Austin

City-Data Forum - View Single Post - Trip Report and Question about HOA: "For your own financial security, don't even think about buying a home in an HOA. You've raised great points. Unfortunately, the attitude in many of these HOA areas is to extend the restrictions far beyond what you agreed to through the use of 'rules' and 'regulations' adopted by the Board without your approval or agreement. Their philosophy is that the CCRs don't say that they can't do that. The problem of course is that Board members and Architectural Committee members are talking about YOUR property, not their property or HOA property.

HOA laws in Texas are awful for the homeowners. There is quite an industry that feeds off of and bilks homeowners living in HOAs. 'Private fining' is one significant example. Indeed, you will find an older neighborhood that has an HOA will suddenly endow itself with fining powers and adopt a 'priority of payment' to apply your assessment payments to fines, management company fees prior to being applied to your assessments - once a 'professional' management company gets involved. The other side will say 'hey you just have to follow 'the rule' ', but as I stated earlier they tend to create new rules that you never agreed to as well as interpret restrictive covenants unreasonably or even unlawfully."