HOA Horror Stories
Homeowner Associations, or HOAs, can be great. But, they can also be very frustrating.
Homeowner guide
HOA Rules and Disputes
Fines, liens and arbitrary rules, the fights that made the news, and what to read about an association before you buy into it.
What the show has actually said
An HOA is the only neighbor with the power to fine you, and most homeowners learn how that works after the letter arrives.
The show has two full episodes of the stories. HOA Horror Stories includes a Georgia homeowner fined twenty five dollars a day over pink plastic flamingos, who found out when he tried to sell and was hit with a thirty four hundred dollar lien, plus sod replacement notices and how notification rules work. Part two has a Texas man whose association decided the seven week old pot bellied pig his wife got for Christmas was not a common or traditional pet and threatened a lawsuit, alongside sidewalk chalk bans and rules about rock landscaping.
The larger argument shows up on the episode about HOAs under fire, where Florida state representative Juan Carlos Porras calls associations a failed experiment and argues his state should ban them. Craig and Kevin work through the history and whether that is realistic.
Two practical episodes round it out. The Texas home buying episode covers auditing an HOA budget before you buy, which is the one moment a buyer has leverage. And the episode with the mayor of Oak Ridge North covers where the association ends and the city begins: MUD districts, water rates, planning and zoning, and a roof ordinance.
The episodes behind this guide
HOA Horror Stories Part II
We are back at it sharing some more horror stories from our favorite entities, HOAs. While Homeowners Associations can be very helpful and keep property values high, they can also be a big pain.
Scam Company Exposed, HOAs Under Fire, and College Football Rivalries!
Scam Companies Exposed, HOAs Under Fire, and College Football Rivalries! In Episode 334 of The Homeowner Show, hosts Kevin Hackett and Craig Williams tackle a wide array of topics crucial for today’s homeowners.
Texas Home Buying: Yeehaw or Yikes? Saddle Up with Homeowner Tips!
Episode 326: Texas Home Buying: Yeehaw or Yikes? Saddle Up with Homeowner Tips!
That time we talked to the mayor
In this episode, Craig and Kevin interview Jim, the Mayor of Oak Ridge North, Texas. We discuss why it’s important to be involved in the community you live in, why you need to pay attention to your water bill, HOA’s, and more.
Common questions
Can an HOA really put a lien on my house?
Yes, and the pink flamingo story on HOA Horror Stories is the illustration. A Georgia homeowner was fined twenty five dollars a day over lawn flamingos and did not find out until he tried to sell, by which point the accumulated fines had become a thirty four hundred dollar lien.
What can I do about a rule that seems arbitrary?
Start with what you agreed to. Both horror story episodes keep returning to notification rules and to how much of what an association does is written down in advance, from pet definitions to landscaping materials. The pot bellied pig case turned on the association's own definition of a common or traditional pet.
Should I avoid neighborhoods with an HOA?
The show does not say that. It says find out what you are buying. The Texas home buying episode covers auditing the HOA budget before closing, and the episode with the mayor of Oak Ridge North is a reminder that MUD districts, water rates and city ordinances shape a neighborhood as much as an association does.
Is anybody trying to get rid of HOAs?
Florida state representative Juan Carlos Porras has argued exactly that, calling HOAs a failed experiment and pushing for his state to ban them. Craig and Kevin work through the idea and its odds on the episode about HOAs under fire.
There is a lot more where that came from.
The archive runs to hundreds of episodes on roofs, HVAC, pests, hiring, insurance and everything else a house throws at you. New ones every week.