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This is one reason we bought a condo where rentals are not allowed. Absentee owners only care about their profit whereas owner occupants care about their quality of life as well as balancing expenses.
I have a few properties that are subject to homeowners’ associations (condo building boards, cooperative building boards, etc.). All of them have the following features:
1. For elections, the board circulates proxies in favor of the board president. Would you basically give a blank ballot to your Congressperson and let him or her fill it in for you?
2. The board can fill empty board seats itself. If there aren’t enough people at an owners meeting (either by proxy or in person), the board just stays in office. Would you let your Congressperson fill empty Congressional seats or stay in office if voter turnout on Election Day was below 50%?
3. There are no term limits.
4. There are no requirements to conduct elections as they are held for elected office in the US: no ballots are required and there is no requirement for the board to solicit candidates or publicize their names. Would you tolerate it if Election Day came and the government didn’t even have to provide a ballot?
Result: whoever is on the board can be in office forever and can pick like-minded people to fill the board, even if a majority of owners disagree.
Why do people tolerate this?
1. Proxies aren't the only way, you can always be at the meeting and vote yourself or you should be able to mail in your vote. If this isn't happening in your HOA then you need to find out what the laws are in your state. All boards circulate proxies or you can vote yourself by attending the meeting. With a proxy in two states I have lived you could vote on what was up at the meeting then assign a proxy to someone of like mind to vote for anything unknown that came up by a resident or you could just vote on what was on the agenda and not assign a proxy for anything. If not enough people came to the meeting or assigned a proxy and something not on the agenda that needed a certain percentage to pass came up it would have to wait for a next or special meeting.
2. Again, check the laws in your state as they apply to your HOA as they may be violating the rules. It is perfectly ok for them to appoint someone if someone dies or resigns from the board before the next election but that person must be voted in at the end of the elected persons term.
3. Again there are state rules on when their term expires, there may not be rules on how many terms they can serve.
4. Again, check your state rules because this isn't possible in Florida
They don't. Why are you? You need to remember, you are the HOA not the board and therefore unless you and your neighbors take an interest and that may mean running yourself than you have no one to blame but yourselves for what happens. All rules are spelled out in the bylaws and by the HOA state rules.
The theme of all these HOA threads seems to be HOA's are bad, that is definitely not true. Some are because of apathy of the homeowners and/or lack of state regulations.
I have a few properties that are subject to homeowners’ associations (condo building boards, cooperative building boards, etc.). All of them have the following features:
1. For elections, the board circulates proxies in favor of the board president. Would you basically give a blank ballot to your Congressperson and let him or her fill it in for you?
2. The board can fill empty board seats itself. If there aren’t enough people at an owners meeting (either by proxy or in person), the board just stays in office. Would you let your Congressperson fill empty Congressional seats or stay in office if voter turnout on Election Day was below 50%?
3. There are no term limits.
4. There are no requirements to conduct elections as they are held for elected office in the US: no ballots are required and there is no requirement for the board to solicit candidates or publicize their names. Would you tolerate it if Election Day came and the government didn’t even have to provide a ballot?
Result: whoever is on the board can be in office forever and can pick like-minded people to fill the board, even if a majority of owners disagree.
Why do people tolerate this?
Since you're the one tolerating it, why don't you tell us?
Because they’re too lazy to attend meetings and vote. You slam the Board as if it’s malfeasance on their part keeping them in office when it’s really the owners who don’t care who runs the HOA as long as they don’t have to lift a finger.
People stay in office forever because if they are willing to do the job and even remotely good at it, they are better than the alternative (either nobody or a wacko). People are not exactly lining up for an unpaid demanding position where everyone wants to criticize everything you do or do not do. The few people who are lining up for the job are either the only ones you want or exactly the ones you do not want in the position.
People stay in office forever because if they are willing to do the job and even remotely good at it, they are better than the alternative (either nobody or a wacko). People are not exactly lining up for an unpaid demanding position where everyone wants to criticize everything you do or do not do. The few people who are lining up for the job are either the only ones you want or exactly the ones you do not want in the position.
^^^ This ^^^ Go to the meetings and vote, run for office yourself, or quit complaining.
the same reason people don't get involved in the towns they live in....they are lazy. Think about how many people actually attend the meetings that are held for the town they live in with the council members
As mentioned, people don't pay attention until something impacts them or they get pissed off about something (Christmas decorations, stop signs, the "wrong people" coming to the beach, etc.).
Seeing a lot of feedback, but none that is very constructive. I'll take a swing:
Residents of a neighborhood have the ability to act democratically and petition the city for most public infrastructure needs, even without an HOA. The problem with that is, a single homeowner can prevent a change which requires unanimous approval - for example, converting a private road to public. The "hung jury" effect.
HOAs come into effect when you want uniformity for ALL, as defined by the VOTING majority. People who don't show up for meetings and don't vote are not automatically counted as a vote of "no" on every proposal, sorry.
HOAs can speak for all residents, and have more clout when requesting and purchasing services to maintain or improve the development: leaking water mains, broken curbs, manhole lip sticking up 2" from the asphalt... lawn care, trash collection, even Christmas decorations!
When dues include lawn care and trash pickup, it can ensure all lawns are trimmed and edges uniformly, without having "that one neighbor" who doesn't edge, doesn't believe in turning over his mulch, or doesn't believe in paying for trash pickup and stinks up his garage (and neighbor's front yards) with bags of rotting trash until he has enough to fill his pickup truck bed.
from the beginning: "Why do people tolerate this?"
3 reasons:
1. they really do not care. not one bit.
2. they signed on agreeing to sign away some rights.
3. they do not live there. investments, like living on Wall Street.
Most don’t care until something effects them or they have a complaint they want to air. Then they will be at the meetings and seem to care until their problem is resolved.
Most don’t care until something effects them or they have a complaint they want to air. Then they will be at the meetings and seem to care until their problem is resolved.
Actually, that's how I see it. I prefer to ignore the HOA as much as possible.
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