"An ornate balcony or quirky garage door might be in reach for more Californians as homeowners associations across the state are being forced to govern without the power of exorbitant fees to enforce regulations. Millions of California residents could get a break if they violate their homeowners association rules due to a new law that caps fines at $100, down from hundreds to thousands of dollars."
"Attorneys for homeowners and HOAs say it will get rid of extreme cases where board members impose unfair and egregious fines to retaliate against homeowners they dislike. I have seen the worst of the worst and HOAs fine thousands of dollars and foreclose on those homes, said Edward Susolik, CEO and president of Callahan & Blaine, who represents both homeowners and HOAs."
"The cap on HOA fines was quietly inserted into unrelated major housing reform legislation, Assembly Bill 130, that exempts most new housing from environmental review and was led by Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco. The language of a separate bill by Democratic Sen. Aisha Wahab of Fremont, Senate Bill 681, capping the HOA fee was included in the housing reform bill just days before the governor signed it into law, drawing little attention."
California capped homeowners association fines at $100, down from hundreds or thousands, effective July 1. Lawmakers and homeowner advocacy groups characterize the cap as protecting middle- and low-income residents during an affordability crisis. HOA boards express worry that the restriction will limit their authority to enforce community rules. Attorneys for homeowners and HOAs say the cap will eliminate extreme cases of retaliatory or punitive fines that have led to thousands-of-dollars penalties and foreclosures. The cap was quietly inserted into Assembly Bill 130, with language from Senate Bill 681 added days before the governor signed the housing reform measure into law.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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