Some Of The Most Surprising Data This Year Shows Most People Don't Hate Their HOA

A well-told saying holds that if you don’t like your homeowners association (HOA), get on the board. 

But those who don’t have the time or the political chops to get on their HOA board will have to live with their decisions, typically with very little they can do to fight their edicts. Surprisingly, with all the HOA horror stories floating around the country, including some pretty steep fee increases, a new survey from LendingTree found some surprisingly happy homeowners. 

While the sheer mention of an HOA can make some homeowners cringe, in its survey of over a thousand homeowners across the country, LendingTree found that although more than a third believe their HOA fees are too expensive to justify benefits, 63% said the opposite. According to the LendingTree survey, annual HOA dues average $291 per month or $3,500 a year. 

“With the housing market being as crazy as it is right now, all I can figure is that people believe an HOA might be needed to protect their investment,” LendingTree Senior Economist Jacob Channel told Benzinga. “It’s not so much that its existence alone increases the value of a home, but an HOA does compel people to maintain a certain standard, and uniformity can be helpful.” 

But one homeowner’s uniformity is another’s dictatorial reign. Using Redfin data, a study from Cinch Home Services last summer listed the most common — and hated — citations homeowners received from their local HOAs in order of mentions: parking violations, inadequate lawn care, unsatisfactory repairs, fence violations, unauthorized signs or decorations, unauthorized paint, pet violations, noise complaints, trash violations and missed dues. 

Then there are those who claim their HOAs are corrupt in how they collect fees and charge for violations, in addition to complaints about how they spend their collected money. According to the survey, the most unhappy homeowners with HOAs are located in California and Florida. 

In Texas this month, KPRC TV in Houston reported on residents of the Berkeley Court Condominiums on the Gulf Freeway, who are making their ire against their neighborhood HOA public. The basic complaint is the HOA is not doing what it was formed to do. 

“Take a walk around here, there are all kinds of safety deals with the sidewalks. The plumbing has been a mess,” resident Robert McDaniel told KPRC.

Other complaints include increased fees without an explanation. Ironically, KPRC attempted to contact the Berkeley Court HOA twice and was hung up on. 

A Reddit user detailed a story earlier this year about a battle with his HOA over violations, including being fined because his lawn was not green enough — in February. He decided to confront the board with other disgruntled homeowners at their monthly meeting. 

He happened to show up on a day when three of the five HOA members were leaving their posts and those in attendance could vote on new members. He immediately nominated himself and was elected overwhelmingly by the other disgruntled attendees. He is now the president of the association. 

“A lot of the complaints regarding HOAs are usually regarding homeowners pestered about trash, etc.,” said Channel. “When you’re buying a house, it’s pretty important to vet the neighborhood regarding crime and noise but also speak with the local HOA.”

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