Community Associations Institute (CAI), the organization that ‘pretends’ it helps HOA homeowners while in reality it’s a referral agency for lawyers, managers and others who insist that fines, lawsuits, liens and foreclosures are good things, is showing some ‘distressing’ news to HOA insiders. It’s a graph that shows a slowing in the growth of people living in Homeowners Associations.
There’s an obvious reason to like this graph. HOAs have done themselves no favors by getting aggressive against homeowners they don’t like. As many reading this forum know, many HOAs have turned neighborhoods into seething battlegrounds where neighbor fears neighbor, and the act of being friendly can get you sued.
There was an interesting column from a blogger a couple of weeks ago about the bizarre proposed legislation in Virginia that would allow HOAs to fine ANY homeowner for ANYTHING as long as the CC&Rs didn’t specifically ban such fines. It has to be one of the biggest proposed power grabs in history. The column is fascinating and worth reading, in that it was written by an HOA president who opposed this fascist piece of legislative work.
But what really caught my attention is this columnist’s belief that this piece of legal outrage is supported by Republicans who traditionally oppose big government.
In the same way homeowners are getting wiser and wiser to the nightmares of HOAs and condo associations so are the engineering professionals who get caught in the very early stages of this insanity. The HOA attorneys are wiping them out, too.
I love it when “insiders” open the can of worms on corruption. This time it’s the structural engineers and their insurers sounding the alarm about working with architects and developers on condominium projects. And their insurance agents are giving them a “heads up” on how to protect themselves against the inevitable HOA lawsuit.
I knew it was coming. I just didn’t realize how massive the damage would be. It’s huge.
Some close friends just sold their HOA home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Before they could sell their house they had to come up with $10,000 at closing, much of that for a Transfer Fee. The Realtor didn’t warn them (they rarely do). Despite me writing Neighbors At War, and doing this blog nightly, these friends just didn’t understand what was coming. It’s hard for younger folks to listen to the ‘old man.’ I’m embarrassed to say that at their age I never listened to my own ‘old man’, either.
Just about every time you think it can’t get worse, it does.
The Virginia Legislature is considering a bill that would essentially allow Homeowners Associations to fine homeowners for almost anything, even if those ‘violations’ are not mentioned in the original deed restrictions or CC&Rs.
Wanna fine a homeowner who’s too fat? No problem under this law.
Wanna fine a homeowner with a handicapped kid? No problem. Just guise the fine as one being levied against an ugly resident. Handicapped kids have federal protection. Ugly kids do not.
