Tag: police powers

The failure of the HOA to protect against obsolescence

Tyler P. Berding, CAI and the Foundation for Community Association Research (CAI affiliate) member, has come to realize that HOAs will become obsolete for a variety of reasons and property values will plunge. His “exit strategy,” as stated in his article, is unclear.  He writes (my emphasis),

The challenge is . . . formulating an appropriate exit strategy that will protect the individual’s investment when the inevitable occurs. At present, no appropriate strategy for preserving individual interests in the face of an obsolete community exists. It should be a legislative priority to find one.

The individual owner is trapped in this cycle. He cannot ‘opt out’ of the system. His only choice is to vote for increased assessments or not, or to sell. If he sells, his successor will be given the same choices. If the community fails, the owner’s interest will be lost. There is no present means by which an owner can salvage his separate interest in a failed community.

To better understand HOA obsolescence, think of your car. You bought it and it depreciates or becomes obsolescent over time.  Most people cannot buy a new car until the sell their old one, or trade it in; but, there are no “home dealers” to make home selling a relatively quick and easy process like car buying. As your home grows old, like the HOA’s common areas, repairs and maintenance demands continuously pop up.  Your property value drops – forget about the HOA’s common areas – your home value drops.  The obsolescence of the common areas does not help your home value. In a non-HOA subdivision, the county pays for the neighborhood maintenance.

Berding does not address what I call your home’s architectural obsolescence; that is, the layout, floor plan, or design of your home, which may no longer be fashionable as people’s tastes change. What the HOA can try to do, which would be a value of HOA living, is to mandate special assessments for repairs and maintenance.  It can do it simply by amending the CC&Rs since there is no protection in the HOA constitution against ex post facto amendments as in the US Constitution.  But, then again, was this part of “the deal” when you bought your home?

What if a homeowner has the cash to remodel his home to make it ‘fashionable’?  Would he get ACC approval? Fat chance!  Would the HOA revise its character of the community and allow homeowners to remodel and create more fashionable homes?  I mean, doesn’t that help maintain property values?  Fat chance!

But wait Berding, what about government intervention to preserve the HOA as quoted above?   What do you think that legislative priority will be, as the state faces a multitude of HOA communities becoming blighted areas?  My guess is that a law will be made mandating the payment of special assessments into reserve accounts to prevent HOAs from becoming obsolete.  Don’t think so?  Have you heard of Obama Care?

In this lengthy article Berding rambles and introduces aspects but fails to tie them all together, like, “It [the HOA] is more than a quasi-governmental agency” and “It is a multidimensional mix of principles” (referring to special or sui generis laws).   Is Berding saying below that the homeowners alone are responsible for the financial condition of the HOA, and individual rights get in the way (my emphasis)?  You know, you’re on your own. Judge for yourself.

In America, individual self-determination usually prevails, and that basic truth illuminates the fundamental flaw in the common interest development concept. In CID living, the success of the group is wholly dependent on the voluntary contribution of capital by each owner.

A community association in trouble cannot simply close the doors and walk away. The ‘village’ [note the reference to public governance terminology] has to pay the utilities, remove the garbage, and maintain the buildings if the owners are to have shelter. This cannot be effectively done without a consensus of the owners, because without owner approval, the association cannot raise sufficient funds to operate.

And in the absence of a consensus?  We know about consensus and member involvement in HOA matters, don’t we?  It seems obvious that the state must intervene, right?

Berding does make the important point that is essential for a healthy community – it’s up to the members to “do right.”   However, the mass merchandising of the HOA concept has worked against members pitching in to maintain property values, because that’s the HOA’s job, that’s why they bought into an HOA – them, not us.  Faulty indeed, but if the financial aspects of a close corporation where financing must come from the limited membership were disclosed, including the joint and severable liability of the members, who would buy an HOA home?  The home would lose all its traditional humanizing, family aspects and become just another dehumanizing material asset.

There’s much more to Berding’s article, which unfortunately gets bogged down in too much irrelevant detail.

 

See, Tyler P. Berding,  “The Uncertain Future of Common Interest Developments,” August 10, 2014.

Colorado HOA act creates state actors?

I give credit to the Colorado Legislature for stating its intent, its position, on supporting HOAs, which is rarely found in other state statutes.  Section 38-33.3-102 reads (in part):

Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares, as follows:

(a) That it is in the best interests of the state and its citizens to establish a clear, comprehensive, and uniform framework for the creation and operation of common interest communities;

(b) That the continuation of the economic prosperity of Colorado is dependent upon the strengthening of homeowner associations in common interest communities financially through the setting of budget guidelines, the creation of statutory assessment liens, the granting of six months’ lien priority, the facilitation of borrowing, and more certain powers in the association to sue on behalf of the owners and through enhancing the financial stability of associations by increasing the association’s powers to collect delinquent assessments, late charges, fines, and enforcement costs;

 

Subsections (c) – (e) contain basically the same theme — don’t let the HOA fail by providing the developer with certain financial protections and operating rules on good management.  In a bold, in your face statement the statute contains an annotation, which reads:

There is no support for the proposition that enactment of a legislative scheme governing the operation of homeowners’ association thereby transforms such homeowners’ association into cities or other governmental entities. Woodmoor Improvement Ass’n v. Brenner, 919 P.2d 928 (Colo. App. 1996).

This 1996 authority still holds true today.  State governments regulate people and entities by establishing laws, such as these HOA “acts” under its police powers “to promote the general welfare.”   That has come to mean to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the people.  The issue at hand, which has not been tested in the courts, is: when does and under what circumstances do these HOA acts create HOAs as state actors?[1]

It would seem that just from this Legislative Declaration of purpose there are reasonable grounds to suspect state cooperation (no penalties against HOA violations of state laws or the governing documents), coercion (foreclosure, pay or lose your home, etc.), and support for HOAs, a close nexus with daily operations (closely involved on HOA management) s symbiotic relationship (you help me, I help you), significant encouragement, either overtly or covertly.[2]  But no mention of any protections of due process and the equal protection of the laws as an objective of its involvement in HOA-Land.

Note that subsection 1(a) above speaks not of individual statutes, but of “a clear, comprehensive, and uniform framework” to support HOAs. Therefore, we must look at the overall picture of the HOA act and determine its broad impact on HOAs, and whether the legal scheme or structure establishes state actors.  And in 1(b) above the general assembly makes a case for establishing state actors when it states, “by increasing the association’s powers to collect delinquent assessments, late charges, fines, and enforcement costs.”  The details can be found within the act itself.

Please understand that in the statutes, both in Colorado and in other states, the statutes give the appearance of protecting the homeowner and his rights, but this is an illusion. What does the homeowner do if the board violates the law?  His ultimate recourse is to sue the HOA in civil court, but the statutes and governing documents (and court case history) are protective of the HOA as this Colorado section clearly demonstrates.

Where are the constitutional protections that would remove the HOA member as a second-class citizen?  To bring him back into the American Zone? They are nowhere to be found!  Why?  Because the state believes that the homebuyer has freely and with full knowledge agreed to be bound by the explicit and implied waivers in the governing documents.  But, have they?[3]

It would seem that the Colorado General Assembly has crossed the line and by its HOA statutes created HOAs as state actors.

References

[1] See, in general, HOA Common Sense, No. 9: HOA governments in fact.

[2] See Do state HOA Statutes Establish HOAs as State Actors?

[3] See HOA Common Sense, No. 4: Consent to be governed

HOAs with police powers: sliding down the slippery slope to HOA-Land

In State of NC v. Weaver[1] an HOA security officer stopped a driver on the suspicion of speeding within the HOA grounds.  Even though there were almost identical circumstances in Poris v. Lake Holiday[2] – uniforms, patrol car marked “Metro Public Safety,” and flashing lights – where the Illinois court held that security agents had the right to stop and detain drivers, the state in this appeal argued that the security officer was not a state agent. 

 The HOA authorized the security officers “to issue civil citations and fines to anyone on the property who violated the rules and regulations of the community (fines to be collected by a debt collector).  Note the broad grant of power to the security officers to fine and collect debt from non-members (the question of public streets remains unknown).  Therefore, it should not be surprising that the trial court had held:  “1. The armed security guard . . . [a]cted as an agent for the State[.]; 2. The armed security guard is a State actor.”[3]

 In reply, the State argued that:  “a traffic stop conducted entirely by a nonstate [emphasis added] actor is not subject to reasonable suspicion because the fourth amendment does not apply.”  In other words, while a cop had to have had a good suspicion that a crime was committed in order to stop and detain, it did not pertain to the security agent who was not a state agent, and constitutional protections did not apply as it does not apply to the HOA contract in general.

The question of whether or not the officer was acting under HOA orders was avoided, thus not allowing the question of HOAs as state actors to be entertained.   Questions like: Was the HOA’s authority to have its security agency act with civil police powers – stop and detain – constitutional?  Was the HOA, itself, a state actor?[4]

Where did the HOA get such authority? Certainly not by delegation from the NC legislature as required by law even for the creation of state agencies.  (In Arizona, constitutionality challenges were mounted by CAI attorneys questioning the authority of the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) to adjudicate HOA disputes).

But, this constitutionality issue was not the question before the court, but should have been as it pertained to the legality of the initial stop and detain act by the security officer.

The appellate court maintained that there was no evidence that the officer was acting to assist bona fide law enforcement officers or was asked by them for assistance.  However, it ignored its own acknowledged fact that the officer detained the defendant when  he smelled alcohol and “asked defendant to “step out of [the] vehicle and have a seat on the . . . sidewalk[.]”

The appellate court also ignored the trial court finding, which was not challenged by the State, that: “No Longer was he performing under Metro’s contract. After issuing the civil citation his actions exceeded his contractual authority. His goal and purpose evolved into detaining [d]efendant until local law enforcement arrived.” Was this a legitimate citizen’s arrest?

And what if the officer was acting under contract?  Then what?  Not addressed.

The appellate court dismissed the findings that the HOA security officer was a state actor and the case goes back to the trial court to decide its merits.  Namely, as a private citizen did the officer unconstitutionally stop and detain the defendant?  Poris said no. Federal court decisions on Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration laws put a strong damper on even police stopping and detaining citizens. 

So, where do we go from here?    Hopefully to answer the question of the HOA’s authority to act with police powers, a power confined to civil, not private, government.

 

 References

 

[1] State of NC v. Weaver, NO. COA13-578 (NC App. 12-13-2013). This appeal centered on the trial court’s granting of a motion to suppress evidence in the DUI case, because the security officer was a state actor.  It does not consider the very important issue of HOAs as state agents. The defendant was represented in the appeals case by NC’s version of a public defender.

[2] See in general, Corporatism in America: IL Supreme Court grants HOA police powers to arrest and detain.

[3] A ‘state actor’ can be defined simply as ‘an arm of the state’ as if it were a public agency or entity.  As such, the HOA would then be subject to 14th Amendment restrictions that protect your rights.  See Do state HOA Statutes Establish HOAs as State Actors?

Proposed HOA Study Committee issues of substance

The following topics have been proposed as issues of substance for the National HOA Member Citizens League Study Committees,

    1. Have homeowners given their consent to agree to the governing documents and to the waiver or surrender of their rights and freedoms as citizens?
    2. Are fair elections procedures needed to protect the democratic right to vote for HOA directors and/or officers?
    3. Are HOA members being denied due process protections as are provided public government?
    4. Is the right for HOAs to foreclose on homeowners an effective and legitimate method to collect assessment debts?
    5. Are HOAs being given special consideration by state legislatures by not subjecting the boards of directors to punishments and monetary penalties for violations of state laws and the governing documents?
    6. Are HOAs state actors?
    7. Are HOAs de facto but unrecognized political governments?
    8. Should HOAs be made subject to municipality statutes rather than corporation statutes?
    9. Should directors be required to take courses in government and nonprofit management?
    10. Should HOA managers and management companies be licensed and subject to random audits?

For more information on the HOA Organizational Development fresh approach to HOA reforms, and the National HOA Member Citizens League pro-con study committees, see HOA Organizational Development.

See also, HOA Organizational Development – a fresh approach to the ills of HOAs 

A further explanation of HOA Organizational Development

NC adds another bill to protect homeowners from HOA abuse

Another bill to reign in HOAs and their hired-hand mercenaries was introduced in the NC Assembly, HB 871.  An agency is sought to regulate, including rule-making authority, to license property managers with restrictions prohibiting the giving legal or financial advice, and from controlling reserve and operating funds of the HOA.  Furthermore, a fidelity bond will be required of all property managers.

Very importantly is the intent of the legislature to protect homeowners.  HB 871 reads (emphasis added),

The General Assembly further finds that managing a community association by collecting and handling assessments and other funds and managing property of the community association are deemed to be real estate transactions. If a community association is not properly managed the improper management can adversely affect the real estate through foreclosure of the community association member’s property or bankruptcy of the community association. Improper management may also affect the rights of the community association members as consumers and property owners. It is the purpose and intent of this Article to protect the public from persons unqualified to provide community association management and from unprofessional conduct by persons regulated pursuant to this Article.

 

As more and more state legislatures awaken from their long slumber and remove their rose-colored glasses, the extent of the wrongful, unethical, and immoral acts of HOA property managers, as well as HOA attorneys involved in collusion, is becoming apparent.  I congratulate those state legislatures for joining the Enlightenment Movement, and bringing a just and fair governance of subdivisions currently unaccountable to the state for their actions.

The HOA industry has failed to regulate itself.  The hired-hand property manager and attorney associations, who claim to be of professional status,  have failed to regulate the conduct of their members.   Therefore, it is only rightful for  state legisaltures to step in and protect its citizens from the abuse by powerful factions.

 

See The HOA Enlightenment Movement continues to spread: just legislation for homeowners