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CW5 (Texas)
Posts: 11
Posted:
Our original POA Bylaws (25 years+ old) state that homeowners "may" pay dues into our association for the maintenance of common areas which include several recreational areas surrounding a private lake, an airstip, small golf course, horse stables, tennis courts and pool. Yet in 2005, our Board changed our deed restrictions to state that "Each owner of lot(s) in the subdivision are required to be members of the association and shall pay maintenance fees accordingly" and that the association "are granted the authority to file liens against any lot(s) and builing improvements for delinquent payment of homeowners fees".

How can this be legal if 1) the majority of homeowners did not vote; and, 2) this was enacted AGAINST the current bylaws.

Also, our current Board refuses to provide access to books and all paperwork; the deed restrictions state that the Board will operate under "Roberts Rules of Order" but do not; enact all decisions and vote without any input from the floor; refuse to recognize anyone at the meetings who bring up issues that they don't want to hear; refuse to maintain common areas that they do not have an interest in, i.e., anything other than the airstrip and golf course which are used by less than 2% of the residents as a whole. There are so many other issues, far too many to list here, that are considered good reason to remove them, but they have strong-armed so many of the residents into turning over their deeds in lieu of paying back POA dues and file suit against other members who effectually become a squeaky wheel with libel and slander allegations. Most members either pay and don't participate because of the disorganization or don't pay out of frustration.

We do not have the funds to hire legal help in all of this mess either, and none of the state agencies will touch without charges being filed! We are currently at a loss and have created a civic association to try to band together enough votes to do something, but still are refused to be recognized!

WillR (Michigan)
Posts: 68
Posted:
CW5, you state that the "Board voted to change" your deed restriction! Have you read them to see how they made be legally changed? For the Board to vote a change of that nature seems odd. In all the HOA's and POA's I'm aware of the membership majority vote is the only way deed restriction can be changed. Check with the Register of deeds in your county to see what is on file. I know in our case, each vote to change must be on file with the county.
CW5 (Texas)
Posts: 11
Posted:
That's one of the problems. The answer to that is no, they must have a majority of the homeowners, not a majority of meeting attendees, and they cannot vote as a board to make changes. However, without a legal representative, there is no way for us to hold them accountable - no county of state offices will step up and/or cannot claim jurisdiction.
TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059
Posted:
CW5,

This is something you will need to consult a local attorney on. You should bring a copy of the original deed restrictions along with the new ones. You should also request from the board copies of all minutes of the Association for the year the change occurred.

My knee jerk reaction would be that the Association can't make the Association mandatory on their own. However, if State laws allow the Board to change the CC&Rs or if the Association is still under developer control, it might be a different story. This is why I suggested that you consult an attorney.

Tim

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