Many homeowners in California live in neighborhoods that follow strict precedents set by a Homeowners’ Association (HOA). An HOA works to maintain common areas within a community and enforce rules and regulations in the interest of all homeowners. The association may file a lawsuit against a homeowner if they believe they have been repeatedly violating their covenant.
You may believe you were following set regulations but a member of the organization may have reached out to you with a violation notice, requested to correct your actions or fined you. The HOA holds a lot of power and it can seem like there’s little you can do to appeal their decisions. Before you give up, there may be a few ways of defending your actions – here’s what you should know:
1. Research HOA guidelines
First, you might consider reviewing HOA rules and regulations. The HOA may clarify what rules you violated and request you take action within a specified number of days.
If you believe you did nothing wrong after having a better understanding of the guidelines, you may consider requesting an appeal. You shouldn’t ignore the violation notice if you believe you did nothing wrong – this may result in further actions from the HOA and increasing fines.
2. Request a hearing with HOA
You might try talking out the issue with HOA members. This may mean you’ll have to send a letter to the HOA requesting an appeal and attend the next board meeting.
The HOA members may take swift actions to appeal the notice and fines after being presented with the right evidence against the violation or after there is proof that your actions were corrected.
3. Enforce your homeowner rights
The HOA wouldn’t be what they are without a homeowner such as yourself. You may consider reaching out to a real estate attorney who can help you create a decisive plan when appealing an HOA violation notice or fine.
