Guides & resources
Straight answers for the people who run HOAs
No jargon, no sales pitch - just plain-English help for volunteer boards and the residents they serve.
Common HOA questions
What are HOA dues and where does the money go?
How assessments are set, what they cover, and why they change.
Read the answerWhat is a reserve study and does our HOA need one?
Why reserves matter and how to avoid a surprise special assessment.
Read the answerCan an HOA really foreclose on a home over unpaid dues?
The serious end of dues collection, and how good boards avoid it.
Read the answerWhat are the responsibilities of an HOA board?
The core duties volunteers take on, in plain language.
Read the answerHow do you run a good HOA board meeting?
Notice, agendas, quorum, and minutes without the headaches.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict or ban rentals?
What rental rules associations can set, the limits state law puts on them, and what it means if you want to lease your home.
Read the answerCan an HOA fine you, and how much?
When associations can levy fines, the notice they usually owe you first, and the limits on how far it can go.
Read the answerWhat happens if you don't pay your HOA dues?
The usual escalation from a late notice to late fees, liens, and - at the far end - foreclosure, and how to head it off.
Read the answerHow much can an HOA raise dues, and can they do it without a vote?
What limits exist on assessment increases, when a member vote is required, and why dues go up in the first place.
Read the answerWhat is an HOA special assessment, and can they make you pay it?
Why a one-time charge lands, when a member vote is required, and what happens if you can't cover it.
Read the answerCan an HOA put a lien on your house, and what does that mean?
How an assessment lien arises, what it does to your home, and how to get one removed.
Read the answerCan an HOA tow your car?
When an association can have a vehicle towed, the notice it usually owes you, and what to do if it happens to you.
Read the answerWhat process does an HOA have to follow before it can fine you?
The notice, right-to-cure, and hearing steps that often have to come before a fine is valid - and what happens when a board skips them.
Read the answerCan an HOA tell you what color to paint your house?
How far architectural control over exterior color really goes, where it has to stop, and how to handle a paint dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA ban solar panels?
Why solar-access laws limit what associations can do, what they can still regulate, and how to get panels approved.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict flags and signs in your yard?
Why the American flag and political signs get special protection, what an association can still regulate, and how to handle a display dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict or ban pets?
What pet rules associations can enforce, why service and emotional-support animals are treated differently, and how to navigate a pet dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from installing a satellite dish or antenna?
Why the federal OTARD rule limits what associations can do, the antennas and dishes it covers, and what an HOA can still require.
Read the answerCan an HOA tell you where you can and can't park?
What parking rules associations can set, where their authority ends at the public curb, and how to handle a parking dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from installing an EV charger?
Why a growing number of states protect a homeowner's right to charge an electric vehicle, what an association can still require, and how to get an installation approved.
Read the answerHow does HOA architectural review (ARC approval) work?
What the architectural review process is, why exterior changes need approval, what a board can and can't do with it, and how to get a request through.
Read the answerShould our HOA self-manage or hire a management company?
An honest look at the tradeoff most small communities face.
Read the answerHow do you dispute an HOA violation notice?
A step-by-step way to respond to a violation letter, the rights you usually have, and how to push back effectively without escalating.
Read the answerHow do you request and inspect HOA records?
What documents you're usually entitled to see, how to make a records request that works, and what an association can and can't withhold.
Read the answerWhat's the difference between CC&Rs, bylaws, and rules?
How an HOA's governing documents are layered, which one controls when they conflict, and why knowing the difference matters when you're in a dispute.
Read the answerHow do you run for a seat on your HOA board?
Who's eligible, how nominations and elections actually work, and what the volunteer job involves before you put your name in.
Read the answerHow do you remove an HOA board member?
The recall process homeowners can use, the vote thresholds it usually takes, and the limits on removing a director the right way.
Read the answerWhat are HOA open meeting and quorum rules?
When board meetings have to be open to residents, what can lawfully happen behind closed doors, and what a quorum actually means.
Read the answerHow do you amend an HOA's CC&Rs?
Why the declaration is the hardest document to change, the supermajority votes and recording it usually takes, and how communities get an amendment over the line.
Read the answerHow do you read your HOA's financial statements?
What the budget, balance sheet, income statement, and reserve schedule actually tell you, and the warning signs to look for as a homeowner or new board member.
Read the answerHow does fair housing law apply to HOAs?
Why the federal Fair Housing Act binds associations, what counts as discrimination, how assistance animals and accessibility accommodations work, and how boards stay on the right side of it.
Read the answerCan you refuse to join an HOA?
Why HOA membership is usually mandatory and tied to the home, the rare cases where it's voluntary, and the one moment when you actually get to choose.
Read the answerAre HOA fees tax-deductible?
Why dues on your own home usually aren't deductible, the situations where they can be, and how special assessments are treated differently.
Read the answerWhat is an HOA estoppel letter and why does it matter at closing?
What an estoppel certificate states, why buyers and title companies rely on it during a sale, and the fees and deadlines some states put on it.
Read the answerWhat does HOA insurance cover, and what do I need to insure myself?
How the association's master policy and your own policy split coverage, why a deductible can land on you, and the gap most owners miss.
Read the answerWhat does an HOA management company do, and what does it cost?
The work a management company actually handles, the line between the manager and the board, and the fee structures to expect.
Read the answerHow do you start an HOA?
The legal steps to form a homeowners association, the documents it takes, and the funding decisions that determine whether it survives.
Read the answerCan you dissolve an HOA, and how?
Why dissolving an association is genuinely hard, the votes and legal steps it takes, and what happens to the shared property and debts.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from renting your home on Airbnb or VRBO?
Why short-term rentals get singled out from ordinary leasing, what authority a board needs to limit them, and how to handle a dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from running a business out of your home?
How 'residential use' clauses apply to home offices and home businesses, where the line usually falls, and how this differs from city zoning.
Read the answerCan an HOA ban clotheslines and outdoor drying?
Why 'right to dry' laws protect outdoor drying in many states, what an association can still regulate, and how to handle a clothesline dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA make you keep a lawn or stop you from xeriscaping?
Why water-conservation laws in many states protect drought-tolerant landscaping, what an association can still regulate, and how to handle a yard dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict your holiday decorations?
What time, place, and manner limits an association can put on seasonal displays, where religious items get special protection, and how to handle a decoration dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA enter your property or your home?
When an association has a right to come onto your lot or into your unit, where that right stops at your front door, and what notice it usually owes you.
Read the answerWhat are HOA transfer fees and capital contributions, and who pays them?
The one-time charges that hit at closing when a home changes hands, what each is for, who typically pays, and the limits some states put on them.
Read the answerWhat happens to an HOA in bankruptcy - yours or the association's?
How a homeowner's bankruptcy affects HOA dues and liens, what happens in the rare case an association itself becomes insolvent, and why the two are very different situations.
Read the answerHow does HOA dispute resolution work - mediation, arbitration, and ADR before a lawsuit?
The steps many states and governing documents require before an HOA dispute can go to court, how mediation and arbitration differ, and how to use the process well.
Read the answerHow do you call a special meeting of the HOA - and can members force one?
The difference between a board and a membership special meeting, the petition threshold owners usually need, and the notice rules that make the meeting valid.
Read the answerWhat's the difference between an HOA and a condo association?
How ownership, maintenance responsibility, insurance, and the governing documents differ between a homeowners association and a condominium association.
Read the answerWhat is the Davis-Stirling Act?
A plain-English overview of California's main HOA law - what it covers, the rights it gives owners and the duties it puts on boards - and why it's a useful model even outside California.
Read the answerWhat is developer control of an HOA, and how does turnover to homeowners work?
Why a builder runs the association at first, the signs control is ending, and what owners should check when the board passes to residents.
Read the answerCan an HOA tell you what kind of fence you can build?
How far architectural control over fences goes, the height, material, and placement rules you'll typically face, and how to get a fence approved without a dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict security cameras and video doorbells?
What associations can and can't regulate about home cameras and Ring-style doorbells, where privacy law comes in, and how to avoid a dispute with the board or your neighbors.
Read the answerCan an HOA make you maintain your yard?
How far maintenance standards over your lawn and landscaping reach, what an HOA can do if you don't comply, and how to handle a notice about an overgrown yard.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict trees, or make you plant or remove one?
How associations regulate planting and removing trees, where local ordinances and protected-species laws override the HOA, and how to handle a tree dispute with the board or a neighbor.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict backyard pools, trampolines, and play structures?
How architectural rules reach backyard pools, swing sets, trampolines, and basketball hoops, what an HOA can require for approval, and how to get one approved without a dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA tell you where to keep your trash cans?
How associations regulate where you store garbage and recycling bins and when you can put them out, why screening rules are so common, and how to handle a trash-can violation.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict what you put in your windows?
How associations regulate visible blinds, curtains, foil, and signs in windows, where state law protects certain displays, and how to handle a window-treatment violation.
Read the answerWhat is an HOA resale disclosure package and who pays for it?
What sellers in an HOA must give a buyer before closing, what the resale package contains, who pays and how much it costs, and how the timing affects a sale.
Read the answerCan an HOA charge you to inspect or copy its records?
The difference between inspecting HOA records and getting copies, what an association can charge for each, the caps some states put on those fees, and how to make a records request that actually gets answered.
Read the answerWhen can an HOA add late fees, interest, and attorney fees to what you owe?
How a small past-due balance turns into a much larger one, which charges an association can legally pile on, the order payments must be applied in some states, and how to stop the snowball before it reaches collections.
Read the answerDoes an HOA need an audit, and what's the difference between an audit, a review, and a compilation?
The three levels of outside look a CPA can give an HOA's books, when state law or the bylaws require one, what each level actually proves, and why even an optional review is one of the best trust-builders a small board can buy.
Read the answerHow does an HOA form a committee, and what can a committee actually do?
Why boards delegate work to committees, the difference between an advisory committee and one with real authority, how to charter one correctly, and the open-meeting and liability traps that catch volunteers who don't set them up carefully.
Read the answerWhat are the conflict-of-interest rules for HOA board members?
What counts as a conflict of interest on an HOA board, why directors owe a fiduciary duty, how recusal and disclosure are supposed to work, the self-dealing and vendor-relationship traps that get boards in trouble, and how to keep decisions clean.
Read the answerHow do HOA proxies and absentee ballots work?
What a proxy is and how it differs from an absentee or mail ballot, why associations rely on them to reach quorum, the abuse risks that make proxies controversial, and how state secret-ballot laws have changed the way HOAs vote.
Read the answerState HOA-law library
High-level summaries of what each state asks of associations. We're expanding coverage state by state.
Software that helps you follow the rules
OurHOA tracks your state's HOA requirements and nudges the board before deadlines. Start free in five minutes.