Are home owner assoiciations (HOA) out of control?

Question

My brothers HOA measures his yard with a ruler to see if its too long and if it is they asses a fine right away.

Answer 1

It depends on where you live. The most important thing you can do BEFORE you buy a house is to get a copy of the HOA rules and regulations about a property. If they are too restrictive, move on & don't buy a house in that sub-division.

The really powerful HOA's generally developed because of a lack of local zoning ordinances & on the basis of unfortunate experiences with neighbors who didn't maintain their property or had peculiar ideas about exterior decoration like painting the outside of their house day-glo orange or chartreuse.

HOA's generally reflect the mind-set of the people living in any given development - the boards, after all, are elected by the property owners. If a particular board has gotten out of control (which unfortunately does occur in many situations), then they should be thrown out at the earliest possible opportunity - usually at the next annual HOA meeting.

In Texas, where there traditionally has been little or no municipal zoning, HOA's are particularly strong & wield enormous amounts of power. Property buyers need to be careful about what they are getting themselves into before buying a house.

Answer 2

This is the problem with living in this type environment. Rules are good to a point. They keep or raise property values. You always have to read and understand the rules before you sign a contract. As long as the rules are applied equally to every homeowner, they are within their rights.