About This Blog

The title of this blog is "Coalition To Build A Better HOA" which begs the questions; "What is a 'Coalition' and Why do we need one?", and "What's wrong with the current HOA?". I would like to address these questions separately.

Let's take the second question first. What's wrong with the HOA? Not much, really, it's just pretty useless to the homeowner and costs a lot of money with probably too much of that money going to a few for-profit corporations with little to no financial transparency to the homeowners.

To answer the second question, I am going to defer to Mr L.S. Carlson, a lawyer whose practice is probably the most successful in the country when it comes to serving the interests of homeowners in disputes with their Association. I've read his book, "Bad HOA" and recommend it to anyone with concerns regarding their Homeowners Association.

When a board starts abusing its authority, the first reaction many homeowners have is: burn the whole structure down.

And honestly, we're not here to talk anyone out of being angry.

Your home is supposed to be the place you decompress. Where your family lives. Where you've invested your money, your time, and a piece of your life. When that starts feeling like it's under attack - whether it's harassment, selective enforcement, ignored complaints, or a board that's gotten a little too comfortable with its authority - it stops feeling like home.

That's not a small thing. The anger people feel about that is completely understandable.

But once you get past that initial reaction, the practical question becomes: what tools do homeowners actually have?

Because the reality is that dissolving an HOA is extremely difficult.In most communities, the legal and financial complications make it close to impossible.

So what actually works?

One dynamic homeowners run into immediately is apathy.

You're dealing with a real problem, you're trying to get neighbors on board, and most of them just... aren't there yet. It hasn't affected them. They don't want the drama. They assume someone else will deal with it.

Bad Boards understand that dynamic very well. And they rely on it.

So what disrupts it?

Coalitions:
One homeowner complaining is easy to ignore. Three organized homeowners is a problem a board can't dismiss. If your dealing with deferred maintenance, financial mismanagement, selective enforcement, or an entrenched board member who's been there for years, chances are good you're not the only one who sees it. Finding even two or three like-minded neighbors can completely change the dynamics.

Elections:
The most direct path to change is still elections. You don't necessarily have to run yourself, but knowing who the candidates are, understanding their motivations, and getting neighbors to actually show up and vote matters more than people realize. A lot of bad boards stay in place simply because no one runs against them.

Recall:
It only takes 10% of the membership to force a recall vote by petitioning for a special meeting. The process has procedural requirements, but it's a real mechanism - and one many homeowners don't realize they have access to.

So, that's where I got the idea of a coalition. And I'm not suggesting anything formal, just a few like minded people who would like for their voice to be heard. There are no leaders, meetings or anything of that sort. We will simply communicate via email and take the time to attend the announced meetings of the Association and Board of Directors and let our voice be heard. If you would like to be added to our emails just drop me a note at richard.tackett07@comcast.net.