07 Mar Most HOA Boards are Doing What They are Supposed To Do, by Keith Jester of Longs
Re the essay “Legislative HOA study was a farce” by Steve Houser, Feb. 29:
I’m not sure what Mr. Houser expected out of this study, a complete handcuffing of all HOA boards or what. He stated that the study committee was made up of special interest of developers, Realtors, property manager companies and attorneys, but had limited representation of the homeowners’ interests.
Not true, there were three individual homeowners who live in HOA-controlled communities on the study committee. My concern was there were no sitting HOA board directors on the study committee. Since this study was primarily directed at legislating how HOA boards operate, I was shocked none were represented to tell their side and what they face.
The study was mandated by HOA residents complaining they have no recourse in challenging HOA board decisions. I find that very hard to believe. You challenge by attending board meetings, getting involved and voting out bad board members at elections (most board members serve two year terms).
I sat in on an earlier study group with state Rep. Nelson Hardwick, Rep. Greg Duckworth, real estate agents, homeowners and a property manager. It was a general consensus that better than 90 percent of all HOAs were doing a good job. Of the 10 percent that were not, the complaints were mostly with developer-controlled HOAs.
Developer-controlled HOAs are very autocratic in that the developer has complete say over what is going on in the community they are developing and they write all covenants associated with that community. This latest study committee did not spend any time establishing guidelines for developers other than how long the developer remains in control of the community.
Every HOA has a small minority of residents that are not always happy with all decisions of the HOA board, but to handcuff HOA boards when the majority of the residents support their decisions makes no sense. I was not expecting any major sweeping changes or new controls of current resident-controlled HOA boards, since it does not make any sense to establish new restrictive controls over how a resident-managed HOA board operates when as previously stated 90 percent plus are doing a good job.
If this study committee is revisited, please include sitting resident-controlled HOA board members for their opinions as well. Yes, I am a sitting president of a resident-controlled HOA board in Longs and feel most of our residents have been supporting our decisions.