"So long as the association properly assembles and votes to amend the CC&Rs, and so long as the underlying plats and formative documents were in place when you bought the property, they can do virtually anything short of banning blacks and Jews. And IN FACT they can even do that. They just can't ask a court to enforce it."
Jesus Christ...
No, that is
NOT TRUE
Haven't you been reading ANYTHING I've been writing?
You know, Cosmoline, change a few words around in that little screed, and it reads like something our best buddies at the Violence Policy Center or the Brady Bunch wrote...
"These evil black hyper deadly, hyper powerful assault machine rifles have no place in modern society, being useful only for murdering women, small children...."
Here are some troublesome facts.
Hopefully this time they will take.
1. HOAs do NOT have unlimited, uncontrolled powers to dominate every aspect of life in the community.
2. Depending on the laws of the state in which the HOA is incorporated, it MAY have more powers than a local town or city -- but that is NOT necessarily true.
3. Depending on the laws of the state in which the HOA is incorporated, the powers of the HOA may be extremely limited.
4. The HOA must, at all times, follow applicable local, state, AND Federal laws on a wide variety of matters -- again, these will vary from state to state.
5. Like all other forms of government, the HOA is, or SHOULD be, responsive to the people it serves.
What to know the BIGGEST reason why HOAs get out of control?
Because of member apathy. They don't know and don't care what the HOA is doing until there's a huge problem, and then all they can do is piss and moan and blame someone else for the problem.
The biggest problem that my HOA faces on a daily basis?
Member apathy.
Call a special meeting to discuss the budgetary impact of having to resurface several parking lots and roads? No one shows up.
Raise the monthly membership fees to cover the cost of moving to professional management? No one says a word.
Have the snowplow leave a 3" high ridge of snow behind some cars when it turns the corner? Then we finally see some life out of the members, who only want to piss and moan about the horrible job that the plowing contractor did...
Doesn't matter that the plowing contractor had the community lots and roads passable HOURS before a state plow hit the road into the community.
Doesn't matter that we were, again, the FIRST community to be plowed by our contractor before he hit any of his other 35 clients.
Just wah, I have to spend 5 minutes shoveling a little snow. My life is such a
ing hardship.
Homeowner's Associations aren't the hardship, Cosmoline.
It's apathetic people who refuse to lift a goddamned finger to take an interest in their communities, their neighbor, their government, etc., but whose voices are the loudest and the whiniest when they think that they've suffered some sort of grievous insult at the hands of the HOA.
Listen to them whine, try to keep your temper in check, and ask them what their solution to the problem would be? (and I swear to God, I had a member say this to me...) "I don't know, how should I know, that's your job, you're on the board of directors!"
That's the hardship when it comes to homeowner's associations.