Category Archives: Uncategorized
NATIONAL – From religious discrimination to pointless paint jobs: it’s HOA round-up time
We have previously referred tohomeowners’ associations (HOAs) as “government minus the checks and balances,” and hardly a week goes by without an accommodating HOA board somewhere in America doing something to underscore this point.
Remember the Texas HOA whose residents were plagued by a rash of home burglaries, so the HOA responded by forbidding residents to protect themselves by installing burglar bars on their windows? Or the HOA in Vegas that actually went to court (and lost) in its desperate attempt to prevent a family with a disabled son from keeping an ambulance in their driveway? The Florida HOA that fined one of its residents $100 per day because the young sapling trees he’d just planted were “too short?”
Earlier this month, the state legislature of California (which, you might recall, is currently undergoing an historic drought) proposed a bill which, if passed, would prevent HOAs from punishing residents who comply with local water-conservation laws. In other words, if your city says, “Stop watering your lawn; we don’t have enough water for that,” your HOA would have to respect this law rather than tell you, “Go ahead and water your lawn anyway, or else we’ll put a lien on your home.” Read more:
TEXAS – Vandals target war veteran’s home; he blames homeowners association
Police believe the suspects broke in through an upstairs window and spent hours destroying and defacing Martin’s property. Martin thinks someone is sending him a message. “The police tell me this was meant to send me a message to get out of dodge.” Martin blames the Forest Lake Townhome Association, that’s been fighting him for years over his flag pole. The association sued Martin to force him to take it down, claiming the pole stood on ground owned by the community. In February, a judge ruled in Martin’s favor. Read more:
FLORIDA – $3.5 million check brings to a close Brooksville’s fight with Southern Hills developer
FLORIDA – Proposal to raise bridge height stirs controversy in Hernando Beach
FLORIDA – Start-up insurer and Scott donor bans business in 18 South Florida Zip Codes
MISSISSIPPI – Community services group files federal lawsuit against Moss Point HOA
CALIFORNIA – Homeowners say HOA forcing them to make thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs
VISTA, Calif. – Homeowners in the North County contacted 10News after they say their homeowners association is forcing them to make thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs to their homes. Thousands of San Diegans live in communities run by HOAs, but some homeowners say their HOA is out of control. “What’s fair about punishing all of us?” said homeowner Sue Hannibal. More than 300 letters went out to homeowners at Heritage & Legends in Vista, telling them they had to repaint their homes. “As you can see, my house doesn’t need to be painted,” said Hannibal. “My house is in perfect condition.” However, the HOA says otherwise. The bill to paint each single-family detached home is running about $2,500. Read more:
TEXAS – Blind man fights HOA over fence blocking him from bus stop
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A blind man is suing his homeowner’s association after a fence they put up blocked his access to public transportation. Chris Prentice has been waging this fight for more than two years, and has now filed a lawsuit. Prentice said he bought his home in the Berdoll Farms neighborhood in Del Valle because of the access to public transportation. When the subdivision was initially built, there were several gates in the fence surrounding the neighborhood. Those gates allowed residents to walk through to the public CapMetro bus stops. But after several break-ins in the neighborhood, the HOA erected a high fence to stop people from walking through.
Prentice appealed several times to his HOA to replace the gate. The removal of that gate access means he has to walk all the way around to the bus stop, which he said is close to a mile. Read more:
FLORIDA – Florida House Bill 1061 is dead. Measure could’ve helped homeowners stay inside their homes
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – The days that Bob Domanick and his neighbors can sit at their condo pool in Boynton Beach may be numbered. Each one may be forced to sell their units back to the company that owns the property. “It’s just not fair, these are our homes, we pay our mortgages, and insurance and we’re told we have to leave,” said Dale Domanick. A glimmer of hope that House Bill 1061 would help – was crushed. It didn’t make it to the next legislative session that begins Monday. “It did not get to the subcommittee while we were still holding those hearings, and so the bill is most likely dead,” said State Representative Lori Berman.
As the law stands now, if a company owns 90 percent of the condo units on a property, it can purchase the remaining units for fair market value. The problem for these residents is that fair market value is a far cry from what they paid for their homes in 2006. Read more:
VIRGINIA – “Wrong Way, Lady!”
A Democratic State Legislator in Virginia is crowing about getting a law passed in her state. The new law will allow HOA officials in self-managed communities more time to answer written requests by homeowners for information. Current Virginia law requires HOAs to provide paperwork or answers to inquiries within five days. The new law Ms. Filler-Corn loves so much doubles that time to ten days.
Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn brags that this will help ease the burden on HOA officials. She says the five-day requirement is too much of a burden for neighborhood volunteers.
Listen, Lady! You’ve got it exactly backwards. Virginia HOAs are just as mean-spirited as those in other states. Your law does NOTHING to help beleaguered homeowners. How about actually pushing for some real reform? How about a two-point law that will really make Filler-Corn a household name. Read more:
HOA Reform Coalition 