
Creating and enforcing rules and regulations. Establishment of a system of property rights. Enhancing residential real estate development. Maintaining the shared property of the community. Administering the business of the association. Their main objectives include, but are not limited to: HOAs operate a lot like a local government, small business, and community collective rolled into one. The lien authorizes the HOA to take possession of a home if charges aren’t paid or other rules and regulations are repeatedly ignored. Lien-based assessments are what give HOAs the power to enforce its rules and governing documents amongst owners. These documents give an association authority to operate and hold owners responsible for paying any fees, fines, and assessments that accompany membership. Binding DocumentsĪll HOAs have a set of governing documents that include binding legal documents. This mandate is necessary for an HOA to operate and to share the costs amongst a community equally. However, a defining characteristic of an HOA is mandatory and automatic membership for all homeowners. There are many kinds of associations all around the world, and for most, membership is voluntary. However, there are three things all associations have in common.
3 Things All HOAs Have in CommonĪn HOA might look and feel slightly different depending on the community. Today, more than 69 million Americans belong to an HOA, and that number is rising every single day. They were relatively unheard of until the 1960s when the rapid growth of suburban developments led to a quick expansion of HOAs around the entire U.S. HOAs were formed in the United States during the mid-19th century as a way for land developers to market and sell their homes.
The HOA board works together with community partners, like a Community Association Manager (CAM), to ensure the responsibilities of the association are carried out according to their rules, regulations, governing documents, and all applicable local, state, and federal laws. An elected board of volunteers runs the HOA on behalf of all community homeowners. People who belong to an HOA pay annual or monthly dues which the HOA uses to maintain shared spaces and carry out other association duties like rule enforcement, meeting management, and financial planning.
A homeowners' association (HOA) is a nonprofit organization that’s set up to help run, manage, and maintain a neighborhood, building, or another collective of homes.