2021 HOA Reform Coalition of Texas Platform

Every two years, the Texas Legislature meets to discuss and enact new laws critical to Texas citizens.  The HOA Reform Coalition uses these Legislative sessions to further its mission to prevent abusive practices and procedures by Property Owner Associations (POAs) against residents.  Over the years, the Coalition has been successful in passing significant laws to limit the powers of POAs. Yet there is still much to do.

Recently, property owners across Texas were asked to provide input on the most intrusive POA issues. Based on this input, the HOA Reform Coalition has established the following legislative priorities for the 2021 Session:

• Regulate the power of POA to foreclose.  This includes limiting the ability to foreclose, limiting attorney fees and requiring a substantial debt in order to foreclose.
• Fees and fines.  This includes limiting fees/fines to health and safety violations only, limiting attorney fees, setting a maximum fine, and standardize procedures
• Limiting attorney fee.  This includes limiting the escalating attorney fees against homeowners to reasonable amounts.
• Address condominium regulations/rights.  This supports the creation of condominium bill that gives rights to condo owners similar to those in an HOA.
• Association governance and accountability.  This includes creating term limits for association officials, limiting ability of association officials changing the bylaws, association penalties, and association disclosure of payment and agreement. 
• Religious expression. This includes limiting POAs ability to restrict homeowners’ freedom of expression related to outdoor religious displays. 

The HOA Reform Coalition is currently reviewing prior legislative proposals related to these priorities and drafting new bills to be introduced for the upcoming Session. The Coalition is also working with State representatives to secure bill sponsors and supporters.

Please stay tuned. As opportunities to forward this process arise, either by supporting helpful legislation or opposing harmful bills, the HOA Reform Coalition will reach out to its members for assistance in contacting their elected Representatives to voice their opinions.

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“Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows.” – C.S. Lewis

Our US constitution provides checks and balances through legislative powers vested in a Congress, executive powers vested in a President, and judicial powers vested in one supreme court and in inferior courts as Congress may ordain and establish.

Yet, the Texas Legislature abandoned our democratic protection of checks and balances with Property Code 204 which grants all power to HOA, COA, and POA Boards.  The result has been catastrophic:  Tens of thousands of foreclosure filings against Texas homeowners — www.HOAdata.org , the end of homeowners’ control of their homes, the reality being an undemocratic oligarchy in which an apathetic body of residents is governed by a few.

Being apathetic is no longer an option if we want to reclaim our freedom and if we want to keep our homes.  Together we can recover our homeowner rights.

The 2021 Texas Legislative session will be upon us soon.  It is time for property owners to unite so that our voices are heard by our legislature.  We want you.

We are organizing people who want to secure the rights of all HOMEOWNERS in property associations and to reduce the power of these associations in Texas.  We are currently developing our 2021 Platform for the Texas Legislative session.  We want your input to ensure that we prioritize our goals according to homeowner needs.

Please visit Tell Us About Your HOA so that you can join the other homeowner advocates in the State to make a difference for everyone.  Our voices need to be heard.  If we don’t speak up for our homeowner rights, who will?