HOA board gets called out by community for ignoring bylaws and enforcing fake policies: 'Time to hire a lawyer and sue!'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Dec 19, 2025 8:00 AM EST

These neighbors need to band together before this HOA board spirals even further out of control.

Look, there are very few individuals in this world who enjoy being a part of an HOA community. The only people we can think of are the kinds who volunteer to be on the board of said associations. You probably know the type. These folks are either stuck in a traditionalist mindset about what community standards should like. Alternatively, they could also be the kinds of people who want to reclaim leadership positions they hadn't held since middle and high school. 

To put it simply, these individuals love bossing people around to no end. They have no issue making enemies with the families that live next door, so long as they have whatever false sense of authority they think they have gained by being one of the few people with enough free time to attend board meetings. 

Unfortunately for this author and her neighbors, this HOA board has done far more than just enforce bogus rules and regulations. In fact, they don't even care about the bylaws. They have been circumnavigating the handbook and fining people left and right before policies and protocol that do not even exist!

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  • Here's hoping this author takes some of the advice and feedback from several members of this online community, many of whom suggested that these folks should lawyer up sooner rather than later. Otherwise, you're just giving these HOA board members permission to go further and further until every house looks exactly the same and every “bad apple” is gone from the neighborhood.

  • "HOA management company ignoring CC&Rs and Bylaws and making up its own rules"

    I'm dealing with an HOA maangement company that seems to regularly ignore existing laws and our governing documents, and instead creates its own rules.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • For example, when a board member asked about the proper process to resign, the manager ignored what's clearly defined in the bylaws, which is to give a written notice, and instead told the board member to make a motion at the next board meeting.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • When it comes to parking, the management company implemented a parking permit system and pushed the community to enforce it, even
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • though it is clear that vehicle removal cannot legally be based on operating rules adopted by the board alone, according to CC&Rs.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • More concerning, the manager unilaterally drafted a "code of conduct" that effectively modifies the management contract. It's extremely one sided. The board is required to respond emails and approve.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • invoices within 24 hours. The manager, however, has full discretion over whether and when to respond to the board's emails. The manager then pushed the board to approve this one sided operating rule.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • Based on all this, it honestly feels like the manager either hasn't read, or doesn't follow, the CC&Rs and Bylaws at all.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • A man and a woman look at a cellphone while standing in front of a house.
    via Unsplash+ (Nathan Anderson)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Dfly12345 Depends on the specific language of the termination clause in the management company's contract for how quickly it can be accomplished, but the Board can always fire the management company (or if the issue is a specific assigned property manager, the Board can request a different assignment). That said, based on the example in your post about the process for a director to resign, seems like the Board doesn't know the governing documents or are too lazy to look up the information and/or
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • Purple-Bass1474 Our HOA is going through that as well. We signed on with a new management company a year ago. In the past year, they not only failed to follow our CC&R's but also failed to follow our state's laws in regards to planned communities. I am not on the board but have filed several complaints to the board over the management company's behavior. Others have as well. The board just voted to terminate the management company's contract. I think the board realized that it was so bad for own
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • Angryceo fire the management and hire a new one.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • isthisthebangswitch Time to hire a lawyer and sue their butts for everything
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • CattleWeary4846 Your management company is clearly overstepping, ignoring the bylaws and CC&Rs. Unilateral rules, parking permits, or one sided codes aren't enforceable. The board should document violations, seek HOA knowledgeable legal counsel, and consider addressing or replacing the manager to protect the community.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • AdultinglsExhausting The property manager has forgotten that the PMC works for the board, and not the other way around. The board must stand up to this bullying with a threat to terminate the PMC if they don't back off. All of the rules pushed by the PMC need to be repealed ASAP.
    via Familiar_Owl1168
  • Key-Meaning-6046 Start with speaking to the manager's supervisor and make sure they are aware of these actions. The manager works at the direction of the board. We are there to provide guidance not run the HOA for the board. Check your management contract and contact the supervisors with these issues and in the meantime, see when your contract expires. You usually have to give notice at least 60 days prior and get out. If you want out before the contract ends, have documentation.
    via Familiar_Owl1168

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neighbors lawyer neighborhood-drama horrible-management community entitled people karma hoa members
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