Apparently going by the notion that the best way to keep a child from getting run over while playing outside is to keep the kids from going outside, a homeowners association in Boca Raton, FL, has decided to ban just about any fun activity a child might enjoy in the complex’s shared areas. [More]
How A Homeowners Association Went Bankrupt Because Of One Obama Yard Sign
By February 11, 2013
Back in 2008, a couple in Olde Fairhaven, Virginia put up a sign in their lawn showing their support for a presidential candidate. This simple action led to a feud that has raged for years and cost the neighborhood homeowners association hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now the HOA is broke, and the central “town square” that turns a clump of townhouses into something resembling a community is up for sale. [More]
HOA Installs Radar, Issues Speeding Tickets
By November 5, 2012
With no one but themselves to police the speed limits of their gated a community, a homeowners association in Colorado has set up a radar system and begun issuing tickets to speeders. [More]
NJ Supreme Court: HOA Can’t Tell You To Remove Political Signs From House
By June 13, 2012
As you may have heard, it’s a presidential election year, which means homeowners associations all around the country will be removing — and fining people for — political signs placed in residents’ front yards and windows. But the people of New Jersey are now free to announce their favorite candidates without fear of reprisal. [More]
9 Examples Why You May Want To Avoid Homeowners Associations Like The Plague
By May 15, 2012
We watch a lot of real estate shows here at Consumerist HQ, especially the many variations on the “show three places and pretend to pick the one that you’re already in escrow on.” And while home buyers always remember to ask, “Are there HOA fees?”, they don’t ask the more important questions, like “Why in the world am I buying a place with an HOA?” [More]
HOAs Feeling The Financial Sting Of Abandoned Houses
By July 8, 2011
With a sea of homes left empty by erstwhile homeowners who couldn’t afford the mortgage, a number of homeowner associations around the country have are stuck having to pay for the upkeep on vacant properties lest the value of the remaining homes be harmed any further. [More]
HOA Board Member Says They're Not All Money Grubbing Scumbags
By July 1, 2010
Yesterday we wrote about how in Texas, there’s been a bit of a spree of homeowner’s associations (HOAs) foreclosing on people’s houses over just a few hundred in late dues, then selling the house to themselves and turning it around for a juicy profit. And now, the other side of the story. Robert is an HOA board member in Texas and while his association does sometimes foreclose in order to collect, there’s more to the situation than meets the eye. Here’s his take: [More]
HOAs Foreclose On Homes Over $500 In Late Dues Then Flip For Personal Profit
By June 30, 2010
In Texas, Homeowner’s Associations (HOAs) are on a foreclosing spree, selling members’ homes on the courthouse steps for just a few thousand dollars simply because they are a few hundred dollars behind on their homeowner’s dues. Sometimes they’re even selling it to HOA board members, who turn around and sell the house for half of what it’s worth, netting a tidy profit. [More]
Man May Lose Home Over Refusal To Pay Dog-Walking Fine
By April 20, 2009
A Florida man who won’t walk his dog on a leash now seems set to lose his $380,000 home, all because he refuses to pay a $1,000 ‘leash violation’ fine to his Homeowners Association. And he’s ready to kill over it.
