Why You're not Getting what You Want

Have you been bugging your parents to buy you a dog, get a swimming pool, or even being able to play outside? There is an organization that you might not know of that could be causing these problems. Some can be selfish and others aim to keep your community safe. This organization is called a Homeowners Association (Figure 1).

Figure 1: A Homeowners Association neighborhood

What is a Homeowners Association?

A Homeowners Association is first created and controlled by the community's developer. A developer is a person who bought the land and built the houses of the community. The developer and his hand-picked team create a board of directors. The board of directors responsibilities are to make or modify rules when needed, collect money from residents, pay bills, and hold regular meetings. They are supposed to do these in the best interest of the community. Once enough houses are bought in the community the control is shifted to a new board of directors which are elected by residents in the community (1).

A Homeowners Association's goal is to "maintain and enhance property values" (1). The way they do this can sometimes be a little odd. If your parents had to join a Homeowners Association they should have got a set of rules they are supposed to follow the day they moved into the house. These rules go by another name known as covenants. These covenants differ among different Homeowners Associations and are often very strict! The covenants they have to follow are aimed to make your community safer, cleaner, and equal for all residents. If your parents don't follow these rules they can be fined or if it's very serious you can even be forced to leave the community (1).

A way that a Homeowners Association can try to make the community safer is by employing a police force to patrol your neighborhood. Your community might even be gated and the Homeowners Association would collect money to maintain the gates. A way that they can try to make the community cleaner is that they can require all homeowners to keep their lawns cut. That means no longer having to live next to a house that looks like an eyesore! Another way they can keep the community clean is that they collect money that they use to maintain things like the roads and parks in your community. A way that they make the community equal is that no one is exempt from the covenants. Another way is that all residents have the right to argue or complain about something that they think is wrong or needs to be fixed in the community (1).

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Figure 2: A possible reason why people choose to move into
a Homeowners Association is a bad experience with a past neighbor

One of the bad things that come with Homeowners Associations are the extra money residents have to pay. The extra money people have to pay might be more than $1,000 a month! Another thing residents don't like is that the Homeowners Association gets to choose how you get to decorate your house if you can decorate at all. So if you like going all out with holiday decorations on the outside of your home this probably isn't the best thing to get involved in when you become an adult (2)!

A good thing that comes with being in a Homeowners Association is that they can settle problems better. One example of a problem they could settle is if you are the type of person who really likes sleep and you have a noisy neighbor, the Homeowners Association can fix that problem by confronting the neighbor or by creating a covenant that restricts them from being too obnoxious (Figure 2). Also, another good thing is that Homeowners Associations are in charge of keeping the roads, parks, and swimming pools in your community spick-and-span. You won't have to worry about your bike getting tripped up on and cracks or holes in the road anymore or of getting sick because you come into contact with some gross stuff at the park or public pool anymore (2).

So you might be saying to yourself now, "You never answered the first question!" Well, what could be the reason your parents won't let you get a dog? The Homeowners Association might not allow residents to own pets. Why can't you get a swimming pool? The Homeowners Association might not allow home extensions. Why can't you play outside past 9 o'clock? The Homeowners Association might have that as a covenant. If you don't like these rules then keep that in mind when you grow up and want to buy a home for yourself. If you like the perks of Homeowners Associations then be sure to pick the one that best suits what you like to do and hopefully you'll get what you want when you get older!


References:

(1) Guide to Understanding Homeowners Associations. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://manylakesmt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/HOA-USA_Guide_to_Understanding_Homeowner_Associations.pdf

(2) Lazarony, L. (2017). The Pros & Cons of a Homeowners Association (HOA). Retrieved December 3, 2017, from https://www.credit.com/loans/mortgage-questions/pros-cons-homeowners-association-hoa/

Figure 1:  A Homeowners Association neighborhood [Photograph]  (n.d.) Retrieved from https://expertbeacon.com/buying-home-hoa-neighborhood-can-be-great-move/

Figure 2:  Noisy Neighbor [Digital Image] (2012) Retrieved from http://mouthyhousewives.com/neighbors/noisy-neighbor-dilemma