Surviving an HOA

Communication is a lost art in some HOAs due to lack of basic people skills. Board members often get more criticism than praise. Then, along comes an abusive owner who makes unreasonable demands. But it works both ways, because sometimes it's an owner that suffers at the hands of a domineering board.

The term "communication" denotes a form of fellowship. However, if you believe the media, HOAs are police states with warlord boards. While there is an element of truth in the stories, they are published to stir emotion (like "Elderly Owner Has Condo Foreclosed").

Often as not, homeowners with a "my-home-is-my-castle" mentality disregard rules and regulations to challenge the HOA. Boards that are confronted by these challenges can react with defiance. Anger begets defensiveness, which invites retreat or counter attack.

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