Everyone hates HOAs: board members reveal what it’s like to lead neighbors
A demanding volunteer role
Lana Martin never planned to become an HOA president. With two other board members largely uninvolved, she handles vendor calls, resident complaints and oversight of a low-budget property manager.
A roof replacement costing about $160,000 led to intense resident opposition, including a $13,000 assessment per unit. Some residents accused the board and management company of illegal conduct and threatened legal action; Martin has blocked some neighbors’ numbers.
Participation can be difficult, but when few owners step forward, the workload can fall to those who do. In 2025, the United States had 373,000 community associations covering 29.6 million housing units and 78.1 million residents, compared with 222,500 associations in 2000.
Residents bring every issue
James, a Los Angeles product designer who asked that his last name be withheld, joined his HOA board in 2023. Neighbors had first asked him to help in 2021 because he worked from home and could monitor the property.
He now receives emails about matters such as intercom numbers and rat sightings. After one resident reported a gas leak on a Friday night, James said the person should call 911.
Community associations collected $124.2 billion in assessments last year, about one and a half times New York City’s total tax revenue for that year. The sums involved can intensify disagreements, alongside disputes about daily life and property decisions.
Conflicting interests next door
HOA directors often live alongside the people affected by their decisions, said Northwestern law professor Nadav Shoked. Owners may share an interest in the property but disagree over how to manage it.
Older residents on fixed incomes may favor lower monthly fees, while younger families may support higher charges for amenities or construction. In communities with both owner-occupants and landlords, priorities can diverge over costs, rental terms and day-to-day conditions.
Olivia Horbowy, an attorney who bought an older Los Angeles condo in 2024, received $15,200 in accumulated fines after moving in during spring 2025. The fines related to her renovation; after legal discussions, she did not pay them.
Rules and board disputes
Horbowy said the building’s former leadership requested additional renovation documents and rejected her plan for an in-unit washer-dryer. She initially did not treat those actions as a warning sign, but later challenged the fines.
Andrew Simkovsky bought a South Florida condo in 2024 as an investment and later led what he called a “hostile takeover” of the board, amid concerns about its management. He has since worked to restore the condo’s finances and establish a budget.
Simkovsky was surprised by disputes over pets. The building’s original 1970s bylaws barred them, while a 1980s amendment allowed owners to keep pets but not renters; over time, both groups brought pets in. The association’s attorney advised that enforcing the tenant pet ban could be legally problematic, according to the account.
Key points
- Martin says much of her HOA board’s work falls to her.
- U.S. community associations grew from 222,500 in 2000 to 373,000 in 2025.
- Board decisions can pit residents’ financial, rental and lifestyle priorities against one another.
- Condo disputes have involved renovation fines, budgets and pet rules.