What are unenforceable HOA rules? Keep you out of court. Hush up litigation. Discriminate indiscriminately. Enter your home without cause or notice. String you out on the (clothes)line. Fine you for fun. Change rules on the fly. Demand you take down your dish.
To comply with New York law, there are three primary pathways to establish an HOA: obtaining a no-action letter under 13 NYCRR Section 22.8, utilizing the Cooperative Policy Statement No. 7 (CPS-7), or filing an offering plan pursuant to 13 NYCRR Part 22 (Part 22).
While you can propose rule changes through proper channels, there's no legal way to simply ignore or “get around” the HOA's covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) that you agreed to when purchasing in the community.
Laws always supersede governing documents IF they conflict and the law applies to your HOA. In California, the Davis-Stirling Act may take precedent over general corporation codes because it's specific to HOAs.
In 2024, the California legislature passed an amendment that allowed online elections to be held within HOAs. It recognized that this could open the door to digital vote manipulation within the HOA's management, though, so the state mandated that each HOA election needed to have an independent inspector of elections.
An HOA has the authority to enforce the rules and regulations of the community using the community rules, or “bylaws and covenants.” These rules are considered “agreed upon” since homeowners approve them through board-elected representatives.
The Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG) requires that the sponsor file an offering plan for the homeowners association, and that the sponsor maintain the commitments it made in the offering plan. The OAG's jurisdiction is limited to ownership and maintenance of HOA common property.
Once you buy a home that's part of an HOA, you automatically become a member of the HOA. HOA rules are legally binding, and you must adhere to all rules and regulations in the governing document. Yes, there are bylaws that you may not like, but there are no HOA loopholes.
HOA Fees and Assessments Homeowners associations levy HOA fees to cover common expenses. These fees are typically set annually and can change based on the association's budget and financial needs. They fund everyday operations, maintenance, and reserves for future expenses.