I post links whenever I hear of an interesting story. This one is MUST-READ! It’s written by a Florida lawyer who talks about how corrupt lawyers in the HOA system are. You’d think that the average legislator would read such a post and demand that the laws be changed. But they never do. To me, it just points to the out-of-control corruption that infests the legal industry and the legislatures in every state.
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” -Shakespeare (King Henry VI)
Homeowners are gradually finding more lawyers willing to represent them against bully HOA boards. That’s great news. Along that line, a Florida law firm is aggressively advertising that it will take up cases of wronged homeowners. Their online ad is pretty good. We need at least one law firm like this in every state.
Want to know how to crash an entire neighborhood’s property values? Just tell homeowners that absolutely no Christmas lights or decorations are allowed, even inside the windows of a home. Violators will be fined. Then spread the word to all Realtors who might want to list property in that area. Bam! Your home is worth tens of thousands of dollars less.
Muirfield Village Homeowners Association. Mesa, Arizona.
Yep. The board has been threatening action against any fool who puts up Christmas decorations. Most of them have been taken down. We’re not talking Dickens’ Scrooge or Suess’s Grinch, here. We’re talking about board members whose collective brain capacity is that of a pet rock. I take it back. A pet rock is probably a little smarter.
I’ve only met her once during a brief luncheon in Denver, but Molly Dunn is one of a growing number of brave people trying to stand up for the rights of homeowners across America.
She testified before the Massachusetts Legislature to try to plead for more help for homeowners who run afoul of their HOAs. She worked with the staff of Massachusetts Senator Dan Wolf. Wolf has been trying to put some teeth into the law that supposedly requires HOA boards and management companies to let homeowners see the books. But many HOA boards and management companies are very reluctant to do so. A possible reason, Molly says, “is that homeowners might recognize inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the records.”
Molly says Senator Wolf and his staff who supported her through her struggle. And Senator Wolf was tenacious. He introduced pro-homeowner legislation four separate times. Molly says he’s retiring next year which is sad because a politician of his good character is rare these days. She asks that people drop him a short thank you note. (Daniel.Wolf@masenate.gov)
And here’s the link to the story about the Massachusetts Senate hearing.
The daughter of a Nashville family nearly died after accidentally getting a window blind cord wrapped around her neck. But their HOA won’t let them put up safer blinds.
This one is personal to me because a close friend had this happen to his child. His son was playing in the basement standing on a chair pretending the window blind cord was a lasso. My friend heard things suddenly go quiet and went downstairs to check. His son was hanging by the neck, the cord wrapped around his throat. He saved his son and the paramedics took the child to the hospital. He lived. But many others across the country have died.
How does an HOA board have the gall to forbid the use of safer blinds?
