Tag: law

Statement to NC Select HOA Committee

January 17, 2012

Mr. Ed Stiles
Committee Assistant
NC House Select Committee on HOAs
 
email statement

Statement to the NC House Select Committee on HOAs

January 23, 2012 Meeting

Dear Committee Members,

I am submitting this email statement for inclusion into the record for the January 23, 2012 hearing on homeowners associations. I am a nationally recognized homeowner rights advocate who believes in “supporting principles of democratic government.”

Over my 13 years of involvement in HOA reform legislation across this country, I have witnessed a slow, but steady, change in the perception of homeowner associations from “the next best thing to Mom’s apple pie” to the realization of that there are “worts” all over the HOA legal concept and statutes. The reason for this has been the extensive use of the internet by advocates, and the inability of the pro-HOA forces and national lobbyists in every state to stifle their voices. For over 48 years, since the introduction of the “HOA “bible”, the Homes Association Handbook, these forces held sway and shaped the attitudes of the public, the media, the policy makers, and state legislators. They exclaimed the virtues and benefits of the HOA scheme, and hid the worts, the serious defects, among the most egregious being the denial that HOAs are authoritarian, private, de facto governments that function as independent principalities. As such, HOAs are illegitimate local governments.

I am not rejecting the freedom of choice, if indeed that is a fact, in selecting the perceived benefits of a planned community by buyers, but the mass merchandising of these HOAs under highly questionable sales and advertising methods – misrepresentation, fraud, half-truths, false truths. As an example, no state has adopted anything close to the “Truth in HOAs Disclosure Agreement” that serves as a notice and warning of what HOA life is really about. (See, Appendix A, Model Consent to be Governed Disclosure Bill). I am not objecting to that real estate “package” of benefits, but to the form and nature of the governing body of the subdivision, commonly known as the Homeowners Association, and the adhesive CC&Rs “contract” that denies constitutional protections of due process and the equal application of the law.

HOAs are unaccountable to the state government. The statutes are unconstitutional special laws for special organizations, that reject contract law and constitutional law for the common law of equitable servitudes. As long-time advocate Evan McKenzie wrote in Privatopia (1994),

In a variety of ways, these private governments are illiberal and undemocratic. Most significantly boards of directors operate outside constitutional restrictions because the law views them as business entities rather than governments. . . . [They] are inconsistent not only with political theories of legitimacy but with the normal process by which governments are created. . . . Thus these ‘private governments’ may violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (Chapter 6).

There is no justification for the non-application of the laws of the land, and the denial of fundamental rights, freedoms, privileges and immunities for homeowners with such weak arguments as: “better landscapes make better communities,” or the shifting of residential development costs from the local municipality to the homeowners, or “they agreed to be bound.” The last of which is a mockery of justice and our system of government as it allows the waiver and surrender of rights and freedoms by the mere posting of a Declaration of CC&RS to the county clerk, sight unseen by those who will be bound by the CC&Rs, by a profit seeking developer adhesion contract.

This Committee has the opportunity to begin to set things right, to restore this country to “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” and to remove this second form of local government that has seceded from and rejects the Constitution. The Committee will hear from HOA supporters and from self-interest groups who should, by this time, understand that they, too, are rejecting the Constitution and the principles of democratic government. And more importantly, it will hear “petitions for redress” from homeowners. Do not fail the citizens of North Carolina. Do not cause them to have to say, “Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.”

I ask that the Committee to do justice by paying heed to those petitions by homeowners and taking on the long overdue HOA reforms being asked.

My HOA profile, Appendix B, is provided for your convenience.

Respectfully submitted,

George K. Staropoli
President
 

HOA-Land — the failure to democratize

Note: The following is an excerpt from my paper, “Are the American people rejecting democracy at the local level?”

HOA-Land — the failure to democratize

 Will the acceptance of authoritarian private local governments in the US result in a weakening of democracy in America, and destroy “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”?  

“Democratization” describes the processes underlying “the emergence, the deepening, and survival of democracy” in a society.  Democratization is also concerned with the forces that affect the sustainability of a democracy.  And that’s the issue before us:  Has the First American Experiment with representative democracy succumbed to the “emergence and acceptance of a quiet innovation in housing,” the Second American Experiment? This New America of HOA-Land?[i] 

In his “Theories of Democratization”,[ii] Christian Welzel presents a case well applicable to HOA societies.  Welzel believes that, “Democratization is sustainable to the extent to which it advances in response to pressures from within a society.”  It appears that HOA-Land dwellers feel no need to pressure for change, just like Mayer discovered with his interviews after WW II.

People power is institutionalized through civic freedoms that entitle people to govern their lives, allowing them to follow their personal preferences in governing their private lives and to make their political preferences count in governing public life.

Since democracy is about people power, it originates in conditions that place resources of power in the hands of wider parts of the populace, such that authorities cannot access these resources without making concessions to their beholders. But when rulers gain access to a source of revenue they can bring under their control without anyone’s consent, they have the means to finance tools of coercion.

 The above amply defines the dynamics of political machines and power cliques that operate, more or less, within all HOAs from benevolent dictatorships to rogue boards. And with respect to voting as the sole indicator of a democracy, it is well known that HOAs are woefully deficient in fair and just elections, with no “fair elections” laws in effect. Welzel goes on to say,

Many new democracies have successfully installed competitive electoral regimes but their elites are corrupt and lack a commitment to the rule of law that is needed to enforce the civic freedoms that define democracy. These deficiencies render democracy ineffective. The installation of electoral democracy can be triggered by external forces and incentives. But whether electoral democracy becomes effective in respecting and protecting people’s civic freedoms depends on domestic factors. Democracies have become effective only where the masses put the elites under pressure to respect their freedoms.

 Once again we are told that there’s a need for pressure from within, from those living in HOAs, to uphold their Constitutional protections.  Even if state governments decide to enforce constitutional protections and the equal application of state laws, it remains with the HOA-Land residents to defend our system of government.  Welzel reaffirms this essential requirement, “It is only when people come to find appeal in the freedoms that define democracy that they begin to consider dictatorial powers as illegitimate.”

 Welzel offers a path to victory to stop this erosion of democracy within America that is highly applicable to the social movement for HOA reforms.

 As social movement research has shown, powerful mass movements do not simply emerge from growing resources among the population. Social movements must be inspired by a common cause that motivates their supporters to take costly and risky actions. This requires ideological ‘frames’ that create meaning and grant legitimacy to a common cause so that people follow it with inner conviction.

This is why values are important. To advance democracy, people have not only to be capable to struggle for its advancement; they also have to be willing to do so. And for this to happen, they must value the freedoms that define democracy. This is not always a given, and is subject to changes in the process of value transformation.

 And what about our elected officials?

 However, although Welzel writes that “elites [those in power, the cliques] concede democracy even in the absence of mass pressures”, it is only “when these elites depend on the will of external powers and when these powers are pushing for democracy.”   But, with respect to HOA regimes, Americans cannot accept this state of affairs by state legislatures, especially not with respect to these fundamental issues of democratic governance — the very soul of this country.  The absence of legislative support, sua sponte (on their own), for HOA reforms throughout the country is inexcusable! 

 

[i]Understanding the New America of HOA-Land, George K. Staropoli (StarMan Publishing 2010).

[ii] “Theories of Democratization”, Christian Welzel, Democratization, Christian W. Haerpfer, ed.  (Oxford University Press USA 2009).

 

AZ OAH Constitutionality of HOA adjudication still lingers

In the first OAH Petition filed, 11F-H1112001-BFS, the North Slopes HOA filed a motion to dismiss, partly based on the unconstitutionality of the statutes. It was a feeble claim, especially coming from a national law firm. The ALJ, at the Oct. 19, 2001 pre-conference hearing, stated that the statute was constitutional until a court decision said otherwise. The HOA attorney then stated that it was filed to allow the question to be raised in a superior court appeal.  Here we go again!

My feeling is that we will continue to see constitutionality challenges as one of several defenses in future Petitions, and not as  the main focus of the defense, which  we saw with the repeated CAI attorney challenges.

The failure of 39 years of CAI seminars: ignore HOA homeowner-member concerns

In keeping with its service to HOA management, and not to the homeowner-members, the Shaw-Lines web page declares, ‘We also provide annual seminars on legislative changes affecting associations’ legal rights.” Now, Augustus Shaw IV seeks input from the management/professional class: Shaw & Lines Lunch and Learn Topic Survey: (Oct. 18, 2011)

Which of the following topics would you most like to see addressed at a Lunch and Learn?

     Show Me the Money – How to Collect Assessments in a Sluggish Economy.
Fair Housing Laws and Community Associations – How to Avoid a Fair Housing Lawsuit.

Mr. and Mrs. Curmudgeon – How to Handle Difficult Homeowners.

Association Record Keeping – What Records a HOA Has to Keep, How Long They Must Keep Them and Owner Records Requests.
Changes in the Laws Affecting Community Associations.

How to Conduct Board Member Training – Key Issues Every HOA Board Should Be Taught.

What Every Community Should Know About Association Insurance.

I’ll Sue! How to Properly Address and Handle Owner Threats of Suit.

Apathy Abounds – How to Increase Member Participation in Your Community Association.

Know Your Acts from a Hole in the Wall – Understanding the Condominium, Planned Community Acts and Non-Profit Corporations Acts.

I ask, and ask: Who speaks for the homeowner?

Definitely not CAI. Definitely not the Leadership Centre or the HOA Academy in Arizona, or any of those associations of HOA associations nonprofits found throughout the states, like ECHO or SCHOA, or those management firm organizations of alleged professionals, like AACM or CACM. And definitely not those towns/cities that sponsor seminars by CAI attorneys and/or CAI trained managers.

I speak for the homeowners! See HOA Constitutional Government and Citizens for Constitutional Local Government.

These websites, and comments under HOAGOV, inform homeowners of their rights, which among others include such topics as,

Of course, I do not expect invitations to speak at these government sponsored seminars to come pouring in, for obvious reasons.

DISTRIBUTION OF THIS COMMENTARY IS PERMITTED, PROVIDED CREDITS ARE STATED, AND URGED IN THE INTEREST OF HOMEOWNER-MEMBERS.

Disclaimer:  Oh yes, for the record, I am not a lawyer and I do not provide legal advice. See a lawyer for legal advice.

HOA adudication at OAH: a rebirth of constitutionality, abuse, and legislation

It seems that with the “rebirth” of Arizona administrative agency adjudication of HOA disputes in 2011, CAI and other the pro-HOA supporters want to stifle this due process protections that has leveled the litigation playing. Although not the answer to all issues, with its 42% win ratio favoring Pro Per homeowners, it is a very good start. In continued attempts to deny homeowners a fair and just hearing, the first OAH case in 2011 reveals a challenge to the constitutionality of the new statute, feeble as it may be. To better understand the issues at hand, let’s review the activity took place in two arenas in 2008: the courts and at the legislature.

1. Courts. After several prior years attempts to obtain a just hearing process in HOAs, a hard fought battle resulted in the passing of HB 2824 in 2006 that established OAH adjudication of HOA disputes. After a full year of complaints in 2007, 2008 started with several constitutional challenges to the new laws. Starting early in 2008 with Waugaman and the OAH appeal to the superior court, the new statute was found unconstitutional. At the close of the year the Merrit OAH case broadened the court ruling to apply to all HOAs. At the same time of Waugaman, Gelb filed an OAH Petition that resulted in an appellate court affirmation of the superior court ruling in 2010, making the ruling precedent.

2. Legislation. While the CAI attorneys attempted to end OAH adjudication, legislation was introduced in 2008 to stop the abuse of process at OAH, whereby the HOA attorneys were trying to make OAH just like a civil court proceeding with the formality of the rules of court. The two prominent bills, HB 2724 and SB 1162, were defeated, but they caused panic in CAI and with HOA attorneys. Among other things, these bills sought:

HB 2724

“notwithstanding any provision of the declaration, an amendment to the declaration is void and unenforceable against any unit owner who entered the association before the adoption of the amendment unless the amendment was approved by unanimous consent of all unit owners . . . .”

the association shall enforce that provision of the condominium documents against all other unit owners who can reasonably and readily be determined to be in violation. . . . the association bears the burden of proving that the association enforces that provision uniformly. . . . Any provision in the condominium documents that is not uniformly enforced pursuant to this section is deemed unenforceable for purposes of any pending enforcement action.

Except as expressly prescribed in this chapter, the requirements of this chapter including any rights conferred by this chapter shall not be modified by agreement or otherwise waived. A person shall not use any device to evade the limitations or PROHIBITIONS of this chapter.

SB 1162 (two separate issues presented)

A. Amendments. “An amendment to the condominium documents does not apply to any court or administrative action filed before the amendment is adopted.”

B. Attorney fees – penalties.

the administrative law judge shall not award attorney fees or costs and a court shall not award attorney fees or costs in any appeal from an administrative order unless the administrative law judge or court makes a finding that the attorney or party did any of the following:

1. Brought or defended a claim without substantial justification.

2. Brought or defended a claim solely or primarily for delay or harassment.

3. Unreasonably expanded or delayed the proceeding.

4. Engaged in abuse of discovery.

If the administrative law judge or court makes a finding pursuant to subsection C of this section, the administrative law judge or court may allocate the payment of attorney fees among the offending attorneys and parties . . . [This was designed to punish the abusers, the HOA attorney and HOA, as the homeowner was overwhelmingly a Pro Per.]

“without substantial justification” means that the claim or defense constitutes harassment, is groundless and is not made in good faith.

Please bear in mind that, “Good faith, a state of mind consisting in ((1) honesty in belief or purpose, (2) faithfulness to one’s duty or obligation . . . (4) absence of intent to defraud or to seek unconscionable advantage.” (Black’s Law Dictionary).

Are we seeing a second attempt at abuse of process in OAH adjudication? Today, the first Petition was challenged with a feeble constitutionality challenge. Of the first 3 Petitions filed, 2 resulted in the quick use of a civil court permitted Motion to Dismiss being filed with one Petition having already been dismissed. In the newest Petition, filed just last week, the HOA has not yet responded. As I have previously written, the other Petition appears to be proceeding with a pre-hearing conference, where I suspect a discussion of the Motion to Dismiss will occur. The OAH records are not clear. From the OAH stated purpose of pre-hearing conferences and topics for such a hearing (A.R.S. § 41-1092.05(F)), it seems the question of OAH jurisdiction will be raised a a legal matter – “Clarify or limit procedural, legal or factual issues.”


If this is indeed the case, using motions to dismiss to over-power the homeowner and to avoid any audiotape record of the hearing — an invaluable resource not readily available in trial court proceedings — I strongly urge that legislation be introduced as indicated above to put a stop to this abuse. Legislation to stop “ex post facto” amendments, which is a violation of Constitutional restrictions, must be proposed and sponsored in January.

If, on the other hand, the Petitions did not conform to the statutes for OAH adjudication, then all those looking to file a Petition must read the OAH letter from its Director addressing homeowners in HOA proceedings — Homeowner Petitions Against An Association. A must read for all.