Navigating Homeowners Associations: Tips and Insights

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” ~Amelia Earhart

I apologize for not posting on Friday. Unfortunately, I am having issues with a contractor. As a result, I spent the day drafting a message to him and his general manager, but didn’t send it. I plan to send it soon, carefully choosing my words to clearly express my expectations for their workmanship. I want to be concise and avoid verbosity when I finally send the message [sigh]. Oh! Well! So! Let’s talk about navigating Homeowners Associations.

In my community, there are two HOAs—something I only discovered after my HOA foreclosed on over 50 homes. As fate would have it, I, for once in my life, went through the mail. I saw I had several violation notices. I contacted the attorney’s office. The woman I spoke with was cold as ice. She told me I needed to sell my inoperable car and pay the fines.

My car was in the driveway and a tire had gone flat. I was planning on having the car fixed but I was taking care of my elderly mom. As a result, my income was affected by caring for her and I couldn’t get the car fix. But! I would put air in the tires when I noticed them on a flat! Sadly, the time I didn’t was flagged by the HOA.

Well, anyhow, after being told to sell my car, I called the HOA. I explained my situation. They waived their fees, but I still had to pay the attorney fees. I agreed to the terms of a payment plan. I consistently made my payments on time. I used any extra funds to settle the remaining balance. Eventually, I moved on, learning from the experience.

I now contact the Homeowners’ Association (HOA) at least four times annually to verify whether I have any outstanding violations. To date, I have received only one notice, which was a result of the addition of two security cameras. I addressed the issue by informing the HOA that my truck had been broken into. Regrettably, the only camera was positioned too far to clearly recognize the perpetrator, so I added the cameras. They acknowledged the violation, and no penalty was imposed.

SUGGESTIONS

• Bookmark your HOA website
• Put your HOA among your email contacts
• Download and read Governing Documents
• Download and read Policies and Resolutions
• Download all forms
• Set reminders to email your HOA four times annually, checking for violations
• Get involved

Let’s pray!

Father God, help us in managing our lives with the professionalism of a business. Help us to assume the roles of CEO’s over our personal affairs. Amen