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And if OP Homeowner24 would like help in putting together a web site on this ordeal, complete with the HOA and attorneys letters, please let me know. (Private message sent.) There is nothing like a little sunshine that gets the wheels moving.
An example at Edgewater Isle HOAs in California: a homeowner put a sign in her window. The HOA wrote a letter to take it down. Which they can't according to a section in California Civil Code. Anyhow, quoting the Civil Code and a phone call from the ACLU was all that was needed to get Edgewater Isle to stand down.
And if OP Homeowner24 would like help in putting together a web site on this ordeal, complete with the HOA and attorneys letters, please let me know. (Private message sent.) There is nothing like a little sunshine that gets the wheels moving.
An example at Edgewater Isle HOAs in California: a homeowner put a sign in her window. The HOA wrote a letter to take it down. Which they can't according to a section in California Civil Code. Anyhow, quoting the Civil Code and a phone call from the ACLU was all that was needed to get Edgewater Isle to stand down.
What again is the ACLU?
How do I find the civil code in Georgia? YES - I will pm you on this as well.
All - I will be away from the forum for a while as my wife and I go to teach a summer camp! Should be fun! You don't know how much all these responses/ input/ advice/ feedback mean to me - For right now we are looking into the discrepancies from last year and I have not heard back from them after sending in my check images. The blocks are still here. I am GLAD I get to get away for a while. I have several ppl keeping an eye on things here. Feel free to come by here and take some pictures!
Not all HOAs are bad. I'm fully aware of this and have friends who serve on HOA boards. (Yes, even in my own neighborhood). They look out for the homeowners and everyone is happy in their "shangri la" neighborhoods. I say this all the time...
What pro-HOA people never hear or choose to ignore because of profit motive is this: THEY ARE NOT REGULATED!!!
HELLO! What do I mean? Well, if a criminal, an unethical buffoon, an HOA management company stooge, clone or goon, or some insecure egotistical idiot along with a friend or two get on an HOA board they can create a nightmare for homeowners by creating a tyrannical totalitarian neighborhood which may also lead to a financial burden on many people. When this occurs, there isn't much a homeowner can do other than shell out cash for an attorney. The board members have free legal support through homeowner money/assessments, while the homeowner pays out of their pocket. This may involve an HOA board member holding illegal elections, not releasing financial records, improper or unethical accounting standards (frequent problem), spending thousands of dollars in homeowner dues/HOA funds to pay attorney fees in order to keep themselves on the HOA board, changing bylaws/CC&Rs without a vote, condoning racism, paying local police to threaten or bully people at board meetings, arbitrarily re-lining property lines (ex: having someone extend a fence in their neighbor's driveway), etc...
No authority on a local, state or federal level will intervene on a homeowners' behalf; often they will state, "this is a private matter," or "The Texas AGs office does not get involved in private contractual disputes." Even in cases where racketeering, extortion, arson, fraud, theft, etc... are committed, legislative authorities will often turn a blind eye to the problem and remain silent. Although, many HOAs in Las Vegas are being investigated by the FBI and DOJ for extortion, fraud and running construction defect lawsuit scams, no one has yet to be charged with anything. (Note - some HOA lawyers, current HOA board members and former HOA board members have been charged with crimes in Las Vegas like coercion, attempted murder, illegally obtaining a controlled substance, etc..., but not any charges related to what they did with HOAs like fraud, racketeering or extortion).
Just a few stories to look at:
Casa Blanca Condo Association in Dallas
FBI HOA Raids in Las Vegas
Ventura HOA in San Antonio
Las Vegas Autumn Chase HOA
(I could list many many more)
And if you're wondering; no, these are not isolated incidents; HOA unethical behavior and criminal activities are occurring frequently throughout the country. (Those are just a few cases I'm most familiar with)
And if you say, "Don't move into an HOA, if you don't like them." Well, each year that is going to become harder; many cities and counties require HOAs to be mandated before any new neighborhoods are built. In some places the entire town is an HOA. I think we have 30,000 HOAs in Texas now. In some areas a person may have to drive 50 miles to go to work if they don't want to live in an HOA.
Now some may get a state politician to move on passing legislation to require HOAs to do this or that; release financial records to homeowners, public meetings, fair elections, not throwing the elderly or military families out on the street, etc... The problem? No one enforces that legislation after it's passed. No one! A state attorney general like Greg Abbott (his office) will usually tell you to go get a lawyer, if they even respond back to you at all. Local and County authorities will also follow suit of the AG, but remember they may be using the HOAs as cash cow operations through double taxation; homeowner pays out property taxes, then another tax payout (assessment) to their HOA; street repairs, trash removal, street lights, etc...
Get it?
+1! Well said! I understand what HOAs are all about, but the implementation is just flawed. Too much power is granted. Sure - they can be great, but when HOAs go bad, it can get real bad real quick (as evidenced in this thread).
Best wishes to those that want to subject themselves to an HOAs authority. To be sure, the pretty entrance flowers and other amenities can be enticing. As for me - thanks, but no thanks.
It would be interesting to see what responseabiliy the HOA has if the home owner can't get out in time due to a medical emergency...or a 911 emergency vehicle can't get in.
I wonder if the other home owners in a HOA realize THEY will end up picking up the tab, in a lawsuit, if the HOA is sued for such stupid action.
You are the biggest loser on this thread. The fact that you would laugh at someone else's misfortunes is sick. This guy is not a scumbag like your rental owners evidently are, and frankly, that is your own fault for not doing your homework before renting to them. Or are they Section 8 and you are a fat-cat that just wants your money no matter what you do to your neighborhood by renting to them in the first place?
In any case, Homeowner24 has inherited this mess and is doing what he can do make it right, but he is probably like most of us and doesn't have a lot of cash lying around.
Must be nice to be a slumlord.
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If anyone is a loser on this thread, it's YOU
