Tag: texas

TEXAS HOA REFORM: LEGISLATION SUGGESTIONS

I support the efforts of the Texas Reform Coalitions in fighting for resident rights. I received this message from them today:

Dear Texas Homeowner,
The 87th Texas Legislative Session begins in January 2021.  The HOA Reform Coalition of Texas is in the process of proposing new legislation.  As part of this process, we need real examples of how HOA/POA/COA have treated property owners. If you are willing to share your experiences in response to the questions below, please reply to this email or send an email to txhoareform@gmail.com. 
1.  Have you been harassed by your HOA/Management Company/HOA Attorney with terrible and/or unreasonable demands within the last few years that you are willing briefly to describe? 
2. If you have a demand letter from the HOA/Management Company/HOA Attorney, and if you are willing to share, please attach it.
Please let us know so that we can present the problems homeowners endure to the legislators
HOA Reform Coalition of Texas Website:
http://hoareformcoalition.org/
Thank you for all that you do! 
Respectfully,Beanie Adolph – DirectorNancy Kozanecki – Assistant Director
HOA REFORM COALITION

HOA NEPOTISM IN TEXAS HAS ENDED

HB-1025 passed the 86th Texas legislative process and parts of the 209 statute are changing, NOW. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019, except Section 209.00591(a-3), Property Code, as added by this Act, which was enacted on 6/14/2019. That was the day that Governor Abbott signed it. This will not effect any sitting board members, but when their terms are up, they must follow this law.

All future elections can no longer have husband/wife or other relative relationship persons, residing in the same home, running or elected. IMHO, that should have existed all along – too much nepotism. 209.0059 (a-3) states “(a-3) A person may not serve on the board of a property owners’ association if the person cohabits at the same primary residence with another board member of the association.”

I want to thank the HOA Reform Coalition for all their hard work on getting this passed. I would also like to thank Representative Bohac and Senator Whitmore for sponsoring this legislative change and Governor Greg Abbott for signing it. THAT was bipartisanship action, at it’s best!

HOAs Adjust To Texas Law Changes

By MATTHEW WATKINS
Want to go green by harvesting rainwater and installing solar panels at your house? Your homeowners association can no longer stop you, even if it considers the projects eyesores. Religious symbols under a certain height and flagpoles with United States, Texas or military flags are now also fair game.

And if your homeowners association wants to foreclose on your home for missed dues and unpaid fines, there are new hurdles it must clear. That is because of a series of new laws passed during the 2011 legislative session that have shaken up how the state’s numerous and sometimes controversial homeowners associations operate.

The laws cover much more than the regulation of members’ yards. Now, all associations must follow open records and meetings laws, meaning they are subject to freedom of information requests, are required to give 72 hours notice before each board meeting and must take meeting minutes.

They now must obtain an expedited court order to foreclose on a house. And they must offer payment plans for their dues and follow new regulations for how they collect and apply payments.

–> Read Complete Story Here

Associa Announces Opening of Texas HOA Collections Service

There was a recent news article that announced that – HOA Collection Services (HCS), an Associa company, launches this week in Texas and California, providing collection services to community associations.

“When community association Boards find collections services necessary, it is paramount to provide efficient, respectful service at a competitive cost,” said Paul Reyes, president of HCS.

Associa is the largest Homeowner Association and Property Owner Association companies in the United States and is moving into Canada and Mexico. It is a diversified company with branches in every aspect of HOAs, including homeowner association management, insurance, and now collections. Associa also owns a homeowner shopping enterprise, a political PAC, finance corporation,  .

At the same time that John Carona, owner and founder of Associa, was building up the company, he was also building up a political career. He is a Texas state Senator and his company, Associa, also founded a Political PAC – Associa PAC. Senator Carona currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, Joint Chairman of the Legislative Oversight Board on Windstorm Insurance and as Co-Chairman of the Joint Interim Committee to Study Seacoast Territory Insurance. He also serves as a member of the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting and the Senate Criminal Justice, Education and Jurisprudence committees.

Personal comment begins….. I don’t think that legislators, through their private corporation ownership, should be allowed ‘PAC ownership’. And, I really question the sanity of allowing legislators to own companies that would benefit from their own legislation, especially when they have a way to funnel their own company funds, through a political PAC, into their political candidate choices. This is just too much ‘ownership’ of enterprises that can effect every citizen in that geographic area.  I believe that this type of activity may be at the core of the ‘disgruntled voters’ in this country. …. end of personal comment.

What do you think?