Trespassing onto private property without consent is generally prohibited, and HOA representatives should respect homeowners' privacy rights. However, HOAs may conduct routine inspections of common areas or request access to inspect approved modifications within a homeowner's property boundaries.
HOA: Manages amenities and common areas within the confines of a particular community, which may include parks, pools, or clubhouses. POA: Often oversees larger-scale amenities, such as golf courses, recreational facilities, or expansive common areas that serve multiple neighborhoods.
The main difference is that covenants dictate property-related restrictions, while bylaws govern how the HOA operates — things like board elections, meeting procedures, and voting rights. Because covenants are recorded with the property deed and tied to real estate law, they generally hold more weight.
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.
Department of Real Estate and HOAs The DRE is a licensing and regulatory agency empowered to discipline real estate brokers and agents. The DRE is also involved in overseeing developers of common interest developments. Once a developer turns over control of an association to its members, DRE's oversight ends.
Currently, no government agency regulates homeowners' associations. HOAs out of compliance with the Davis-Stirling Act can be liable for penalties, but it is up to the homeowners to fix the problem or bring it to the attention of the court system.
HOAs are usually governed by a board of directors or governors that is elected by the homeowners to make decisions about the HOA and enforce its rules. Most HOAs in California are set up as nonprofit mutual benefit corporations, but some may be structured differently.
The regulation of licenses is an important function of the California Department of Real Estate. The DRE was established in 1917 with the formation of the first-ever Real Estate Law in the country. With this law, licensing practices and licensees are regulated in a manner which is emulated by many other states.
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.
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.