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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    563

    Default No HOA Meeting In Two Years

    My question involves real estate located in the State of: Maryland

    my hoa is raising the rates 10 a month every year.
    we haven't had a meeting in two years.

    do i still have to pay?

    they have stopped everything except cutting the grass strip in front of the mailbox.

    we have to do anything else we need
    we were told the increase in fees would goto painting lines for our parking spots.
    they canceled that and sent out a letter telling us who the "preferred towing company" was and told us to call a tow truck our selves if we have anyone in our spot.

    they say they need the money "just in case something happens"

    the surplus balance grows and grows and they wont spend any money and keep raising the rates

    help


    ps i cant find an hoa thread mod/admin please move post if needed

    thanks
    Chan

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    1,995

    Default

    my hoa is raising the rates 10 a month every year.
    we haven't had a meeting in two years.

    do i still have to pay?
    - Presumably, you recieve bills from a management company, and they are responsible for making sure enough money is on hand to pay the bills. Normally, they advise the HOA board, or treasurer, an increase needed, and get the OK.

    If not having a meeting in two years is a problem, find out from the HOA president why not. You can always start a pettion drive. Before you do anything, check the CC&R and bylaws.

    I've lived in and rented out condo's, and I WISH the increases were only $10/year. Taxes, insurance, utlitlites all increased much more than that.

    they have stopped everything except cutting the grass strip in front of the mailbox.

    we have to do anything else we need
    SMART. The HOA of a condo complex where I had a rental found that the management company charges everytime they lift their fingers. Presumably, if they get a call to call the tow guys, it'll cost everyone a few dollars.

    For instance, the fees of the management company at the place I had the rentals were:

    - $25.00 each time they get called to change a lightbulb.
    - About $100.00 to hang covers on the elevators for residents to move out, and another $100.00 to remove it, and they have to be called a few days ahead of time.

    What the residents did was they hired a cleaning lady to do the interior hallways, my brother in law was the "go to guy" for changing lighbulbs (he get messages on his answering machine and changes it as soon as he comes home from work). Another volunteer handled the elevator coverings. A committee did the landscaping etc.

    Looks to me that the fee increase of $10.00/month is quite reasonable. But you are entitlted to an accounting.

    they say they need the money "just in case something happens"

    the surplus balance grows and grows and they wont spend any money and keep raising the rates
    SMART.

    A condo I lived in once called an emergency meeting to ask for a special assessment. They were almost $8,000 to $10,000 behind on the gas bills to heat the complex, and got a notice of shutoff.

    When the residents stopped screaming they were reminded that increases were voted down for 2 to 3 years, residents felt a surplus is unnecessary, so the HOA went through all the reserve funds and started falling behind on bills.

    Surplus are needed to prevent special assessments, and I hate to have to go to emergency meetings and find out they needed another several hundred dollars, from me and each and every resident, for something.

    Now, it is possible your HOA had unpublicized meetings. I have asked for and received financial statements faxed to me.

    It is possible that you can do a better job than the current treasurer, and do it differently. So if you think keeping fees absolutely to a minimum is the way to go, and call meetings when special assessments are needed (because you don't have a surplus), and get yelled at, then that's the way to go.

    If it was me though, I rather get increased $10/month each year rather than have to dig up another hundred here, and a hundred there, for needed expenses. When that happens, even if you can dig up the money, not everyone can.

    I hate to be that treasuer where I lived, keep the gas company at bay on the one hand, and try to collect special assessments from "broke' residents on the other, and then be yelled at for not having the surplus, voted down by the residents themselves in the first place.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    1,995

    Default

    my hoa is raising the rates 10 a month every year.
    we haven't had a meeting in two years.

    do i still have to pay?
    - YES. Presumably, you recieve bills from a management company, and they are responsible for making sure enough money is on hand to pay the bills. Normally, they advise the HOA board, or treasurer, an increase needed, and get the OK.

    If not having a meeting in two years is a problem, find out from the HOA president why not. You can always start a pettion drive. Before you do anything, check the CC&R and bylaws.

    I've lived in and rented out condo's, and I WISH the increases were only $10/month, each year. Taxes, insurance, utlitlites all increased much more than that.

    they have stopped everything except cutting the grass strip in front of the mailbox.

    we have to do anything else we need
    SMART. The HOA of a condo complex where I had a rental found that the management company charges everytime they lift their fingers. Presumably, if they get a call to call the tow guys, it'll cost everyone a few dollars.

    For instance, the fees of the management company at the place I had the rentals were:

    - $25.00 each time they get called to change a lightbulb.
    - About $100.00 to hang covers on the elevators for residents to move out, and another $100.00 to remove it, and they have to be called a few days ahead of time.

    What the residents did was they hired a cleaning lady to do the interior hallways, my brother in law was the "go to guy" for changing lighbulbs (he get messages on his answering machine and changes it as soon as he comes home from work). Another volunteer handled the elevator coverings. A committee did the landscaping etc.

    Looks to me that the fee increase of $10.00/month is quite reasonable. But you are entitlted to an accounting.

    they say they need the money "just in case something happens"

    the surplus balance grows and grows and they wont spend any money and keep raising the rates
    SMART.

    A condo I lived in once called an emergency meeting to ask for a special assessment. They were almost $8,000 to $10,000 behind on the gas bills to heat the complex, and got a notice of shutoff.

    When the residents stopped screaming they were reminded that increases were voted down for 2 to 3 years, residents felt a surplus is unnecessary, so the HOA went through all the reserve funds and started falling behind on bills.

    Surplus are needed to prevent special assessments, and I hate to have to go to emergency meetings and find out they needed another several hundred dollars, from me and each and every resident, for something.

    Now, it is possible your HOA had unpublicized meetings. I have askked for and received financial statements faxed to me.

    It is possible that you can do a better job than the current treasurer, and do it differently. So if you think keeping fees absolutely to a minimum is the way to go, and call meetings when special assessments are needed (because you don't have a surplus), and get yelled at, then that's the way to go.

    If it was me though, I rather get increased $10/month each year rather than have to dig up another hundred here, and a hundred there, for needed expenses. When that happens, even if you can dig up the money, not everyone can.

    I hate to be that treasuer where I lived, keep the gas company at bay on the one hand, and try to collect special assessments from "broke' residents on the other, and then be yelled at for not having the surplus, voted down by the residents themselves in the first place.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    563

    Default Re: No HOA Meeting In Two Years

    Thanks ..and I'm glad i don't live in a condo. thats not smart.
    I'm talking about 100 town homes paying 35.00 month / 42,000 a year to buy about 10 gallons of gasoline for a lawn mower.



    then the raise was supposed to goto painting lines for parking but that was a year ago. without the marked spots its hard to call the police to "take your word for it" that the car in question is really in your spot. so we need to call a private tow company.

    can i with hold any funds to at least paint my lines? so then i can call the police or any tow company i choose. ?

    maybe the methods are smart but why not tell us the truth?

    they take the money and don't do anything with it like they say and then when we ask ..hey why didn't you get the lines painted and they say...yeaaaa wellll we still need the surplus sooooo..

    and i thought we need at least one board member and one non board member resident to have a meet ting and i thought they had to tell us that they are having one or at least that they had one?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    563

    Default Re: No HOA Meeting In Two Years

    the only thing the hoa controls is the grass cutting in front of the big mail box.
    about 4x4 feet. the city owns the water and gas lines right up to the property line then i pay for it. none of our gas water or electric passes through hoa property. we have no building heat, community pool, etc etc,
    even the lighting is provided by residents pole lamps at the end of the yard.

    people talk about this stuff in the yards and lots but theres never a meeting to be able to ask questions and make suggestions.

    we just see the board members when they goto the mailbox or walk to their cars and we ask..hey how about those parking lines? and they just shrug it off. but if we have a problem we can call their "friend" at the "preferred towing" vendor

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    1,995

    Default Re: No HOA Meeting In Two Years

    Thanks ..and I'm glad i don't live in a condo. thats not smart.
    I'm talking about 100 town homes paying 35.00 month / 42,000 a year to buy about 10 gallons of gasoline for a lawn mower.

    I don't live in a condo either nowadays, sold it some time back, but in a 2 family where I'm the boss. I know when I go buy a condo or coop, the financials of the HOA are "available" to purchasers, they certainly should be available to current owners.

    You'll have to find out what the HOA is responsible for, infrastructure-wise, i.e. roofs, facades, roadways, sidewalks, public areas if any. If any repairs needs to be done on any of these items, it can run into a few dollars.

    Have you requested the financials of the HOA in writing, to the Presdent and Treasurer?? From that, you might get a clue as to where all these $35.00/month payment goes to.

    In the condo where I lived, and the rentals I owned, from time to time, there's been petiton drives for one thing or another. If the lack of a board meeting and the finances "bugs" you, by all means contact your neighbors, and get things moving. Your CC&R, and bylaws should have some provisions for these things.

    If lines in the parking lot bothers you, petitioning for lines to be drawn in the parking lot may give you a good start. Or else, as in the condo I had the rentals, the residents may organize a comittee to do it themselves.

    Now, an HOA having a good surplus on hand may not be such a bad thing. After I moved out of the condo I lived in when they have to pass the hat to pay the gas bill, my wife vowed she'll NEVER buy anywhere where the HOA has no reserve funds. To us, it's an indication that plenty of deferred maintenance exists, or the other residents are too broke to make the necessary payments, and who knows what type of special assessments lurks. And if I have to buy into such a place, I probably would demand a BIG discount.

    In fact, more so in coops than condo's, the underlying health of the HOA is becoming an increasingly important factor for the astute purchasor.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    563

    Default Re: No HOA Meeting In Two Years

    they cut the grass in front of the mailbox.

    IE no roofs, facades, roadways, sidewalks, etc. its private property or city property. except for where the mailbox is. we own the sidewalk and are responsible for its upkeep.
    the county owns the road. and we own the parking spots.

    why would we start a petition to do something they already said they would do. and the bylaws and covenants prohibit privately marking your spot.

    we used to have meetings, i do get the financial statements and all the money we ever gave is there. its just that none of it will ever come back out for anything

    no money is missing but no money is being spent.


    i may have to report an act of vandalism soon.

    officer i need to report someone mysteriously painted my parking spot lines

    also a guy took down his pool and now there is a 3 foot deep 15 foot round hole in my neighbors yard that turns into a mosquito pond every summer

    they are supposed to be enforcing these bylaws but they don't.

    so tell your wife a surplus is nothing if they wont spend when they need.
    and a surplus may indicate deferred maintenance as well.
    how do they get maintenance done with out spending money?


    how about this.....


    you collect 300.00 from me for a year..
    then you say ..this year you want 120 more so you can paint lines on MY parking spot that i own and was part of the sale
    (without giving me the option to do it myself cheaper and better)
    you say that will take care of parking problems..

    a year later i have no lines and I'm short 120.00.
    i go knock on your door and say..you took my money and didn't give me lines and i still have parking problems.

    so all you did was maintain the problem at MY cost.

    i don't want to argue with you so i have my yellow parking lot paint pail here. where do you want me to put my lines?

    you say if i paint my own lines you will fine me (sanction me whatever)
    i say ..but you have never enforced ANY rule here ..why start enforcing that one one ME NOW?
    just because it brings attention to the fact that you didn't deliver and i had to do it myself? when the neighbors see my lines it will remind them of your broken pro,promise?

    you wont tell my next door neighbor to fill his old pool hole in ..why will you go against me if i SPEND MY OWN TIME AND MONEY to fix a problem that you continue to foster?

    since the increase was for the lines and you didn't do it can we have a rebate?




    (PS how do i get that damn pool hole filled in? )

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