In the past, I have contacted the HOA “board” and received absolutely no response. I would like to believe that because they receive so many communications in a neighborhood with over 700 homes, they must “accidentally” overlook things often. But what if that is not the case?

If you live next to an HOA board member or are “friends” with one of them, certainly you have the pipeline to success. Just cozy up to them, get your concerns heard, then your current/past/potential violations are overlooked and BOOM, you love living in an HOA community! Some may call this networking. You are part of the in-group. But remember that HOAs were created to be exclusionary…maybe we didn’t deep dive into that yet.

There is another layer that has caught my attention since my Chatgpt search, and it is this section about property management companies:

🧾 1. Administrative & Day-to-Day Operations

They run the HOA’s daily business so volunteers on the board don’t have to.

• Answer homeowner emails and calls
• Send violation notices and correspondence
• Keep records, files, and homeowner rosters
• Prepare and mail meeting notices
• Handle architectural requests (ACC forms)
• Process resale certificates and lender docs
• Maintain HOA website/portal

If you email “the HOA,” you’re usually emailing the management company.

So, the property manager could block your access to the HOA board, if he sees fit. He can pretend to consult the Board when he doesn’t have to. And then when he shows up to the meeting to present the information to the homeowners [and to the Board], the “circus” ensues. The HOA Board and the property manager are playing one another. The homeowners lose.

Did you know you were signing up for this when you signed those documents at closing?