are so reluctant to serve, and democratic measures to remove them are unavailable. That is the problem that needs to be addressed, and it is very serious problem.

By: marie

marie — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:09:50 +0000

I live in a community with a HOA. In fact, I was on the board for a few years. It’s no picnic. All our goal was to get people to clean up their yards and replace rusting/broken mailboxes.

We received phone calls and numerous complaints. They wanted MORE services, but didn’t want to pay more money. We were called names and in one instance, a person was thereatened with vandalism.

I was only on the board for three years (because no one else would do it), but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.