CCFJ.NET: HOAs Behaving Badly – and How Homeowners Can Fight Back
Article Courtesy of FOX NEWS
Published February 9, 2016
If you own your home, you may be king or queen of your domain. However, if it’s part of a planned community or complex, you’ll probably need to kowtow to a homeowners association. And you may wind up feeling a bit more like a serf.
The HOA, which enforces community rules and maintains common areas, can be quite useful — but sometimes it can come across more like Big Brother. Read about HOAs that put neighborliness aside all in the name of rules, and how you can cope if yours does the same.
Changing its tune on a change of paint color The color blue is supposed to be calming, but in October 2015 it got some neighbors seeing red. According to news site KHOU.com, newlyweds Keely and Peter Dubrova had decided to paint their home in Atascocita, TX, a vivid shade of teal — with permission from their HOA. A week and a half later, the same board demanded the Dubrovas repaint after an online photo of their so-called Smurf house sparked an uproar, and even threats to “to hang them.”
Expert advice: “The HOA cannot legally revoke approval after the homeowners have relied on the approval and spent money on it,” says Mike Hunter, an attorney with Horack Talley in Charlotte, NC, who focuses on community and condominium law. So, the Dubrovas should stand their ground; but if they’re open to repainting, the HOA should foot the bill. Read more: