Bylaws Condo Association With Low Reserves In San Diego
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FAQ
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.
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.
So how much should your HOA have on hand to address these inevitable repair and replacement costs? A good rule of thumb is for Reserves to be funded at 70% or higher of the property's calculated deterioration.
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.
Except as provided below, all associations are required to prepare a reserve study at least once every three (3) years with a review to be conducted annually to determine if adjustments are necessary to the association's reserve account requirements. (Civ. Code §§ 5300(b), 5550(a).)
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.
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.
California Civil Code 5550 requires a Reserve Study based on a “diligent visual site inspection” at least every third year, but requires the Board review that Reserve Study annually and “consider and implement necessary adjustments”. That's called an annual Reserve Study update.
Achieving a 70% funded reserve is considered a milestone for inium associations, indicating a reasonable level of financial preparedness. It signifies that the association has taken proactive steps to ensure the long-term sustainability of the community and mitigate the risk of financial instability.
