HOA meeting falls apart after entitled board members increase monthly dues despite misuse of current budget: 'Technically, there was a motion to approve the budget'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Feb 26, 2025 8:00 AM EST

All neighborhoods have arbitrary and unnecessary rules. That being said, this unfortunate reality does not mean that landlords and HOA board members should feel emboldened enough to go crazy with their enforcement of new rules and regulations. After all, there is only so much people will be willing to take before the system falls into madness.

At the end of the day, property and neighborhood management exists to provide safe, livable, and quality environments for their residents. Of course, there is a cost to living in a good neighborhood, and sometimes fees are a part of that. However, residents deserve to know exactly where those fees are going…

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  • 01
    "How can we approve a higher budget when there are still open questions about what is being done with the current budget?"
    via Tiago Rodrigues

  • Here, we have an HOA board that attempted to increase everyone's monthly dues despite ongoing accusations that the current fees were unnecessarily high. Many folks believe that the HOA was just pocketing everyone's money, and let's be real: they probably were. Now, what happened when the next HOA board meeting commenced and the new increases in fees were put on the table? Let's just say things got tense really quickly.

  • 02
    I just got off a 2 hour HOA meeting. It took a while because the previous company that ran our HOA was super sketchy and basically pocketed our money while doing nothing. Naturally,
    via malleoceruleo
  • 03
    people were upset that there was no good return on our investment and the new company also couldn't answer what they were doing with our money now that they are in charge.
    via malleoceruleo
  • 04
    With this in mind, this meeting was called to approve an increase in our budget, meaning an increase in our monthly dues.
    via malleoceruleo
  • 05
    One dude starts voicing his frustration with this saying "We still need definitive answers as to what is being done with the money we have paid so far" pretty good but then he continues into "but we should still approve the new budget"
    via malleoceruleo
  • 06
    I was with him at first but get ped at his pivot and say "How can we approve a higher budget when there are still open questions about what is being done with the current budget?"
    via malleoceruleo
  • 07
    At this point, the moderator chimes in "Technically, there was a motion to approve the budget. Is there a second?"
    via malleoceruleo
  • 08
    Other neighbors try to get a word in objection until the president of the HOA says "point of order: there was a motion and a second so we have to act on it."
    via malleoceruleo
  • 09
    We voted and there were enough nays that we needed a head count. Now, my neighborhood is about 50% retired boomers and every single one in attendance voted in favor, including the dude
    via malleoceruleo
  • 10
    who "motioned" to approve the budget and the president. I know boomers generally like HOAs and uncritically accept their claims of protecting property values, but this felt egregious.
    via malleoceruleo
  • 11
    Cheezburger Image 10472970496
    via Dillon Kydd

  • Several members of the online community shared their own similar stories about HOA, landlord, and property management drama. It seems that whenever there is drama within these groups, it's typically the authority figures taking a step too far. Check out these reactions!

  • 12
    • serendrewpity 10h ago Playing politics means building your coalition ahead of time. Your mistake was waiting until the meeting started not knowing how many votes you were going to get. That should have been determined before you even entered the meeting.
    via malleoceruleo
  • 13
    Westlain 10h ago . When a motion is made and seconded, there should be a discussion before voting. By what you have posted, it does not seem like there was. For the future, check to see if the HOA Board is following Robert's Rules of Procedure. Make sre you read up on it.
    via malleoceruleo
  • 14
    FreshLiterature • 10h ago That was an improper motion. 'we should approve the budget" is not in any conceivable way a motion to proceed.
    via malleoceruleo
  • 15
    Beyond that, you can move to table. Tabling isn't debatable. You just provide a reason if asked, "we can't vote on approving the budget without knowing where our money is going, which is the first point at issue"
    via malleoceruleo
  • 16
    Someone seconds and you vote on it. Read up on procedure - you can use it against them as well
    via malleoceruleo
  • 17
    KI7CFO 9h ago • Time to read Robert's rules of order so that you can beat them at their own game. Usually your CCNRS will list what version of Robert's rules are in play,
    via malleoceruleo
  • 18
    and if there are any customizations or departures from Robert's. rules of order, revised parentheses which is what they almost always reference in any procedural founding documents.
    via malleoceruleo
  • 19
    mbbuffum 10h ago • And maybe get actively involved. Your board should know exactly where money is, how much is in reserves, etc. budgets are very different depending on whether you're in detached houses, a condo, etc, but budgets and financials should be transparent.
    via malleoceruleo
  • 20
    Realistic-Bass2107 · 9h ago . Is the approval of the budget solely the Board or the residents? Most of the time it is only the Board.
    via malleoceruleo

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