I agree. A very thankless job indeed.

Amen!!

I like your spunk @repoman! What State do you live in, as all states have different (but often similar) laws. In my state, if the Bylaws state that the OWNER is responsible for the behavior of visitors and tenants of his unit. Unless State Code is in conflict with the HOA's Founding Documents, the Bylaws rule and the owner gets fined for damages caused by or rules broken by visitors, tenants or hired contractors/delivery services, etc that come onto the condominium property. The Owner can then work things out with their tenants or invitees to get reimbursed if they so desire. If you reside in or visit a registered Co-operatively Owned community, the rules lawfully set by that Community Government (Board of Directors / Management Committee) do in fact rule. This is ‘Common Law’ that goes back centuries to England and beyond. If you question that, just ask a judge if Common Law does not prevail in his/her court..... That being said, an OWNER in a HOA does have a right to disagree with the President of the Board or any Director or other owner for that matter, but if the HOA has R&Rs that prohibit 'loud conversations' by specifically defining them, they CAN fine an owner if they can PROVE the disturbance. The Owner has the right to dispute the fine and demand to be heard in the next "Executive Session" (sometimes known as a "Special Meeting") of the Board of Directors and present his case and confront his accuser. If the Board finds him "guilty" and requires that the fine be paid, then owner can appeal to a Court of the land, most often "Small Claims Court" or "District Court" for proper relief. Sidebar: In this case, if the HOA President and the Owner BOTH raised their voice and caused a significant ruckus, then it was wrong of the Board to not fine the President as well as the Owner. My best suggestion in the case of any dispute is to pull that movie camera (cell phone) out of your pocket or purse and turn it on, informing the other party that you ar going to record any dispute. If that person pursues you as in this case, call the police and file a complaint that they were "Disturbing The Peace." Usually that will rile the other party to escalate their bad behavior when the police show up and they will really show their behind (while you calmly keep recording.) Perhaps they will even get cited or arrested in the process. Sometimes Karma is a B. .

@@dalewalker4614 it doesnt matter what state i am in. and i will not reveal that as there are only a handful of people here with my real last name and i will not put my family in danger because of that. it also doenst matter which state because all HOAs fall under the exact same laws, they have to follow what the state allows and have to go on that. like if the state says a fine for a certain thing can only be $50, the HOA cant say "well we are going to make it $250 or $250 per day. an HOA can not make its own laws. there is a story on here in which the OP was a firefighter and state laws allow lights ands siren on his personal vehicle. the HOA tried to say that it wasnt allowed and tried to tow his vehicle and fine him for breaking the law. he won. if you reside then maybe, if you are just visiting then no way. kind of like "all vehicles have to have a parking pass" or something crazy like "all vehicles have to be the color blue" this might be fine for the people who live there but if i were to visit you and your community had this rule and tried to tow my vehicle because of it not being blue, would you still think its fine, of what if you visit me with the same thing? rules or policies only apply to those living there. you must be new to the whole Reddit story videos because they do have a right but in almost every story, arguing with the HOA board members always end in the OP being fined for the stupidest of reasons some of which are not legal. like cant have an american flag in your yard. or parking in the wrong spot on your driveway. or my personal favorite, the fake HOA board coming up to OP telling them they had to sign the papers which stated they have the right to get into OPs garage or house at any time to make sure they were doing nothing illegal. OP saidi no and the next time, OP came home to see the board members standing in his garage taking notes with a broken lock on the ground. you are partially right but disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct are not legal reasons at all. its what the police use when they have nothing else they can go on. as a repo agent i also work with the police of deal with them more than most people ever will and have learned what they can and can not do.

Just make sure there's no HOA. If you simply have to have the house, get a copy of the HOA bylaws and read thoroughly before you buy.

Town house...same..!?

@@JustWinBabee debtors and debt owners vote, and make riff raff and ownership threats, ....on owners..with time ... no debt no value .

@@MR..181 - Some HOAs are more trouble than they're worth. That's why buyers need to read the agreement before they sign.

@@MR..181 Yep. Any "co-operative" or joint ownership agreement of the community is binding on the buyer. HOA is Homeowners Association (most commonly condominiums & townhouses where the HOA is responsible for the "common area" maintenance, including exterior of buildings, for the several properties), while COA is Community Owners Association (most often a neighborhood where each owner is totally responsible for maintaining their own home & yard, but share the expenses of snow removal, street maintenance & other "common" expenses as set forth by their ByLaws.) Hope that helps.

Actually, when you buy a condominium you are signing that you willingly give up some rights that the owner of a non-community (HOA or COA) homeowner would have. However, you do NOT give up your Constitutional Right of Free Speech! In the last few years, many states have passed updates to their laws governing HOAs. If you live in a multi-owner community GET A COPY OF YOUR FOUNDING/CONTROLING DOCUMENTS and READ THEM. Also, look up the Condominium Owners Act (or similar title) in your state and READ THAT. And just as important, if your HOA is registered as a NON-PROFIT CORPORATION, look up your State's Code for NonProfits and read the part's concerning the Board of Directors (aka HOA Management Committee), the Election Laws regarding Corporations and the OPEN MEETINGS Law for Corporations as THEY RULE in priority if the HOA's documents differ! The "Board of Directors," aka "HOA Management Committee" act in their capacity of a "COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT" that you are subject to when you buy into a co-owner community.The HOA's CC&Rs and ByLaws are the 'Front-Line' laws you must abide by when owning, renting or visiting a unit/home in an HOA/COA. Next, any Local or STATE LAW (Condo Owners, NonProfit Corporation, Contract Law & etc) will override the HOA documents if they differ, and ALL of those give way to any Federal (United States Law) that might rule on the question at hand. If your Board of Directors are lawless thugs & bullies, GET ELECTED to the Board and have a say (and a VOTE) in how your Community Government is run. All Founding/Governing Documents and State NonProfit Corporation Laws have a process through which OWNERS can call for meetings, Petition for a RECALL VOTE and oust the thugs and bullies on the Board. Learn your rights, get involved, have a better life in your HOA! 😎

Ryarios What fines? Which judge imposed them? Only a court of law can impose a fine - or maybe a cop - homeowners' associations are not law enforcement! Get them on Judge Judy - that's pretty much what she will tell them, I reckon - if he had paid the fines, as long as it was not >$5,000, Judge Judy Sheindlin would make the homeowners' association refund José the entire "fine!".

By paying the fines isn't that admitting guilt ?!?!

@@deaconandrewkingtheinspira762 No. Paying the fine initiates monetary "damages," which you will need to prove when you take the HOA to Court. I would pay the fine by check and include notation on the front and above the endorsement space on the back of the check that the fine is being "paid under duress." Be sure to get a copy of both sides of the processed check from your bank to include with your other evidence when you go to court. If the Court allows for lawyers fees and court costs, be sure to ask the Judge for those too.

LEGAL words on paper..... Just like any other law, they are binding whether you agree with them or not. If you have any problem obeying laws you happen to disagree with, DO NOT BUY IN A HOA/COA! And don't be a RENTER either.... lol