Sunday, August 21, 2011

How to Disband a Homeowner's Association

A quick tour of your favorite search engine's menu on the topic of "disbanding homeowner's associations" sites would be mildly entertaining if inquiries weren't so fraught with rants and anger. A great HOA does nothing but help a community share expenses and responsibility, but when power is abused and members reach a collective breaking point, there's nothing to be done short of cutting the umbilical cord that holds residents to an existing, structured code of conduct.

1 comment:

The Right To Own Your Own Home said...

"A great HOA does nothing but help a community share expenses and responsibility, but when power is abused and members reach a collective breaking point,"

Which explains why HOAs have a 70% negative approval rating from homeowners who live in HOAs.

"Two-thirds of people who live in the jurisdiction of a homeowners association are "annoyed" by them, or worse, and 19% have been in what they call a "war" with their HOA. This is according to a survey of more than 3,000 customers by Service Magic."

source: "Two-Thirds 'Annoyed' With HOA, Survey Says" L.A. Times (blog). September 05, 2007. "HOA Problems and Complaints" Service Magic.

According to the survey of homeowners in H.O.A.s,

- 08% think they're great
- 16% think they're OK (24% positive)
- 21% think they're a minor annoyance
- 48% think they're a major headache (69% negative)
- 07% gave no opinion
- 19% said they had been in what they call a "war" with their HOA
- 54% said they "would rather live with a 'sloppy neighbor' than deal with an HOA."
- 78% said they might consider NOT buying a home under the jurisdiction of an HOA