{"id":369400,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:24","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ability-fl-prod.internetbrands.com\/ability-law\/realestate\/owning-a-home\/home-owners-associations.html"},"modified":"2024-08-19T12:09:36","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T17:09:36","slug":"home-owners-associations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/realestate\/owning-a-home\/home-owners-associations.html","title":{"rendered":"Homeowners Association Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Homeowners Association Law<\/h1>\n
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\n By Robert Rafii, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Aisha Success, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Welcome to the Homeowners Association section of FindLaw’s Real Estate Center. A homeowners association (or HOA) is the governing body that makes and enforces rules. In the real estate industry, that includes many of the rules that pertain to common interest developments such as tract housing and condominiums.<\/p>\r\n

For example, a condominium association may decide that no common area fences in a particular development may exceed a certain height. They may also pay for certain improvements to an entire development, such as hiring local security or landscaping workers.<\/p>\r\n

HOAs are usually governed by a group of residents in the development. This section contains practical and legal information on homeowners associations.<\/p>\r\n

Overview of HOAs<\/h2>\r\n

You may be wondering about the reason why certain communities adopt rules for residents. Planned communities enforce rules through an HOA to maintain a general uniformity among close-knit properties. These are typically condominiums, townhouses (townhomes), or co-ops grouped together in the same structure. Unlike single-family homes, these communities tend to be part of the same building.<\/p>\r\n

These rules are meant to keep the neighborhood attractive and well-maintained, but also to help maintain property values. For example, an HOA may dictate what colors your house may be, whether you may have signs in your yard, how long your grass may get before you need to mow it, and so on.<\/p>\r\n

In addition to enforcing community rules, HOAs also manage a reserve fund to pay for communal resources, such as:<\/p>\r\n