If you recently purchased a home and did not receive a copy of your CC&Rs, contact your title company for assistance. You can also obtain a copy of your CC&Rs by visiting one of our office locations or sending us a copy order. If you have questions or need further assistance, call our office at (916) 874-6334.
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.
Under the law, all homeowners are qualified to join a HOA, but they are not required or mandated to be members.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This can range from balance sheets, income and expense statements, and executed contracts, to agendas and minutes of meetings of the board and membership. You have the right to inspect these records. A formal request in writing can be made to the HOA to inspect or copy any of the specified association records.
A proper HOA request letter should include: Clear headers with date and contact information. The property address and owner details. A specific subject line identifying the request type. A concise project description. Relevant timeline and completion dates. Supporting documentation references.