RALEIGH — A couple of years ago, two members of the state House who had been overseeing efforts to rein in abusive homeowners associations gave their colleagues a skeptical send-off as they handed over leadership of their committee. “I wish you well,” said Rep. Julia Howard, a Davie County Republican. Howard and then-state Rep. Jennifer Weiss, a Wake County Democrat, referred to previous legislation passed by the General Assembly as watered-down. At the time, legislators had approved a measure that required a homeowners association board to at least take a vote before lawyers or property management companies could begin foreclosure proceedings. Since then, the General Assembly has approved a law that encourages mediation when homeowners and the associations that enforce neighborhood covenants get into disputes.
Other bills, though, were never voted on. They include one that prohibits foreclosure proceedings over delinquent fees and another that would have required association board members to take a training course. To put the developments in perspective, state lawmakers probably have heard more complaints, at least of the unorchestrated variety, about abusive homeowners associations than any other topic in recent years. Read more: http://www.dailyadvance.com/opinion/other-views/scott-mooneyham-why-reining-homeowner-associations-difficult-347248