Ahh, the HOA. I'm a member of one. Been a member of another. Been on the boards of both (not at the same time!). My experience is that HOAs work hard to protect the property values of the common areas of the residents by maintaining standards and making sure folks follow the rules.
The rules, however, can be complicated and hard to find. The HOA rules where I live are in very small type, are many pages long, and many of the words are smudged. Most folks, understandably, don't read the rules when they buy property in an HOA and next thing you know, they are adding onto the home or building a fence and they get a not-so-friendly letter from the HOA telling them to stop construction.
In Maryland, the Attorney General's office handles some of the complaints against HOAs. The AG's office has a special unit designed to mediate disputes between homeowners and the HOA. Here's a link to the story.
My experience has been that problems between homeowners and HOAs are the result of miscommunication. Mediation would be a terrific way to help homeowners and their HOAs to understand the interests, which can be competing, between the HOA and a homeowner.
No comments:
Post a Comment