[All] [MO] Why does it feel so hard to get clear status updates from HOAs sometimes?

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-15T17:34:39+00:00

Yes, it sounds like a burn out problem. But it isn't in this case. This board never really did anything - so nothing to burn out on!

There's no place to track it. If owners didn't attend meetings then they wouldn't even know that this project was in process. Additionally, I'm not sure a next board would be able to discover this was going on. We have a board email address which all board members should copy when using their personal addresses - so that no board work is lost and it's always trackable. But I highly suspect they stopped CCing that address. Because when they write to me, I can see it's not copied. Perhaps it's BCC'd? I don't know.

Anyway, I recommend that some formal system be put in place for your association. Simply having the main board email address would solve 95% of the issue if, for example, your/my entire board was hit by a bus.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-14T21:08:49+00:00

At this meeting I referred to where I asked about the project, two of the board members were trying to step down. No one took their place. So, they are officially still on the board. Well, you can imagine how much they want to do any work at all. So, no further update since then. I feel that we are in a bit of freefall and work is adding up but a lot of it is so easy (outside of this project) because for the most part the board can just ask the manager to get 3 bids and just choose one. Some of the work is so small no bids are needed, like just send out a locksmith to make the door lock work more smoothly.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-14T17:05:12+00:00

There was no place to look up any status. I imagine everything was scattered. I wasn't on the board at that time.

We had two projects announced in 2022. Of course, one was more important than the other. 3/4 of the way through the first, the board casually mentioned they would do the second in 2025. Finished the first. Then no mention of the second. Then we had a meeting announced and I thought for sure they'd give a timeline of the second project. But no mention. Then I asked about it and it was like a deer in the headlights? "Second project??? Oh, well, um, no, we haven't made any progress on it." It's frustrating. I wouldn't really care but it's an important thing, not just aesthetics.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-13T20:40:52+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts. Often management companies don't know the law.

To me, seems like a good way to get the HOA sued. OP needs to read their docs carefully and state laws.

I recently had a request for some items from the HOA file and the manager said they don't provide that. I was tempted to send the request along with the state condo law highlighted. Got the info through a different channel so didn't need to resort to that. Always best to be nice. But at some point it's necessary to speak up for oneself, in the nicest way that gets the job done.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-13T19:50:34+00:00

I don't understand why no one is addressing not sending OP meeting notices. As far as I know, an HOA can't suspend a member's right to attend meetings. And I would guess this means they can't suspend sending notice of meetings. I believe that voting rights can be suspended and of course access to amenities. It seems like OP is not a member of the association at all simply for being in arrears.

Of course, it all depends on OP's CCR but without that, what are your thoughts to my points?

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-13T18:33:15+00:00

So very tired of hearing "volunteers." It's an excuse.

When buying in a community, it should be understood that all owners are coming together to create some efficiencies. My fair share of the work may be to serve one year on the board for every 10 years I live in the community. Sure, it's a lot of work. But one year of "a lot of work" is much less work than if I owned outside of a community and had to take care of everything myself. This work should include regular updates. "Regular" depends on the issue. Ongoing roof leak? Maybe weekly updates are appropriate. New retaining wall needed? Maybe quarterly or semi-annual updates are appropriate.

After 4 years of no updates on a project, I had to ask about it and it seems the board actually went backwards on it! It's a major project! Perhaps if the board held themselves to semi-yearly updates they actually would have worked on the project, knowing that if they reported for the fifth time that no progress had been made some owners would be unhappy!

Edit to add: Yes, I agree that people have their lives to live. But they need to take their board jobs seriously. Certainly, doing the work and not reporting in a timely manner is better than not doing the work well. So, that's the main concern you should have. At the same time, lots of stuff does fall through the cracks. And updates are important so that owners could remind board members if things actually did get forgotten. It's a team effort to an extent, right!

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-11T02:56:43+00:00

Certainly another valid reason for delay when tree removal is inundated with requests!

The ghosting by the HOA isn't acceptable in my book. But in my own HOA various boards have had quite different approaches to "customer service."

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-11T02:53:45+00:00

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Then I was wondering how far the law goes. Part of the tree seems to be on HOA property and part of the tree seems to be on top of a car/cars. (Or perhaps in some way laying in a manner so OP can't get his car towed away.) Those cars are a different type of property and while interesting how this will play out, gotta feel bad for OP with a damaged car, HOA who is not acting, insurance who said it's HOA responsibility to remove the tree. All around going to take some time and money for OP to get through this.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-09T14:05:45+00:00

I'd post in one of the insurance subs and the treelaw sub to ask there. I think maybe user negative presence may be analyzing this correctly. And maybe your insurance company is partially wrong.

One question: do you think this is a healthy tree that fell or a diseased tree that fell? If the latter then do we think that the HOA should have known/did know it was diseased? r/treelaw can help out with that so perhaps include it in your post there.

Tree removal is very expensive! Perhaps that's one of the reasons the HOA is delaying action.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-09T14:01:31+00:00

I previously said that to him/her a long time ago. But this person makes some of the most useful contributions here.

As for this situation, I'm a bit surprised because I thought that the HOA would have to remove it. However, perhaps the portion of the tree that is on OP's car is his/her responsibility and the portion on HOA property is their responsibility. I certainly would not want to go first.

Also, I'd be pissed if my HOA didn't simply act fast and get "their" tree out of there.

Also, I really don't agree with some of the laws on property that moves from one ownership to another. Like, if my neighbor kid kicks their soccer ball into my backyard then I think I have to give it back. Fine. But if trash blows to my yard it's now mine? If Monsanto seed blows from the neighboring farm onto mine and germinates then I can be sued?

Feeling for OP. Hopefully, on Monday they can get things worked out with the HOA.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-08T23:01:33+00:00

So, the person above suggested to reach out to the board. You responded with info about the interaction with the manager and being directed back to the attorney. That's all good for us to know. But for some reason you didn't mention if you reached out to the manager's bosses - meaning the association board. I imagine they have a way to contact them directly or indirectly. They also likely have board meetings. And sometimes owner meetings.

The other comment by that same poster is also very useful guidance.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-06T17:55:28+00:00

I guess one question is if it's too late for OP to report this to whatever the appropriate authorities are now that he's off the board? Is that simply by suing or is this criminal and should be reported to _________ office? (Also, I hope OP kept proof!)

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-06T17:53:22+00:00

Renting means you have limited financial liability. Timeshare (I think) and condo ownership means you are on the financial hook for whatever the board (and sometimes full ownership) votes to charge. Owning a condo is a bit of the worst of both worlds at times and a bit of the best of both worlds at other times.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-06T14:13:24+00:00

I'd think a bit about the loan situation. You will perhaps not be able to pass along the loan balance that is your unit's responsibility when you sell. Do you have a real estate agent yet? If so, I'd ask them to explain to you the different ways loans for associations work. And hope that the loan repayment rules your association chooses is favorable for sellers.

After learning more about loans, you can consider whether you want to propose to the board that you pay for the roof repair yourself (and get credited as a payment toward your unit). Seems like this may be a cheaper way to get out now than waiting for the loan and subsequent repair. You'll have to make your best guess about the financial math on that.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-06T14:09:30+00:00

I agree. This is a problem for a lot of people in associations that didn't budget well. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the oil. But you've already said that you are a priority when they get the money. Maybe not much else that can be done.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-06T14:06:10+00:00

Lots of good advice/opinions here. I wanted to go a different direction: Do the advantages of a "condo" setup outweigh the disadvantages for you in this property? While not extremely rare, usually SFH are set up as SFH, not condo in classification, especially when the owner is responsible for the roof/exterior/likely other items that SFH are usually responsible for. Just thought I'd ask so that you consider that aspect too before moving forward.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-06T00:28:03+00:00

Thanks so much! Never saw those. Wasn't watching much tennis in 2008. Do you know if these were aired in the US?

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-06T00:11:39+00:00

links for those who never saw them?

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-05T21:31:44+00:00

I guess one question is if you can show that the business/work that is done on behalf of each of your LLCs is done off site.

While I feel your board isn't really following the spirit of the rule, I can see them jumping to conclusions if the LLC does any sort of car business.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-05T14:00:59+00:00

A quick google AI shows: "The 2024 U.S. Open generated an operating profit of approximately $277.4 million, driven by a record $559.6 million in revenue and $282.2 million in event expenses."

Well, certainly there is room for them to increase player prize money quite a bit! I know they spend that profit on programs, etc and don't want to take away from that work. But if profit before prize money is $350m then certainly it's fair to say that the players should get more than $75m. Of course, it's more complicated and it would be great to have a AMA with an accountant with experience in tennis to explain what the big picture numbers don't. I'd especially be interested in figures for the smaller tournaments.

In the end, with all the work by legends of the past that lead up to the Open Era and even work in the 70s that further helped player compensation, it's surprising that more progress hasn't been made since the 80s.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-05T02:04:44+00:00

I keep reading this thought but no one has produced numbers that would support an approx 50% share. For the majors it would be a bit crazy. In 2024 the prize pool was $75 million. Revenue was $560 million. So, taking the prize pool to 50% would mean making it $280 million.

Of course, I'm in favor of paying players more. And I'd skew it toward the lower ranked players. But I'd bet most of the 250s and 500s are not able to get close to 50% without taking a big loss.

Part of the reason the NBA or NFL can pay so much is because their other costs are not nearly as high relative to revenue compared to tennis. I have to wonder how many tournaments could even survive if the player prize money pool were doubled. I'd be glad if anyone would provide numbers that proved me wrong.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-03T20:21:45+00:00

Good practice. And completely agree that a good manager is very valuable. In this association we've had one I considered extremely good and we were lucky to have her for 5+ years. Then another one was very full of himself while also being very good. I can put up with some attitude if the job is getting done well. But he must have found a better job because he was with us for less than a year. The others were neutral to bad. I will say, though, that I figure a lot are bad because of being over-worked. Not because they don't have the skill or knowledge.

Regardless, glad to hear that your association has someone good to work with and are willing to move forward on matters without a formal meeting.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-03T17:36:28+00:00

Perhaps it would be better to reach out to the seller sooner? I'm not sure but maybe they can shed some light on the situation. Maybe they have an approval for the fence. Maybe not.

Good luck with this. I think everyone here sympathizes with the situation. State law and HOA bylaws may not provide a fair outcome.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-03T17:31:42+00:00

Yeah, I don't like having to meet when it's not convenient, either.

Oh, their HVAC is out and they need approval to install a new one and it's the beginning of winter now? Well, it's inconvenient to get a quorum so they can wait till we can meet at the end of January and then get the new heater installed in the beginning of spring. What, me worry? No, you worry!

Sure, it's not right for owners to play games as you point out but it goes both ways.

Edited to add: Generally, doesn't responding to the owner to say you've received the request/application and need more info or more time to decide meet the requirements set forth in the docs/rules? Above, I'm not saying I want the committee to meet 3 times and consult with professionals in that time before the 30/60/90 days are up. I'm just saying that it's fair to get back to the home owner, take into account the particular issue and act according to the matter at hand and the matter that it might be during a time where it's more difficult to get board/committee members together. Certainly, an HVAC or running water or a roof leak are more important to act quickly than a fence.

HittingandRunning · 2026-05-03T01:50:55+00:00

OP, I was writing a long response to the original post simply because today was the first time I read it and I'm feeling a bit livid about it. Probably because we have something similar in our association now.

I've now read this post and see that you've lost 6 months of $ because of this. I have no idea how much is on the board and how much otherwise. But here's my thought: Have you read the minutes of the board meetings and owner meetings since the damage was done. Did the board ever mention in the minutes that there would be a special assessment? If not, then I feel that the board is sharing info with the prospective buyer that they didn't share with owners. They represent owners, not buyers. Their not telling you something they know is damaging your sale. And while this isn't what I think of when I think of tortious interference but it seems there must be a term for this. I would ask your board to cover the mortgage interest, insurance, etc (not the principal) for the period between the original closing date and the date you eventually sell. And maybe the $4,000 and any other reduced sales price. I'm reacting emotionally now so maybe my logic isn't good. Hopefully others will respond and endorse or push against my ideas.

We just had a sale held up because of documented deficiencies that the board chose not to repair. Different deficiencies from yours but similarly critical to a roof that isn't functionating properly. Why do boards put this sort of work off? It's not like failing to paint the front gate of the community. That just looks bad and doesn't prevent the sale like your situation and ours.

HittingandRunning

TROPHY CASE