Here's Why Many Homeowners and Renters Believe HOAs Are Bad for Communities

It's not uncommon to see community members donning statement-making shirts with anti-homeowners association (HOA) messages, doubling down on the disdain they express for HOAs on social media community groups.

The passionate hatred many hold for HOAs is not entirely unfounded, to put it mildly, as HOAs have threatened to levy fines against a homeowner for cloves in their lawn, disallowed a Tesla owner from charging his car in his garage, and threatened a family over a parking spot, to name a few.

The mere mention of the acronym "HOA" puts frowns on faces, causing brows to furrow and anecdotes to flow like water. Here are the many reasons why they are spoken in such ill ways by homeowners and house renters alike.

A faux government: Those fortunate enough to own a home might feel that a certain degree of autonomy is owed to them, but HOAs and their laundry list of rules threaten that sense of autonomy. The disadvantages of an HOA are plentiful, and a YouGov story on how Americans view HOAs sums up the feeling: "Many American homeowners don't like being told what to do."

About half of HOA members pay $1,000 or more in annual fees, and in total, 61 percent would prefer to live without an HOA.

Aggravating fines: Per Vox, homeowners have been fined for the silliest of reasons, which can be found plastered across Reddit posts and throughout other corners of the internet. From fines for fences being an inch or two too tall to fees for parking in one's driveway, the randomness and sometimes arbitrary nature of HOA threats and penalties can be too much for homeowners to bear.

Inconsistent enforcement: In Las Vegas, where summer temperatures consistently remain in the triple digits, our HOA threatened us for keeping our trash bin outside. Our entire community keeps their trash bins in the driveway or street, with some owners keeping their trash bins permanently stationed where they get picked up each week. Others have trash overflowing onto their driveway in perpetuity, yet fines have never been levied against other renters or owners.

Per The Wall Street Journal, when groups of people — like an HOA — are given a modicum of power, sometimes that authority gets to their heads. Because HOAs are composed of volunteers, not professional property managers, poor leadership can threaten the community, per Raleigh Realty Homes.

From overzealous enforcement of head-scratching policies to the deranged and delusional feats of authority, here are some other signs of a bad HOA:

• Volunteers are "drunk with power" over their neighbors.
• Per RISE Association Management Group, they obstruct or prevent fair board elections and keep their fellow board members in the dark.
• They use their power to target certain neighbors through discriminatory rule enforcement, per RISE.

One strongly-worded anti-HOA Reddit group is rife with posts about HOA lawyers and attorney involvement due to outlandish HOA fines.

Ignoring threats from an HOA letter, a statement with fines for alleged broken rules, and other HOA communications may result in serious legal consequences. It is safest to consult with a professional with knowledge of HOA and local laws to know best how to proceed.

According to Bankrate, an HOA cannot force you to sell your home due to non-compliance with various rules. However, this doesn't mean homeowners cannot be subject to a lien against their home for unpaid HOA fees. HOAs may likewise ban community members with unpaid fees from using the very facilities their fees help fund, such as swimming pools and fitness centers, according to Bankrate.

It is best to consult with local law enforcement and a lawyer to proceed accordingly.