Disclaimer: This information is intended for California residents only and should not be considered legal advice. When an HOA controls the purse, but no one checks the receipts Is your HOA spending money like there’s no tomorrow, while raising dues or threatening special assessments? You’re not alone. Across California, homeowners are questioning where the money […]
Tag: HOA Financial Abuse
HOA IRS Revenue Ruling 70-604: What It Means When Homeowners Vote for It or Against It
Every year, your HOA holds its annual meeting, and buried in the agenda is a confusing line item that reads something like this: Vote to apply excess membership income to the following year’s budget or refund it to members: IRS Revenue Ruling 70-604. Most homeowners glance at it, shrug, and move on, but what you […]
HOA Landscaping Fees and Special Assessments: Are You Overpaying?
It started with a notice in the mailbox: “Landscaping Improvement Assessment: $1,850 due within 30 days.” That’s how it happens for most homeowners. You move into an HOA community expecting tidy lawns, green belts, and a sense of order. Then one day, you’re asked to pay hundreds or even thousands more for something you thought […]
The Day Your HOA Parking Citation Changed Everything
It Started with a Bright Orange Slip The first thing Chelsie noticed wasn’t the orange slip. It was the glare. The afternoon sun bounced off her windshield, and for a moment, she thought it was just another flyer or delivery notice. As she got closer, her heart sank. “NOTICE OF VIOLATION.” Her HOA’s logo sat […]
HOA Insurance Hikes: How to Stop the Costs From Falling on You
When Your HOA Insurance Premiums Skyrocket and You’re Asked to Pay Homeowners across California are opening HOA notices with shock, insurance premiums doubling or tripling, followed by a special assessment or dues increase to cover it. What many don’t realize: not all of these charges are justified, and boards sometimes pass costs onto homeowners prematurely, […]
From Frustration to Victory: Homeowners Who Took Down a $4.2 Million Dollar Special Assessment and Successfully Recalled an Unfair HOA Board
For many homeowners, HOA life begins with a promise: shared amenities, community pride, and well-maintained property values, but too often, that promise turns into frustration, unexpected special assessments, confusing financials, and boards that seem unaccountable to the very people who pay the dues. What happens when an HOA board pushes too far? When they try […]
Avoid the Trap: 7 Mistakes Homeowners Make That Let HOAs Get Away With Financial Abuse
Homeowners associations (HOAs) were meant to protect property values and maintain community standards. But for many residents, the reality looks very different: ballooning dues, questionable “special assessments,” and boards that operate more like shadow governments than community stewards. Financial abuse inside HOAs is more common than most homeowners realize, and the scariest part is that […]