Homeowner to HOA Board Member - Back to Homeowner

I became an HOA Board Member, of a 22-member condominium community, due to mismanagement of prior management companies within our HOA. It was a challenge for our community to become self-managed as most homeowners did not want to become involved, and an opportunity for a new board to "show and tell" the neighborhood as to the benefits of being self-managed, both financially and professionally. In that respect, more homeowners were pleased with the prompt attention to the community, since the board members actually lived within the confines of the HOA. Within the first year, there were multiple repairs that had not been done by any of the management companies. The previous board engaged vendors that were, clearly, a conflict of interest, and gave poor performance for services paid by the HOA. Additionally, the HOA's governing documents were over 14 years out-of-date, and were not being followed - basically, the board and management company were doing whatever they wanted to do, and giving themselves perks that no one else in the community was benefiting from.

Obviously, the self-managed approach angered those who had been on the board, as their lack of due diligence became exposed. The homeowners were paying dues, but nothing was being done, except making the management company rich off our monies, and no financial accountability was transparent.

Personally, either HOA's are to be regulated, or HOA's need to be abolished. HOA's are quickly becoming tyrannical dictatorships, and imposing their own personal agenda on others who do not share their viewpoints. Every day, there are multiple articles expressing dissatisfaction of the bullying tactics by the board, management company, or both, against honest homeowners. As more of these HOA communities spring up, it will only anger, divide, and consequently end up costing the homeowners and the HOA's thousands of dollars; essentially putting HOA's into foreclosure, bankruptcy or receivership.