HOA Board Members and Management Companies Are Out Of Control

Our family is diligent with our home's upkeep. We mow the grass every week and spray for weeds. We even power wash stains off the driveway regularly. There was one instance where the HOA sent us a nasty letter saying we needed to correct a violation of weeds in and around the yard. There weren't any. When I emailed asking for pictures or clarification, I was told that it might have been sent in error and that as long as we didn't have any weeds when they did a recheck, it would be fine. We had another instance where our front tree died. It was still winter, but other trees had started to sprout leaves. We had already called an arborist because we knew the year before that we would need to replace the tree. The HOA sent a letter demanding that we replace the tree within 30 days or else. We were still getting snow, and the arborist had us scheduled out 7 weeks from when we got the HOA letter. Other homeowners have had similar issues with demands and threats that seemed too early or uncalled for.

Between the HOA and the management companies, everyone seems to be on a power trip. Demands and threats in my neighborhood are common, and we live in a well-maintained community. The authority that HOAs and board members think they have is like living in the Wild West. They are unchecked and unregulated for the most part, and homeowners have had enough.

I am a real estate broker and have buyers and sellers who now look at homes that are not in an HOA. Even rural communities are putting HOAs in place that dictate the standards at which a house has to be built on a piece of land. The overreach is out of control.