Right from the very beginning there were problems in mandatory membership Homeowner Associations.  No matter how creative the spin or how big the lies about the illusive benefits of HOA living, the sad truth is, the problems were always there.  Every effort to “fix” them resulted in bigger problems and even more headaches. They, in turn, led to bigger and more unconscionable abuses by the HOAs against their own homeowners. Every subsequent “fix” simply exacerbated the problems.  And contrary to what the advocates of controlled living would have us believe, none of the horror stories are “isolated incidents”. Every state grapples with the same problems every year and every year new laws are proposed, argued over, some enacted, many of the good ones passed over and a year later we are all back trying to “fix” the same problems, yet again.

After four decades of this charade, you’d think we’d learn, wouldn’t you?

Frank Short joins us On The Commons.  Frank is an attorney with an Irish wit, a strong sense of right and wrong and a very keen understanding of the HOA laws and the inherent issues.  He has been around long enough to have a rich supply of HOA stories.  Frank joins us for our annual St. Patrick’s Day round-up of HOA bills that have been introduced in Virginia.  We look at the bills, talk about what they will do and whether or not they will help homeowners.  We also talk about some very good proposed legislation in Illinois.  And to keep it interesting and fun, Frank regales us with actual tales from the HOA trenches.