florida Fla Rep Wants To Ban HOAs

[gatomontes99]

 

I love the idea. I bought acreage outside of the city just to escape HOAs. They have far to much power and pool resources to suppress individual owners.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2025 by gatomontes99

[Michael Hardner]

I never understood this phenomenon. 

Of all the things that the USA invented, this is the closest to Communism. 

Why they put up with it... I'll never understand.

[Moonlight Graham]

US has freedom of association, so shouldn't you be able to opt-in or opt-out of these things?  Kind of like an employment union.  Opt-in or opt-out.

Edited August 21, 2025 by Moonlight Graham

[TreeBeard]

7 hours ago, Michael Hardner said:

I never understood this phenomenon. 

Of all the things that the USA invented, this is the closest to Communism. 

Why they put up with it... I'll never understand.

White enclaves are popular with wealthy white people.  

[Michael Hardner]

13 hours ago, Moonlight Graham said:

US has freedom of association, so shouldn't you be able to opt-in or opt-out of these things?  Kind of like an employment union.  Opt-in or opt-out.

Great question. 

What is the legal standing of these things? 

Let me see if Google is helpful: 

https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowner_association

They are legally binding and have authority over homeowners And can also overlap with neighborhood associations... Who are not legally binding.

It's all part of the wacky coconuts American culture that rejects government but puts two levels of governance on just having a nice house...

[herbie]

Kind of went away here along with restrictions against selling to Asians. Strata councils for condos, apartments and townhouses is it.

[BeaverFever]

On 8/21/2025 at 5:31 PM, Moonlight Graham said:

US has freedom of association, so shouldn't you be able to opt-in or opt-out of these things?  Kind of like an employment union.  Opt-in or opt-out.

The HOA is set up by the developer when the community is built and the HOA is meant to so a lot of things we Canadians normally expect municipal government to do like maintain roads and parks etc. When you buy a property in one of these communities the property title comes with “Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions” language stating that you agree to abide by the HOA and pay all associated fees and any fines they may levy against you for non-compliance. They can even force you to sell or remortgage your house to settle even just a couple thousand or dollars of unpaid fees and fines. 
 

Of course these HOAs are notoriously corrupt, rife with favouritism, nepotism, bullying, kickbacks, skimming, etc and they’re also famous for massively overreaching, dictating people’s lives forcing them to put up specific types decorations on specific holidays for example,  what colour paint and curtains they can have,  and so on. Thankfully we don’t have anything really comparable in Canada. Maybe the worst condo boards might be the closest. Apparently there are a very small number of “residents associations” in Canada that aim to have some community social organization and pay for things like swimming pools and such but they have nowhere near the power or overreach as the American HOAs. 

[BeaverFever]

On 8/22/2025 at 7:13 AM, Michael Hardner said:

It's all part of the wacky coconuts American culture that rejects government but puts two levels of governance on just having a nice house...

The Americans have this irrational fear of public services but have no qualms about indenturing themselves to unaccountable private organizations and corporations that are far more overbearing and self-interested. Look at their healthcare system for example. 

[paxamericana]

On 9/21/2025 at 8:25 PM, BeaverFever said:

The Americans have this irrational fear of public services but have no qualms about indenturing themselves to unaccountable private organizations and corporations that are far more overbearing and self-interested. Look at their healthcare system for example. 

You got us there Canucks! Voluntary communism. 

[eyeball]

On 8/21/2025 at 2:29 PM, Michael Hardner said:

I never understood this phenomenon. 

Of all the things that the USA invented, this is the closest to Communism. 

Why they put up with it... I'll never understand.

Nimbyism on crack.

[herbie]

Only a True American would call the Health care the entire world uses except them communism. 
It goes with 250 years of teaching themselves the Evil King of England imposed those taxes they rebelled against.

[SpankyMcFarland]

Florida real estate is best avoided at the moment anyway. 

[WestCanMan]

On 8/21/2025 at 10:23 PM, TreeBeard said:

White enclaves are popular with wealthy white people.  

(Democrats)

[WestCanMan]

On 9/21/2025 at 6:23 PM, BeaverFever said:

The HOA is set up by the developer when the community is built and the HOA is meant to so a lot of things we Canadians normally expect municipal government to do like maintain roads and parks etc. When you buy a property in one of these communities the property title comes with “Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions” language stating that you agree to abide by the HOA and pay all associated fees and any fines they may levy against you for non-compliance. They can even force you to sell or remortgage your house to settle even just a couple thousand or dollars of unpaid fees and fines. 
 

Of course these HOAs are notoriously corrupt, rife with favouritism, nepotism, bullying, kickbacks, skimming, etc and they’re also famous for massively overreaching, dictating people’s lives forcing them to put up specific types decorations on specific holidays for example,  what colour paint and curtains they can have,  and so on. Thankfully we don’t have anything really comparable in Canada. Maybe the worst condo boards might be the closest. Apparently there are a very small number of “residents associations” in Canada that aim to have some community social organization and pay for things like swimming pools and such but they have nowhere near the power or overreach as the American HOAs. 

Not really true.

There are properties all over BC that have Statutory Building Schemes registered on their title, which can dictate what types of things you can park in your driveway, what types of fences you can put up, what types of building/roofing materials you can use, whether or not you can put certain types of buildings or additions on your property, etc. Even the colour of your house can be restricted.

Municipal bylaws also dictate some of those things, and even where no bylaw expressly prohibits something, if you apply for a building permit that falls well within the lot's zoning guidelines, the municipality can nix your plans if they don't mesh with the neighbourhood's general "form and character".  

You also need permission from your municipality here to cut down trees of various sizes, and in most cases it can't even be granted unless an arborist determines that the trees are dying and therefor pose some type of imminent falling hazard. Even when tree roots are causing damage on your property, like busting sidewalks and driveways, tipping fences, etc, you can't usually get them removed. 

Owning property in Canada is not the wild west that you seem to think it is.

[gatomontes99]

17 hours ago, WestCanMan said:

Owning property in Canada is not the wild west that you seem to think it is.

My place in Texas is and, ***gasp***, all the houses are nice and the yards are maintained. It is almost likely they take pride in the homes they own!

[WestCanMan]

3 hours ago, gatomontes99 said:

My place in Texas is and, ***gasp***, all the houses are nice and the yards are maintained. It is almost likely they take pride in the homes they own!

That will only work for so long lol. 

Just wait until someone paints their fence semi-gloss baby blue. "There goes the neighbourhood". 

[SpankyMcFarland]

I’m happy with how my municipality works. They do a good job. I can see where my taxes are going. 

[BeaverFever]

On 10/13/2025 at 2:06 PM, WestCanMan said:

Not really true.

There are properties all over BC that have Statutory Building Schemes registered on their title, which can dictate what types of things you can park in your driveway, what types of fences you can put up, what types of building/roofing materials you can use, whether or not you can put certain types of buildings or additions on your property, etc. Even the colour of your house can be restricted.

Municipal bylaws also dictate some of those things, and even where no bylaw expressly prohibits something, if you apply for a building permit that falls well within the lot's zoning guidelines, the municipality can nix your plans if they don't mesh with the neighbourhood's general "form and character".  

You also need permission from your municipality here to cut down trees of various sizes, and in most cases it can't even be granted unless an arborist determines that the trees are dying and therefor pose some type of imminent falling hazard. Even when tree roots are causing damage on your property, like busting sidewalks and driveways, tipping fences, etc, you can't usually get them removed. 

Owning property in Canada is not the wild west that you seem to think it is.

Bylaws are different that’s municipal government. But AFAIK these PRIVATE groups with the power to force you out of a home you OWN for breaking their rules (especially over things like failing to put up or take down xmas lights) don’t exist in Canada. 

[CdnFox]

On 10/15/2025 at 6:43 PM, SpankyMcFarland said:

I’m happy with how my municipality works. They do a good job. I can see where my taxes are going. 

Yes but you're a borderline communist sooooo    (Bwaaaahhahahaahaha!!!!) 

[CdnFox]

19 hours ago, BeaverFever said:

Bylaws are different that’s municipal government. But AFAIK these PRIVATE groups with the power to force you out of a home you OWN for breaking their rules (especially over things like failing to put up or take down xmas lights) don’t exist in Canada. 

I'm not sure exactly that I understand the difference between these HOAs and a strata Corporation for example which manages a strata townhouse complex or strata apartment building. Strata corpations are around by the hundreds of thousands in canada. 

And there's always a level of government that can force you out of your home one way or another for breaking the rules. Know the rules, don't buy where you don't like the rules. 

Walk me through the difference (if you know it, i'm assuming you know more about hoa's which haven't been a subject of study for me so far)

[WestCanMan]

On 10/18/2025 at 7:36 PM, BeaverFever said:

Bylaws are different that’s municipal government. But AFAIK these PRIVATE groups with the power to force you out of a home you OWN for breaking their rules (especially over things like failing to put up or take down xmas lights) don’t exist in Canada. 

It does sound pretty crazy, but I don't know who to believe about what HOA's are actually able to do, or what they've actually done, and why.

We would both agree that someone is lying about pretty much everything these days, and sometime it's not worth the effort to figure out who that is. I just look at this as their issue, and I think I will never really know the whole story no matter how much time I waste looking into it.

It seems like you're on the side of a GOP gov down there on this one, so kudos for being non-partisan anyways.  

[CdnFox]

6 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

It does sound pretty crazy, but I don't know who to believe about what HOA's are actually able to do, or what they've actually done, and why.

We would both agree that someone is lying about pretty much everything these days, and sometime it's not worth the effort to figure out who that is. I just look at this as their issue, and I think I will never really know the whole story no matter how much time I waste looking into it.

It seems like you're on the side of a GOP gov down there on this one, so kudos for being non-partisan anyways.  

This is where i'm at. 

At first glance it seemed to me an HOA was basically the US equivalent of a strata or condominium corporation. Something that manages common assets and certain uses of property etc and maintains property or at least has an agreement for a common look.  I would assume the board is voted in each year. I would assume there's something like what we would call a condo act or strata act that limits what they can and can't do 

But i hear these crazy stories of these very large communities where it's practically up to the HOA to decide what you can cook for dinner and what school your kid goes to. 

I feel like the hyperbole is thick and it's hard to understand just what the issue is here and who's being 'more honest' than the other without investing several hours of research to it, 

[WestCanMan]

1 hour ago, CdnFox said:

This is where i'm at. 

At first glance it seemed to me an HOA was basically the US equivalent of a strata or condominium corporation. Something that manages common assets and certain uses of property etc and maintains property or at least has an agreement for a common look.  I would assume the board is voted in each year. I would assume there's something like what we would call a condo act or strata act that limits what they can and can't do 

But i hear these crazy stories of these very large communities where it's practically up to the HOA to decide what you can cook for dinner and what school your kid goes to. 

I feel like the hyperbole is thick and it's hard to understand just what the issue is here and who's being 'more honest' than the other without investing several hours of research to it, 

We've all heard stories about "So and so did this to me just because I did that", but in reality "that" was the 20th thing, if not the 300th. 

My grandpa always used to say "There's his side of the story, and her side of the story, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle."

[CdnFox]

7 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

My grandpa always used to say "There's his side of the story, and her side of the story, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle."

Sometimes in the middle, sometimes the truth is on a beach somewhere and has no idea either of them exist  

[Down East]

On 8/21/2025 at 5:16 PM, gatomontes99 said:

 

I love the idea. I bought acreage outside of the city just to escape HOAs. They have far to much power and pool resources to suppress individual owners.

 

 

HOA's can be a real PITA in some areas for sure, but they can be put in their place if you're right and are bulldog enough to stay on em. Had a situation where I thought the architectural committee of our HOA was out of line because they gave me a warning about my new roof color not matching the original. (from a ugly brown to a light charcoal color) The new color actually has a 10X better curb appeal and the new HOA president agreed finally after 3 months.

 

On the flip side, they work well overall in my zip code because we have a lot of property owners in the area who rent out to section 8 families who can ruin a neighborhood almost overnight. Not all, but a lot of section 8 families could care less about getting to live in a nice house, or showing a little respect to their neighbors or the properties around them.  

1. They destroy the homes inside and out.

2. Park their junk unregistered & uninspected cars out front, or literally abandon junk cars right in front of other people houses.  

3. Unsupervised kids running around streets at 1-2 in the morning looking for trouble and tearing up other people's property.

4. Music blaring from porches, back yards, or their cars that can be heard a 1/8 mile up the street at all hours.

5. Front and back yards trashed out. Wrappers and 7-Eleven bags strewn about. Grass not cut for months.

6. Their kids intimidating and beating on other kids.

7. Cops constantly being called to the property for domestic violence and other public disturbances.

8. Intimidating their neighbors when they are politely asked to quiet down at 1 in the morning.

My HOA now takes an aggressive stance against these owners/renters by taking a lot of pictures, handing the occupants written warnings, mailing written warnings to the owners, and documenting police calls to the property.   It can take over a year sometimes to remedy.