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Houston is one of the most HOA-dense housing markets in the country, with roughly 51 percent of all homes in the Houston area falling under an HOA, compared to 30 percent nationwide.<\/p>\n
benedek\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
If you crack open the can of HOAs, it might just never shut<\/a>. Whether it’s surprise fees, strict neighborhood rules or disputes over what belongs in your front yard, homeowners associations have a way of stirring up strong opinions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Houston is one of the most HOA-dense housing markets in the country, <\/a>with roughly 51 percent of all homes in the Houston area falling under an HOA, compared to 30 percent nationwide, according to Community Impact<\/a>. In Houston, HOAs have long been used to mitigate the lack of zoning restrictions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But these associations aren’t just a Houston phenomenon. Across Texas, buying into a new development<\/a> often means buying into an HOA.<\/p>\n “Generally speaking, across Texas, when you see areas that are popular for development, you’re gonna see HOAs nowadays,” Julia Parenteau, public policy director for Texas REALTORS told Chron. “It’s just how it’s done.”<\/p>\n That prevalence also means HOAs are one of the first things many homebuyers ask about, according to Tom Coselli, Houston real estate agent and broker with Compass.<\/p>\n “It’s one of the top questions that I deal with when I’m working with a buyer that’s new to the area,” Coselli said. “The reputation sort of precedes these buyers a little bit.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A home available for sale is shown on October 16, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Julia Parenteau, policy director with Texas REALTORS, said she has heard of HOAs that won’t allow residents to post a “For Sale” sign in their front yard.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brandon Bell\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The weird world of HOA rules\u00a0<\/p>\n Outrageous\u00a0HOA rules tend to be the exception. It’s often the way they’re enforced that leads to the most unbelievable homeowner horror stories.<\/p>\n “I don’t think it will be as common for you to look at a set of\u00a0HOA rules and see some really weird or super strict thing written down,” Parenteau said. “I think what happens more than anything is the way that rules are enforced.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n She’s heard homeowners receive violation notices for:<\/p>\n Parking a car in their own driveway She said many HOA rules are written broadly, giving boards significant discretion in how they’re interpreted and enforced.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Really what we see is a rule that’s a lot more vague that says, you know, you have to keep your yard free of clutter or whatever, but then the enforcement of that becomes really crazy,”\u00a0Parenteau said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And homeowners say that’s exactly what they’ve experienced. Chron solicited responses from Houstonians on Nextdoor<\/a> who shared stories of what they described as overly aggressive HOA enforcement.<\/p>\n “I remember when we (first) moved into the subdivision, we got a letter from the\u00a0HOA about the grass growing in between the line of our driveway,” Judy H., a resident of Inwood Pines, wrote. “At (first) we thought it was a joke because who would be looking at the line in the driveway?”<\/p>\n Coselli said he’s heard equally unusual stories from clients over the years.<\/p>\n “We had somebody tell me that their kids had taken sidewalk chalk and drawn on the driveway and left it overnight,”\u00a0Coselli said. “They got a letter asking them to remove the graffiti.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A house with the US and Texas state flag is seen in Port Arthur, Texas on September 1, 2017. Parenteau said state law protects a resident’s right to fly an American and Texas flag at their property.\u00a0<\/p>\n AFP Contributor\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n What\u00a0HOAs can’t enforce\u00a0<\/p>\n While\u00a0HOAs can regulate many aspects of a neighborhood, Texas law places limits on their authority. One of the biggest flashpoints is what homeowners can display outside their homes.<\/p>\n “Signs and flags and other decor is honestly one of the things that makes homeowners the most mad and where we see a lot of really selective and aggressive enforcement,”\u00a0Parenteau said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But\u00a0HOAs can’t regulate everything.<\/p>\n “Texas law does not actually allow an\u00a0HOA to prohibit a homeowner from putting up an American flag<\/a>, a Texas flag, or flags from branches of the military,” Parenteau said. “But, other commentary might kind of be a gray area.”<\/p>\n Political signs also receive legal protections, though\u00a0HOAs can still regulate when they’re displayed, as well as their size and number.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Legislature has expanded those protections in recent years. A 2021 law prevents HOAs from banning religious displays, which\u00a0Parenteau said can even include Christmas lights. State law also prohibits an outright ban on backup generators, drought-resistant landscaping, solar panels, security cameras, backyard or perimeter fencing, wind and hail-resistant shingles and even brown grass during a declared drought.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In 2019, Texas lawmakers also barred\u00a0HOAs from prohibiting children’s lemonade stands under certain conditions.<\/p>\n “You’ve got to do it in your front yard, \u2026 and the operator of the stand has to be under 18 and (there’s) some specificity about what you can be selling in there,”\u00a0Parenteau said. “But yeah, the legislature had to go in and say, you’ve got to let kids have lemonade stands.”<\/p>\n Parenteau and Coselli said homebuyers should reach HOA bylaws before buying a home. They also suggested getting to know the culture of the neighborhood.<\/p>\n Ridofranz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n What to know before buying into an\u00a0HOA<\/p>\n When it comes to buying a home in an\u00a0HOA, the biggest piece of advice is simple: Know what you’re signing up for.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “We always recommend that potential buyers read as much of the documentation as they can,”\u00a0Parenteau said. “Some HOAs even charge\u2026a percentage transfer fee…when you buy the house, you will pay 1 percent of the sale price to the HOA.”<\/p>\n Hidden fees at the closing table can come as an unwelcome surprise, making it important to understand any\u00a0HOA costs before purchase.<\/p>\n Coselli said buyers should also look beyond today’s monthly dues.<\/p>\n “Check your\u00a0HOA and see\u2026what (the fee) was six months ago, one year ago, five years ago,” he said. “That can be the difference maker in whether a buyer can even afford the home.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He also recommends researching the\u00a0HOA itself\u2014not just its bylaws. He suggested buyers search online for recent reviews and complaints from current and former residents before purchasing a home.<\/p>\n Smart, funny and sometimes unhinged look at the week that was.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The bylaws don’t tell the whole story,”\u00a0Coselli said. “It’s a lot about the culture in the neighborhood.”<\/p>\n Despite the horror stories,\u00a0Coselli said most HOAs aren’t the neighborhood dictators they’re sometimes made out to be.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “I think they get a bad rap,” he said. “They do serve a purpose\u2026I think it’s really when they overstep that you get issues.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Houston is one of the most HOA-dense housing markets in the country, with roughly 51 percent of all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[46004,1836,1704,56,58,57],"class_list":["post-378620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-alertable-realestate-chr","tag-chronnews","tag-chronstaff","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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\nLeaving a broom on the front porch after cleaning
\nDisplaying certain doormats
\nPainting their home an unapproved color
\nPutting up a “For Sale” sign<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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