Are you troubled by your Homeowners Association’s (HOA) seemingly lack of concern and responsibility for unruly neighbors and damaged common areas? Let’s recall why HOAs are recommended.
Homeowners within HOA-managed communities pay so much per month, and it’s only fitting that the HOA does its job and sticks to what they say they’d do in the contract.
Some of the most common problems that alarm homeowners are:
- Neighbors that don’t clean their lawns
- Pets that excrete their dirt on other’s lawns
- Rowdy neighbors
- Damaged park structures
- Unrepaired clubhouse amenities
- Dirty streets and clogged stormwater drains
If you find yourself in any of these situations, don’t feel guilty about voicing out your concerns. If the problems escalate, it can affect your property’s value. This is because, in an appraisal, the state of the community or neighborhood is included in your property’s valuation. If your neighborhood is less than appealing or in a state where anyone’s safety and health are put at risk, no one would want to relocate to it, lowering the community’s demand.
So, what can you do to protect yourself, your property, and your future? Here are six (6) ways:
Talk to Your Neighbors
Are your neighbors being very disorderly and evidently violating neighborhood rules? If the problem comes from only one household, it would be best to speak to them personally first. You can calmly say to them the problem and why it’s causing you inconvenience. You can also review HOA contracts to see whether their actions really are a legal violation.
When talking to them, don’t get carried away by your emotions. Similarly, if your neighbor reacts negatively and aggressively, continue to stay calm and logical. Only when they continue to disturb you can you raise the concern up to concerned authorities.
Talk to the Person-In-Charge
In an HOA, different people hold different assignments. For example, one person can be assigned to manage the cleanliness of common areas, another person is in charge of making sure all the gym equipment is safe to use, and another is assigned to handle financial matters of the HOA.
Depending on your concern, you can contact your HOA and ask who the person in charge is. The PIC has more power and authority to do something about the issue and talk to your neighbors if the problem persists. Likewise, the HOA has the power to issue penalties to any homeowners who don’t abide by the law or to any homeowner who repeatedly disrupts the community.
Raise the Issue to the HOA Board of Directors
The HOA Board of Directions has the highest power in an association. It means that they have the responsibility to address problems that are left unsolved in the lower levels. If your HOA has a “book of bylaws,” you may be able to find some premises in there describing when an issue can be raised to the Board of Directors.
In some cases, a petition is needed for an issue to be recognized by the Board. A petition that includes a minimum number of signatories. So, if you’re troubled by any inconvenience in your community, try finding other homeowners who are experiencing the same problem and come up with a joint letter.
Appeal To Amend the Documents
Some HOAs are strict, while others are slightly easygoing. If your HOA is not very active in maintaining the community, chances are, it’s not really specified in the guidelines or contract.
After conscientiously paying your HOA fee on time, the last thing you may want to hear from the HOA is, “it’s not our job to solve the problem you have.” If this happens to you, review all the HOA documents. Talk with your neighbors about what they think about amending the documents, layout specific points you want to change/add, then raise your concerns to the HOA.
File a Lawsuit Against the HOA
Lawsuits against HOAs commonly root from problems that they directly caused homeowners. These include wrongfully charging HOA fees, damaging lawns due to unsolved blocked drains, unlawfully accusing you of violations you didn’t commit, and more.
What many fail to consider is that you can file a lawsuit against the HOA for negligence of their duties to the community. If you’ve raised your concern to the Board and received no response or action to solve the problem, you can raise your concern to government authorities. You’ll need to work with a lawyer for this, because he/she can validate facts and see what course you can follow best to sue your HOA in court.
Sell Your Home to a Professional Home Buyer
Homeowners who sell their homes due to HOAs that seem hopeless are more common than you think. Suing an HOA in court, for example, can be very expensive and time consuming that sometimes, leaving the community seems like the next best thing to do.
You may be wondering, though, whether selling a home would take you more time and effort than “fighting” your HOA. We’re here to tell you no. Well, if you sell your home on the market, it may take you a long time. However, if you sell your home off the market, you can be able to sell your home and move out of your community in as fast as a week or two.
How? Contact us at Spire Property Solutions. We will buy your home directly from you without the need for appraisal or real estate agents. You can sell your home to us and receive cash in as fast as two weeks.
Did we mention we will buy your house as is?
Give us a call today at (678) 318 – 1801 or send us a message through the form below!