Buying a Home in a California HOA? 12 Red Flags to Look Out For Before You Buy
Overview Buying a home in a California HOA is not just a real estate transaction. It binds you to a legal framework that controls how you use your property, what you must pay, and how the HOA handles disputes. These risks are not hypothetical. Homeowners living in...
Can You Dissolve Your California HOA?
Overview Homeowners often ask whether they can dissolve their HOA, especially when frustration with board decisions, enforcement practices, or rising costs reaches a breaking point. The short answer is yes, but that answer is misleading without context. Dissolving an...
Can HOA Board Members in California Be Forced to Pay Back Legal Fees?
Overview Many California homeowners assume that if their HOA’s insurance or the association itself pays to defend a board member in a lawsuit, that is the end of the story. In many cases, however, that’s not true. Under the right circumstances, the law may require an...
Can I Sue My HOA Board Members Personally in California?
Overview Most California homeowners assume they can simply sue the individual directors responsible if their HOA causes harm. In reality, however, that’s not so easy to do. California law strongly protects volunteer HOA board members from personal liability, and in...
Altadena & Palisades Fires: Why California FAIR Plan Insurance Isn’t Enough to Rebuild
Overview The aftermath of the Altadena and Palisades fires has exposed a problem that many California homeowners who live in high fire zones didn’t see coming. They had insurance through California’s FAIR Plan and they’ve paid very high premiums for that insurance....
Can a California HOA Stop You from Speaking at a Board Meeting?
Overview Bad HOA boards often attempt to stifle homeowner speech during open board meetings by eliminating open forum entirely, restricting the scope of permissible topics, or deploying obstructive tactics such as claiming a comment is “not on the agenda,” cutting...
Can a California HOA Hold Secret Meetings Without Notice or Minutes?
Overview Bad HOAs don’t like to operate in the light. Instead, they prefer to operate without oversight. To hide their activities from the membership at large, bad HOA boards will frequently try to conduct business behind closed doors by calling their gatherings...
Can My HOA Force Me to Pay a Special Assessment After the Altadena and Palisades Fires?
Overview In the aftermath of the devastating fires that swept through Altadena, the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and surrounding areas in early 2025, many homeowners are now facing a second crisis: massive HOA special assessments that HOA boards imposed to repair...
California HOA Fines After AB 130: $100 Limit, Repeat Violations, and Predictions Coming True
Overview When AB 130 took effect, I made a series of very specific predictions about how it would play out in the real world. Although I’m widely regarded as California’s most groundbreaking HOA attorney on the homeowner-side (meaning that my law firm, MBK Chapman,...
Can My California HOA Ban Airbnb or Short-Term Rentals?
Overview Every spring, as the summer approaches, we start fielding questions from homeowners across California about their right to rent out their homes to vacationers on websites like Airbnb or VRBO. And we always respond with the same answer: it depends. The...
Can My California HOA Fine Me for Renting Out My Home?
Overview A California HOA’s ability to fine you for renting out your home depends first on whether the rental arrangement violates a valid restriction, and second on whether the HOA followed the procedural requirements for imposing discipline. That distinction matters...
What If Your California HOA Refuses to Enforce Its Own Rules?
Overview HOA rules and regulations only matter if they are enforced. When an HOA adopts rules governing common issues such as parking, noise, architectural standards, or use of the common areas, homeowners expect the HOA to enforce those rules and to do so fairly....
What If Your California HOA Refuses to Make Repairs to the Common Area?
Overview Common area repairs are one of the most basic responsibilities an HOA has. When something breaks, deteriorates, or becomes unusable in the common areas, homeowners expect the HOA to fix it. When the HOA refuses to act, the problem does not just sit there. It...
What If Your California HOA Ignores Safety Issues or Dangerous Conditions?
Overview Safety issues in an HOA are not something boards get to ignore or delay. When a homeowner reports a dangerous condition, whether it involves structural problems, lighting failures, water intrusion, or other hazards, the expectation is simple: the HOA...
Can a California HOA Ignore Homeowner Complaints?
Overview Homeowners often reach a breaking point with their HOA not because of a single bad decision, but because of silence. They report a safety issue. They raise concerns about maintenance. They complain about a neighbor violating the rules. And nothing happens. No...
Can a California HOA Limit or Ignore Homeowner Emails to Management?
Overview Homeowners frequently ask a version of the same question: Can my HOA just refuse to deal with me if I send too many emails? The issue comes up when a homeowner starts pressing management for answers about finances, maintenance problems, or board decisions,...
Can a California HOA Tow Your Car or Ban Street Parking?
Overview This Fact Sheet addresses two related enforcement issues that frequently arise in California HOA parking disputes: when an HOA may tow a vehicle parked in violation of the community’s rules, and when an HOA may regulate parking on public streets located...
Can a California HOA Control Parking in Your Garage, Driveway, or Assigned Parking Space?
Overview Parking disputes are one of the most common sources of conflict between homeowners and their HOAs, and the reason for that isn’t too much of a mystery. Parking rules affect everyday life inside an HOA community. Homeowners deal with those rules every day when...
Is It Illegal to Record Audio on Security Cameras in California HOAs?
Overview Security cameras have become a normal feature of HOA communities across California. Most of these systems function as simple video surveillance tools, recording activity in both members’ private properties and common areas (e.g., yards, driveways, entrances,...
California HOA Statutes of Limitations in California: Correcting More Errors by a Bad HOA Attorney
Overview Understanding the correct statute of limitations matters in HOA disputes. These deadlines determine when claims may be filed and when they become legally barred. Because different legal theories trigger different statutes of limitations under California law,...
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