We are in the midst of approving budget but the biggest bump in the road is installing the ButterflyMX system in our condo. Everyone on the board wants it but the question is more with timing and finances.

The major reluctancy to implement it in 2027 is because we already have a near $400k project that will be done (was done through special assessment) with some potential unknowns. This was also our 3rd special assessment in 6 years, so one group wants to delay this system (near $30k) to increase the reserves by the end of 2027.

The major push to implement in 2027 is safety. Although we have security cameras and an intercom system, we have issues with people buzzing in people who they don't know. We also have had tailgaters who then roam the halls to solicite. We also have an entry way with two sets of doors. The first is always unlocked which allows people to go in the alcove and then use the intercom system in the alcove to get passed the lock door. In rare occasions, a homeless person would sleep in there.

Everyone on the board wants the butterfly system but some want to delay to get finances more in order and others want to pull the trigger now.

The ones who want to pull the trigger now keep threatening that we could get sued or go to prison if something happens and we knew these issues were issues. Is that true? What would you do?

Hi there, first time poster to this sub. We bought our first house at the end of July. We have never had any correspondence from the HOA board/president. The only contact method available is an email that we have tried reaching out to multiple times with no replies. This is a townhouse community that was built in 1989 and my neighbor has been living here since 1990. I guess as of 4 years ago the HOA had just been absent, the only thing getting done around here is landscaping and the landscapers don’t even have a license # or company logo on their trucks.

There is a yearly HOA meeting and in the CC&R’s it says notice is to be given one month in advance via mail. We found out last Tuesday from a flyer taped on the mail box. There are people that rent here that are constantly dumping furniture around the dumpster, it’s gotten to the point where it looks like a dump because the garbage service will not pick up extra furniture. Our back fence is leaning and it’s supposed to be covered by the HOA, my neighbors deck is falling apart which is also supposed to be covered by the HOA (& his deck was mentioned in last years HOA meeting) but nothing is being done even a year later.

I just found out the current HoA president doesn’t even live at the complex anymore. I was never given bylaws or any further documents after receiving just the CC&R’s in our house title paperwork. Going into this meeting Tuesday I want to see what I can do to trigger a re-election but I also don’t want to come in hot headed and seem like a jerk.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Anyone know how I can better prepare myself for the meeting on the 20th?
Thanks in advance, I’m posting this right before I head to sleep, I work in healthcare weekend doubles so I’ll be busy sorry if my replies aren’t prompt. I will be fully available after the weekend.

Am I likely to get into a bit of trouble? I got the keys a couple weeks ago and have been slowly but surely moving in. After a day with some light rain, we realized we had a leak in the roof. Spent all week trying to get quotes and find the company who can start the soonest. We have some rain coming to SoCal next week and I don’t want this to become a more expensive fix. Can I argue my case if I get fined or something?

Complex wide re roof on 137 units. The “Friendly” Contractor registered 4 days before start of project, has zero tax filing, and pulled a residential permit on first day of the project.

Their permit says….. “Duplex - 160,000 square feet”

Building inspectors are going be pissed they are missing close to 10k in fees……

A friend of the Board’s said they are rushing to get as much done as possible before shut down because they are trying to meet a demand made by the condo insurance (new roofs by Oct 29th)

They didn’t bother to remove old underlayment, they’ve torn our siding, the foundation is cracking more as they go.

Meanwhile the “roofer” stands there with the management watching and smiling all prideful, as if it’s a job well done.

Well, until the neighborhood Crazy demands to see permits. Since then, there has been no site of management or the “roofer”, only the workers.

I’m pretty sure the insurance is not going to approve an illegal hack job like this. The new shingles are already sagging, since they didn’t even bother inspecting the sheathing, much less replacing/repairing it.

Time to sell the condo

Not a super straight forward situation, we have a 9 unit condo. 5 of these have in unit laundry, and the other 4 have access to a laundry room since they don’t have hook ups available in their units. We don’t have quarter machines, but rather have been charging $10 for those 4 units every month. Recently another owner got upset and wanted to be able to use the laundry room despite having in unit laundry and said he would be willing to pay the $10 dollars if that’s what it took. He think it costs way more than $40 dollars to operate each month and thinks it’s unfair. We compromised by stating there would be a price increase. I do think we need to increase the fee, as nothing in today’s world costs $10. As the title says, how much would you charge each unit for laundry? Water is shared for the whole building, so fees include the electricity to run it, the wear and tear on the machines, and the space used to operate the machines. There are 2 washers and 2 dryers.

Needing advice here. I have been on our board for a few years and we have an owner who is hostile at times and tries to scare tactic us to getting their way, which never works as we are always in compliance with things. We are having a project done and they keep saying some of the things we are doing are illegal in our state but yet we have a lawyer that specializes in condo law and all the things associated with it telling us that what we are doing isn't illegal per our state. This owner will throw out rules and regulations in emails and then we have been always able to respond back with why what they are saying does not apply. We made damn sure that we were doing things the correct way and the legal way. Sometimes they respond in nasty manners and its getting stressful for me at times.

How does your board handle this and if you are on the board how do you handle it?

To add we are run by a management company and have already signed a contract with the new management company as we did not like how RowCal handled our association.

I joined the board earlier this year and in doing the budget for next year have discovered that we will not have enough coming in to meet expenses even with a 20% increase in dues, let alone put money into reserves. Everything got so much more expensive this year than the previous board anticipated - insurance increased by an enormous amount, all the vendors have gone up, utilities are huge.

Our reserve study this year shows that the reserves are severely underfunded as well.

I normally live very frugally and aside from my mortgage I've never been in debt - I've never had to deal with a financial situation like this before. I feel very out of my depth.

I don't need to hear "should haves" right now. I know now that I went into buying a home very naively and all the personal issues I've had since then are not an excuse for being so disengaged before this year. It really shouldn't be as much of a surprise as it is.

I need some hope that we can turn it around. This situation makes me feel sick and defeated.

Has anyone considered canceling their cable and streaming services because the HOA meetings alone could win a primetime Emmy? Did you regret doing it? What was your favorite episode of HOA? If I enjoy this show, would you suggest I try the Board?

...sorry...had to cause I've spent 4 hours in meetings this week :(

A functioning skylight was replaced during an HOA roof project to preserve the roof warranty.

HOA says it is a unit component and charges the owner under §6.13.

§7.02 permits certain unit-component charges, even without defects.

§7.05 refers to Exhibit G, which assigns exterior-window-component responsibility to HOA.

§10.01(m) mentions windows and skylights together.

Other than that nothing in the documents mentioning skylight otherwise, or how it should be classified.

Does the exterior-window provision potentially cover the skylight, or does §7.02 control?

I do have a paper copy from when I bought my condo in 2014.

But since then I wanted an updated copy of everything in case there have been changes that were made.

I asked my property management and they responded:

"Digital copies governing documents can be obtained for $25 each, payable to us."

$25 for a digital copy sounds unreasonable.

Working on my April 1 ARC submission (we don't have an ARC but a form if you don't want to risk a fine) after reading city's guidelines not to rake yards after board decreed $100 per day fined after 26 years with two days notice if you exceed 25% coverage. Our Declaration doesn't permit rules on lots but the board does otherwise.

If your HOA makes you rake, they hate turtles. Meetal is not allowed but how could they tell?

ARC APPLICATION EXTERIOR MODIFICATION

Proposed improvement: Transparent aluminum enclosure for two humpback whales.

Purpose: Emergency marine mammal conservation and protection from HOA landscaping enforcement.

Materials: Six-inch transparent aluminum, specifications provided by a visiting Scottish engineer.

Contractor: Dr. Nichols, Plexicorp.

Anticipated impact on property values: Negligible, provided the whales remain submerged.

Applicant's response: “Hello, computer?” 🖱️

8/11 Initially submitted request for deck change
9/11 Due to zoning setbacks, deck dimensions needed to change
9/12 Mailed new deck design to HOA
9/21 Faxed photos since photos were never received
9/24 Management company called saying HOA wants additional dimensions for privacy fence but I told them I would skip privacy fence because I didn’t want to have to reset clock
10/6 Permit approved

My current plan is to start deck on 10/21 since bylaws state request is considered approved after 30 days if no approval received after completed application

Question: My contractor wants me to submit the approved plan/permit from the county with the privacy fence to help with their question. My concern is that it may reset the 30 days.
Would you submit the approved permit/plans to HOA or let the clock run out and build deck with privacy fence since the management company never sent formal request for additional information?

NOTE:
-The management company has never sent a formal request for additional information at anytime.
-All submissions are sent via mail or fax.

Our neighbors also have similar requirements in their CCRs and just don’t carry it.
What should happen? Amend the CCRs?

Our management company is now telling us we need to have every improvement/repair contract over $3000 reviewed by a lawyer. Is this reasonable? Seems like overkill to me.

This is a bit long but I wanted to provide context and attempt to tell/share my whole story.

I joined my board 3 years ago. I had been asked by a neighbor/friend who is also the board president prior to that, and I had turned her down. She asked again and I eventually agreed.

For the first couple years, it was relatively uneventful. Were there things I would like to be doing that didn't involve attending every board meeting, writing the meeting minutes, or other related tasks? Sure, but it was something I had committed to, so I was in and ready to contribute.

Fast forward to late last year. We had a resident move in who immediately began peppering the HOA email address with questions about everything under the sun. Many of these questions could rather easily be answered by glancing at our community rules or governing documents, and we would respond to them (I will call them A from here on out) by repeating the information found in those sources. A would ask the same questions over and over, which we thought was odd, but ultimately harmless. This same resident than became involved in a dispute with one of their neighbors. We told A over and over that they would need to document his noise violations including date, time, and duration, as well as videos if able. We must have explained the intricacies of the violation process in Colorado upwards of 20 times. This didn't stop A from coming to meetings and asking the exact same questions about violations and noise ordinances.

A then decides to start an organization in hopes of...well, I don't know exactly. Competing with the HOA? Generally stirring up discontent? I'm not really sure. This organization gives themselves a name and starts wearing their obnoxious branded hats to the HOA meetings. Many of the people who joined would have very loud side conversations at meetings and blatantly disrespect the proceedings. (And yes, we do use Robert's rules of order, 2 to 3 minutes to speak, must be called on, etc.) But these people were incorrigible.

Over time, resident attendance at meetings ballooned. When I started on the board, we would have maybe five people, and that would be a busy meeting. With A buying a house, creating this organization, and generally being a shit stirrer, we start to have so many people that the community room is standing room only. And with that many people, the behavior just gets worse. We would have to stop the meetings multiple times to remind residents about only one person speaking at a time, 3 minutes each in open forum, and the like.

This all reached a boiling point when we looked into a special assessment. I won't give too many details so as not to doxx myself, but it's a special assessment for a project that is sorely needed, very directly affects property value, and is related to weather conditions in our state. The company that would have executed this project came to our community room and attempted to do a presentation, which took them forever to get through because residents were shouting and screaming. People became so unruly that we decided to have security guards for the next meetings.

We had a meeting for in-person vote on the assessment and we fell short of quorum. Per our governing documents, quorum is pretty high and we had a good turnout but didn't meet it. We tried to explain this to people but it's just like they didn't want to listen or hear. The vocal minority who happened to be at the meeting were against the special assessment and that meant they wouldn't listen to recent or logic. We were there for nearly 3 hours with people asking the same questions over and over and just generally being extremely angry and unpleasant. I think a couple people were intoxicated and it was just like dealing with an angry mob.

This meeting was, by far, the worst I've experienced in my time on the board. I've worked retail. I've worked in a call center. I've worked as a substitute teacher in Title I schools. My worst days at those jobs didn't come close to the general atmosphere and behavior at this meeting.

Three of us are resigning from the board at the end of the year because the assessment meeting was really a turning point and we realized this has become untenable and way too stressful for what is a VOLUNTEER POSITION! It's also continually maddening and frustrating that people can't realize we are residents too. If they have to pay special assessments, so do we. Not to mention, again, we volunteer our time to help keep the community running. None of the people who are belligerent or screaming at meetings have volunteered to do one thing with the community other than sit there and bitch and tell us everything we're doing wrong without offering ONE SINGLE SOLUTION.

I now carry pepper spray when I'm out walking just in case I need to defend myself. I have a security camera that I used to turn on only at night but I now have it on 24/7 just in case one of these people gets it in their head do something to my property. I walk around and just look at the other houses in disgust because I know exactly how some of these people behave and how they treat someone that is supposed to be a neighbor.

If you've read this far, thank you. I guess I'm just looking to vent but also for anyone who might be able to relate.

Below is a snapshot of our 2025 Reserve Study. We did not carry out the planned clubhouse renovations in 2025, and we are now targeting a start date this December. The study allocated $113,000 for that work. With a 3% 2026 adjustment, the updated figure is $117,214.

As a five‑member board, we vote on all major expenditures. I am encountering resistance from some members who want to redesign the entire clubhouse, but the quotes for a full redesign are far beyond the $117,214 that the Reserve Study provides for this project.

The 3 quotes we have right now are:

• Quote 1: $162K to $192K
• Quote 2: $175K to $209K
• Quote 3: $297,655

What is the best way to convey to the board that going beyond the Reserve Study allocation could create long‑term financial consequences, and that we need to fully consider the Reserve Study recommendations before making any decisions? Does the community have to vote on this, or can the board make the decision without their input?

I left out any years where the Reserve Study did not allocate money to the clubhouse.

Curious how self-managed boards split up the work. Minutes, owner emails, notices, the budget summary, someone always ends up stuck with it. What’s the job nobody wants on your board, and has anyone ever paid for help with it?

We bought a house a few months ago, neighborhood is nice, quiet, peaceful and we love our new home.

Things have been a little, weird there though. Neighbors are super friendly but seem to be extra nosey, always checking up on my house and looking at what we’re up to. I just figured it was new neighbor curiosity. No one has decorated for Halloween besides us.

I met a neighbor the other day, who in casual conversation told me “we are an inactive HOA” I pay no monthly fees, nothing about this was discussed or disclosed by previous owner or my realtor. Especially since I told my realtor we did NOT want a house in any kind of HOA.

I have no idea what this means, can they just assemble the HOA like the Avengers and suddenly someone is telling me my mailbox is the wrong shade of white and my grass is 1/8th inch too tall? My neighbor claimed the last time the HOA was active was when they made the road public, town maintained road. But said nothing else about it.

Our board has kind of lost its way because of one board member. You might think, "Yeah, every board has a member who does nothing". If this guy did nothing, it would be an improvement. He has an opinion on every question, and it would be fine if his opinions lead us to say, "That's a good point...". Instead, we're constantly trying to get him on the right page, getting him to take his focus off of trivial, easily resolved concerns, or straightening him out on what the email from the property manager REALLY meant. As I said to the president at one point "He makes every discussion so much more complicated, and in the end, no worthwhile ideas are left on the table." I'm kind of the board's go-getter, but unfortunately I find my enthusiasm gets squelched having to deal with this guy.

An election is coming up. There's a new guy in the building who is a real estate agent and is eminently qualified, and he wants to step up and on to our three member board.

Now for the wrinkle. In the common area basement, there is a small, doorless room. Without asking the other board members, board member X put a locked door on the space to make his own private storage area. He told me after the fact, and I'm the one who gave the news to the president. Our board member needs to be told to take the door down, or start paying monthly rent to the association.

What's a good way to ease the troublesome guy out of the picture without causing resentment?

Self managed 20 unit HOA here. long story short, i purchased last year and noticed a few red flags with the way they managed financials. They also have LITERALLY NO documentation on anything because they just didn't think it was important. its been basically one woman who has been doing everything but has been writing checks for bills that are clearly her own. when I requested documents i got ignored. I ran for the board, won, and now ive taken on pretty much everything. When going through the finances i noticed suspicious financial activity and approached this woman on the topic, she refuses to acknowledge any of the charges and im being encouraged to move on with a fresh start now that ive "stopped the bleed" of her skimming off the top.

I dont have a ton of time to deal with all of this, but it really pisses me off knowing she has taken several hundred dollars each month for years. I have a lawyer, but he's basically saying the same, that its up to me if i want to keep on it and push for her to pay back what she's taken.

My question is - has anyone been successful in this kind of situation or will i be dealing with this headache for nothing?

The last board member pushed on it but this woman has been here for years and personally knows everyone. nobody believed she could do something like this and everyone voted "No" on an audit.

I’m the board president of a relatively new HOA in New Mexico with 157 single-family houses. We’re a small, three-member board, and I’m feeling pretty stuck trying to get our neighborhood on track.

Here’s our situation:

Developer left unfinished common areas: Our developer turned over the neighborhood without completing landscaping in several common areas. We’ve been told it was because they “didn’t make enough money” on the development. We’re now looking at potentially $75,000 just to landscape one area, with other areas still needing improvements.

Major delinquency problem: We currently have 24 homeowners who are 60+ days delinquent (about 16% of homes), including 10 who are over a year behind and have liens filed. Some have just never paid a single monthly assessment.

Very limited income: Our dues are currently $35/month, increasing to $42 in 2027. Even with the increase, our budget is extremely tight, especially with so many homeowners not paying.

Management company sucks: We switched to HOAMCO about a year ago, and I’m regretting that decision. Our first management company closed because the owner retired so we had to switch. We pay approximately $1,275/month in regular management fees, plus additional collection-related charges. I’m frustrated by the lack of proactive assistance with our financial situation.

Collection costs are ruining our budget: We’re paying HOAMCO an average of $1000+ per month in collection fees and filing liens on delinquent accounts, while many of those homeowners still aren’t paying. So we’re spending money trying to collect money we don’t have.

Foreclosure seems like our only remaining option: We have liens on the seriously delinquent properties, and I don’t want to have to pursue foreclose but allowing homeowners to go indefinitely without paying isn’t sustainable or fair to everyone else. More importantly, we don’t really have the money to pursue foreclosure in the first place.

Financing seems impossible: We’d like to obtain a loan to complete the common areas rather than wait years to save enough money, but our delinquency rate and tight budget seem likely to make qualifying difficult. HOAMCO’s preferred bank refuses to issue a loan if we’re above 10% in a 60-day delinquency rate.

Limited reserves: We have some reserve funds, but we’re trying to protect those for future major repairs, including potentially expensive irrigation issues. Spending everything on landscaping doesn’t seem responsible. We also haven’t done a reserve study yet to know how much we’ll need. HOAMCO says a reserve study will cost $8000 so we couldn’t even afford to do that any time soon.

Considering switching management companies again: We’re seriously considering leaving HOAMCO for these reasons (and many other complaints with their service), but changing companies comes with its own complications like people not knowing where to send payments, and I’m not sure another company would handle this situation any better but another proposal from a local company we have seem promising and they have a great online reputation.

We’ve been trying to cut expenses, improve collections, plan a realistic budget, and find ways to get the common areas completed without putting an unreasonable financial burden on homeowners.

I feel like we’re caught in a death spiral: We can’t complete the improvements without money, we can’t easily borrow money because of delinquencies, and collecting the delinquent money may cost more than we can currently afford.

For anyone who’s dealt with a similar situation:

How did your HOA address a high delinquency rate without spending a fortune on attorneys and foreclosure?
—I’ll start calling around to real estate lawyers and see if we can do a deferred-fee agreement. I’d hope a lawyer would love a situation where we bring them this many houses / potential revenue streams.
——I’d certainly hope most people would pay when they get a letter threatening foreclosure and need no further legal action.
—HOAMCO has no advice, their recommended lawyers all charge per hour as they go.

Has anyone successfully negotiated collection fees or found a management company that handles collections more affordably?
—HOAMCO and this second management company I reached out to refused to charge the fee only to the homeowner instead of the association.

Have any small, newer HOAs successfully obtained financing with delinquency rates this high?

Is there any realistic recourse against a developer who turned over unfinished common areas?
—I’ve reached out to every government official’s office I could get contact info for and none are willing to help or look into it. I’m going to see about getting my hands on the paperwork for the transfer of the land to the HOA to see if there’s anything in there but I’m sure legal fees would cost as much or more than the landscaping anyways.

Would you prioritize replacing the management company, pursuing collections, or putting the landscaping on hold?

I’m trying to do right by the homeowners who actually pay their dues, but it feels like every potential solution creates another financial problem.

I’d appreciate any advice, especially from board members who’ve managed to turn around an HOA in a similar position. Thank you in advance!!