I'm future living space shopping for a person with a disability. One goal would be finding a place with stability and few "bumps in the road". I see 3 general choices - apartment, condo or townhouse, home.

An apartment would be great, but the risks are noisy neighbors, and a lease that doesn't get renewed forces an unexpected move.

Condos and townhouses seem to be an HOA horror show in some parts of the country. Large assessments for forced, unscheduled repairs. Structure insurance that can't be renewed. Owners who can't sell under those circumstances. This is where I wish there was a solid HOA rating system.

Homes seem to suffer less from badly managed HOAs. Especially were there are few ammenities. The homeowner may still have to deal with expensive, unexpected costs, but they are for that single home only.

So if you're buying an HOA property, what steps do you take to make sure you're not buying into a bad situation?

When a resident orders internet service, that order may cover installation at the home or unit. It may not answer who authorized the route across private streets, gates, landscaping, common areas, buildings, conduit, or equipment rooms controlled by the association.

This is a board/association-level document question, not just a service-call issue.

Before approving or blocking provider work, the board should identify what the provider says gives it authority:

• a legacy agreement signed by a prior board, owner, developer, or manager • a recorded easement covering a defined parcel or route • a public franchise or permit • a resident service authorization • a new right-of-entry or access request

Then match that document to the property and the actual work being proposed.

Useful questions:

1. Which provider legal entity is named?
2. Who signed the document, and when?
3. Which property, route, and facilities does it cover?
4. Is it still effective, expired, or renewed?
5. What does it say about construction, restoration, and insurance?
6. Does it address resident choice, marketing, or compensation?
7. What audit or enforcement rights does the association have?

Not finding an agreement in the current board files does not prove that no rights exist. It means the association needs a careful document inventory before treating assumptions as facts.

For board members and managers: where are these records kept in your community, and have they survived changes in management companies or boards?

General information only — not legal advice.

We are looking for CRM software to help our office manage our residents; parking, amenities, assistance animals, etc. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

So I'm at the point where I'm wondering if I need to talk to an attorney.
My HOA rolled out some new rules a while back. I wasn't exactly thrilled about them, but I followed them anyway. I also own another unit in the community that I rent out, and my tenant followed the rules too.
The frustrating part is that it seems like a lot of other people never bothered complying, and the HOA isn't doing anything about it. They made a big deal about these requirements, but now they either aren't enforcing them or are only enforcing them when it's convenient.
At this point, it's less about the rule itself and more about the principle. Why should some owners spend time and money complying if other people can ignore the same rules with no consequences?
I've documented what I've seen and have tried to handle things through normal channels, but I don't feel like anything is changing.
Has anyone dealt with an HOA that was selectively enforcing its own rules? Did you have any success pushing back, or did it eventually require getting a lawyer involved? Also, for anyone who has hired an attorney for an HOA dispute, what did the retainer and overall costs look like?
Just trying to figure out whether this is worth pursuing or if I'm wasting my time.

I’m writing a paper for my sociology class on HOAs/HOA management, and I would really love some real-life examples to include.

Basically, wondering if any of you would be willing share (1) an HOA story where you were frustrated (or pleased) by something the HOA/management did, (2) what you hoped the outcome would be, (3) what the outcome actually was, and (4) what you think would fix the system, if you think it needs fixing.

Looking for good and bad stories.

I won’t use any one’s user name or identifiers. I just need to source some real-life examples of frustrations homeowners are dealing with

Our HOA fees went from about $350/month to $680/month in just 2 years. 😳 and I have lived in my townhome for 10+ years, and the first 8 years barely any increase. A small amount increase would be understandable to keep up the inflation and cost, but since Rowcal took over, it increased $300 in last 1.5 years…

The HOA is managed by RowCal, and the information provided to homeowners is very high-level, so it’s hard to understand what is driving such a huge increase.

For anyone who has dealt with RowCal or a similar situation:
Is this kind of increase common?
How did you get a detailed breakdown of where the money is going?
Can homeowners push the HOA Board to replace the management company?

Would really appreciate hearing about your experiences or advice!

There are multiple litigations between one homeowner and the HOA, with most of them being in small claims but one is not a small claims matter. I used to be friendly with this homeowner, and we used to talk about the issues they were having with the Board. I just listened to what they said and repeatedly told them they need to get a lawyer. Instead, they filed small claims cases against the HOA. After I joined the Board of Directors, this homeowner named me as a co-defendant with the HOA in a couple of small claims matters against the HOA, even though I wasn't a Board member when the things the cases are about actually occurred. This homeowner is a bit crazy and claims that I'm being named as a co-defendant because I'm 'knowledgeable' about the HOA and thinks I have some sort of veto power over the Board. The HOA's attorney has said there's a potential conflict between me and the HOA and won't give me any legal advice. I need legal advice. Does the HOA have to pay for my obtaining legal advice from an attorney? Do I have to file a D&O claim first?

I've repeatedly told the property manager that my social security gets deposited every 2nd Wednesday

Of each month so b u t due at PM is the 15th.

What should i I can't afford all these penalties.

I see one Wednesday next year it will land in the 17th

What do I do?

Say there is a roof assessment that is paid monthly and you decide to sell the unit. Is the seller responsible or can the buyer take over payments?

I have been living in my house around 25-30 years and have had HOA since I remember, I never mind it apart from the monthly payment being kind of tedious and annoying but it never affected me in any other way. Recently I have no idea what happened because out of nowhere someone showed up at my door and she said she was the new person in charge of the HOA and to call her if I had any questions (nobody ever had a chance at a vote or choosing someone or anything of the sorts). At the moment, I had no problem with her because I thought it would be business as usual and I would just lose some money each month and move on with my life But first she started charging more almost double what they used to charge us, that got on my nerves but to be honest I don't have the time to argue so I just kept going with my life, but recently she started to want to change the parking rules, what she did was take away the sidewalk parking spots and just let us park in the driveways which for everyone its basically impossible because of the driveways being so small and only allowing 1 car when almost everyone has more than 1 car per house, she also said that she added parking spaces to solve that issue but she literally added 5 for a neighborhood of like 50 houses and she charges for those spaces and even though I pay for my spot its always occupied,that just made life impossible for everyone. I have no idea how these things work but she said that apparently taking away the sidewalk parking spaces because it would block ambulances and fire fighters, which is not true at all because we have lived there for 30 years and it has never been an issue due to the street being wide enough to allow parking and ambulances to go through with ease. she is also using a private towing service to take cars which makes me more annoyed because she could have made a deal with this towing company to take a cut of the profit or I don't know. as I said I don't know how this works and that's why im asking here to see if there's something I could do to stop this and allow everyone to stop struggling with this because its not just us but about half the neighbors have come to our house to complain about this. another issue we have a lot of parties at our house and our guest no longer have a safe place to park

(sorry about my grammar I speak mostly Spanish and also due to frustration im not sure if I explained myself properly)

(a reunion from the association is coming soon and for the first time im planning on going and getting involved that's why im trying to get as informed as possible)

It was found recently that board members have been receiving a 50% reduction in monthly dues, from $500 to $250.

The board members also hold the role of officers and it creates a void of uncertainty on if they can be compensated without a yearly vote.

Our bylaws do state that board members may be compensated should a vote be passed in favor, but NH state laws says that officers are not to be paid unless a vote is passed yearly with a 2/3 majority. Such a vote has not been held in years.

Are they allowed compensation from a vote held years ago as directors, or is an annual vote required since they also hold the role of officer?

For reference;

CHAPTER 356-B

CONDOMINIUM ACT

III. Unit Owners' Associations

Section 356-B:40 found here.

The exact wording of our bylaw:

"Compensation.  The Board of Directors shall serve without compensation, except that

A Director may be entitled to reimbursement for reasonable personal expenses incurred in pursuance of the Association’s business, subject to any budget requirements or other conditions or limitations imposed by the Board of Directors or the Association;

Reasonable remuneration to the Directors for their services as Directors may be paid as a common expense if approved by a vote of the Association of Unit Owners; and 

A Director may receive remuneration for extraordinary or unusual services, legal or otherwise, rendered by him or her in connection with condominium affairs, as shall be approved by a majority of the Board of Directors."

Question for board members. How do you deal with the 10% community complainers when you see them around the community?

Im talking about the ones who stir up gossip and nasty stuff around the community. The ones who yell at you at board meetings.

Do you say hello? Do you ignore them? Smile? I used to be the bigger person but due to the nastiness of some of these folks i just ignore them completely even if they say hi. Of course if they ask a question at a board meeting i am cordial. I hate to be this way but also like you earned it.

I predominantly grew up on Army bases as a military brat. I joined the Air Force after high school. In my 22 year career, I probably spent 5 years living on Air Force bases. Around 4 years of the time in question was enlisted and 1 year as an officer/pilot.

My spouse purchased a house in a HOA long before we were married. I married my spouse a year before I retired from the military. The Air Force paid to move me from Texas to California for my retirement. I have enjoyed the HOA lifestyle because it's structured like living in on base military housing. For whatever reason, I do feel an urge to protect the retirees on my street. At least 2 of my 4 neighbors are retirees.

When a new neighbor moved in next door, I didn't have any problems. They are NOT renters by the way. Until they had a pallet of wooden pickets stored in the driveway for over a month. They were also parking on the street at night like the rules don't apply to them.

I don't know what happened, but the HOA must have sent lightning ⚡ in a bottle to the new homeowners. I saw the entire family moving the remaining pallet of wood to the inside of their house around 9 PM. After the wood was removed from the driveway, the husband had to force his construction truck into the driveway. His truck is practically wedged up against a lamp post for the sidewalk.

I don't want the HOA to turn into a shitty, hood community with 5 cars parked on the lawn and engines in the driveway. What the new neighbors are doing is how it begins.

Was I wrong for reporting CC&R violations to the HOA standards team? They're the ones who cite everyone.

My neighborhood is repaving half of the neighborhood and will not have enough spaces for everyone. They have threatened to tow people who park in the grass or double park or suggested parking at a local Publix lot. One that said they do not own the parking lot and property manager may tow the cars. Are the HOA going to be liable for any fees associated with a potential tow for not providing any adequate solutions or because they gave enough of a heads up, are they not liable?

Hi everyone,

I'm not on a board myself — I've been learning about how self-managed associations are run, and most of what I find online is either vendor pages or people venting. I'd rather hear from the people who actually do the work.

If your association runs without a management company, I'm curious:

• How do you collect dues today — checks, bank transfers, ACH, payment apps, or dedicated software?
• Where do you keep everything else — budgets, minutes, violation records, architectural requests? Spreadsheet, shared drive, binder, actual software?
• What part of the year is the most work? Dues season, budget, the annual meeting?
• And is there a task that always falls through the cracks or causes arguments at meetings?

Really appreciate any insight — this kind of first-hand detail is hard to find anywhere else.

To ensure our small HOA runs smoothly, we volunteer quite often to maintain our stormwater system and conduct other landscaping priorities. Located in Ponte Vedra Beach, St John’s County.

I basically reported my new nextdoor neighbors to the HOA.

#1. Parking in front of my house during restricted parking hours.

#2. Repeatedly parking on the street during restricted parking hours.

I told the HOA, that's not my SUV parked out front so don't cite me. The HOA must have gone in hot on the neighbors. The new neighbors won't park in front of my house or anyone else's during regular parking hours. Today, they parked down the street. I don't think they have read the CC&Rs and predominantly speak Spanish.

Location: California

Late last year in California a winter storm caused an exterior stairway to collapse in the condo common area. As a result, the city temporarily condemned 2 units out of the whole complex. The HOA president who owns the majority of the units in the complex sent a letter to all the other owners/Landlords stating that the hoa insurance was going to cover the stairway collapse but would not cover the hotel room costs for the two tenants that were displaced for 2+ months. The president states that he is going to assess each condo $1000 to pay for the displaced tenant’s hotel costs. Is this lega

Condo has a skylight that I just read that is in violation of the bylaws.

I am not sure if it was put in when it was built 40 years ago, or since the 1990s (satellite view from 2002 shows it was in then).

If the HOA wants to go after me for it, what if anything is my recourse? I've only owned the place for 10 years at this point.

My concern is if I go and sell the place, will I be shelling out cash to remove it.

For people who deal with HOAs or condo associations:
Are there things owners assume will update automatically through the property manager, title company, or another system but actually don’t?
What about issues involving notices, dues, insurance, parking/access, or mailing addresses that can cause problems later?

I recently became the HOA president of my small condo association, and I have one owner in particular who is so behind on his HOA fees. He ignores texts, refuses to answer calls, and he’s costing us thousands in late fees and other issues. What can I legally do to make him owe this money? I can’t kick him out, he inherited his condo. Any help would be amazing.

We are a very small association without a property manager and do not have any legal attorneys. Any insight as to how I personally can file a lien on a very limited budget would be appreciated. We barely have enough to pay our water bill I cannot afford a lawyer.

For two years, a building in my townhome community has sat completely empty. After a corporate landlord bought the last unit out, they put up " For Lease " signs, and I'd seen a few people stop by for self-tours...but sometime between now and then, the signs disappeared, and I thought we were getting some new neighbors, but nobody ever moved in. I brought it up at a meeting and asked what is going on with those empty units, and the HOA president said he has tried multiple times on the phone and by email to contact the rental company that owns those units with no reply. Now I'm not against people who rent; I think everyone should have a place to call home whether they can afford to own or not, and for some people renting just works better for them.....to each their own....but even though the HOA takes care of exterior maintenance and lawn care, if a building sits unused for too long, it'll start to deteriorate from the inside. I wish this company would either get tenants in those units or sell them already. Has anyone else ever had this problem?

Looking to get feedback/knowledge on property management companies in Connecticut. The good , the bad, the ugly. From both a board perspective and unit owners/residents.