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May 3, 2008

So Many Questions -So Little Time - About Making An Impact in Your HOA

I am so backed up right now with many, many good questions. I would like to quit everything else I am doing for a week and answer them all, but like taking a cup of water out of a bucket, it would hardly make a dent. However, I notice that a lot of the questions have a common theme - How does one make an impact in the HOA when they do not like the way things are going. I get questions from board members, owners, and relatives of owners and have been on a kick lately to let readers know -

There are lots of questions ...
My time is limited ...
There are lots of resources that are untapped (even on my website)...
There are processes that work.

Check out two of the latest blogs for courses of action to make a difference, to change something, to stop something, etc. Of course, if the pragmatic diligent courses of action do not work, there is always an option to sue. I very rarely recommend that course of action because it can be slow, frustrating, expensive, and downright offensive to the parties. Readers often want to go there first, until I tell them the cost can could exceed the equity in their home if it is a particularly fractious issue. I do not even need to know what the equity is - its just a way of getting things into perspective. That tends to help people get real, and if it really works, it gets them into proactive mode - determined to make a difference on their own.

I can dispose of many questions asked recently with this one blog, because of the common thread. Here are the questions. You can probably recognize the commonality even though the subjects seem unrelated:

Pool: "Workorders [in our HOA] are totally neglected unless of course it’s a board member. They are not doing their job...SAFETY AND CODE violations have been neglected for years ... at this complex. Myself and my roommate are owners so we have two owners ... even the mailman will testify the place appears to be going down... the HOA has failed this community. Do you have any advice for us?"

Trees: "Our Board has arranged to have several trees removed from our small community. Many owners are up in arms! The Board members seem to be focused on views although they protect themselves by saying its to prevent fires. They seem to be forgetting about aesthetics, shade, landscape design, wind protection, beauty in nature, and other methods of fire protection. Our HOA will go from a place of beauty to a place of ugly soon, if something is not done. What can we do?

Use of Pesticides: "I own a town home. I’ve brought up to the property manager my concern over pesticides that are sprayed on the premises. I provided the Board information from an article stating how dangerous and highly toxic these chemicals are especially to the small children on the property and especially now that they are spending more time outside as it is warmer. Pretty much I feel like I’m being ignored. Any solutions?"

Want More Info: "What should ones course of action be if they believe that certain longtime HOA bored members are not being forthright or honest with the members ? Once a year we get a statement and thats it. They do not even try to enlighten us with monthly minutes. Is almost like they do not want us to know what is going on. The last annual statement included a finacial forecast for 30 YEARS OUT. That hardly seems realistic! Thank you in advance for any insight you may offer."

Want Action: "What recourse does a homeowner have if the Association Board takes over 4 months to deal with a simple rule infraction by a tenant? I have been trying to get my neighbor to remove her filing cabinets and 5 gallon water bottles from the front hall since Thanksgiving to no avail. All the Board says is: Have patience. "

Audit: "Me and some of the neighbors think the board and management are pilfering funds and misspending HOA money. We cannot get the Board to do an audit (duh). They say "it is too expensive" and "there is nothing that requires us to do one." What can we do?"

If you want some very practical ways of dealing with questions, concerns and issues like those noted above from readers, check out the two recent blogs: How To Communicate Concerns in Your HOA and What Can You Do If Your HOA Board is Out of Control? . Check out the inexpensive books and publications on the website. If you believe you need more specific information, or need to go a step further, but don't know what that step might be, look for the consultation form on the website at www.californiacondoguru.com. I will make myself available for a telephone consultation if there is no conflict of interest, at my hourly rate (one hour minimum). I need to form to determine whether there is a conflict of interest (I need to know who the parties are and what the problem is in a few words).

And watch this blog for more ...

Posted by Beth Grimm at May 3, 2008 2:32 PM