Overview Losing an HOA lawsuit can be frustrating and expensive. But if you think that the trial court got it wrong, and if the issue is important enough to you, then you’ll be glad to hear that just because a trial court issues a final judgment against a homeowner,...
Overview Assessments are the lifeblood of every HOA in California. They fund critical things like insurance, reserves, and management, to common area maintenance, repairs, and replacements. Your HOA’s assessments come in two forms: regular (annual or monthly dues) and...
Overview This Fact Sheet picks up where “California Neighbor Tree Disputes: Your Rights on Encroaching Branches and Roots” left off. That earlier Fact Sheet explained how to handle a neighbor’s encroaching trees and your rights to use “self-help” to cut back or...
Overview When something breaks in your HOA’s common areas (e.g., a leaking roof, a rotted balcony, or a burst pipe), the first question a lot of homeowners ask is, “Who’s responsible for paying for this?” The answer isn’t always what your board claims. Under Civil...
Overview Architectural guidelines are one of the most misunderstood, and frequently abused, tools HOAs from HELL (i.e., bad HOAs) use to control how homeowners modify their properties. These rules were originally meant to preserve design consistency and property...
Overview Architectural approvals are one of the most common (and most abused) sources of conflict between California homeowners and their HOAs. Whether you’re replacing windows, adding a patio cover or pergola, or updating your landscaping, most HOAs require prior...
