Guides for California homeowners dealing with their association: violation notices, board conduct, assessments, and the steps required before a dispute reaches court.
Bay Legal, P.C. represents both homeowners and association boards, though never both sides of the same dispute. Acting for boards means we know how a board reaches a decision, which is useful when challenging one. Acting for homeowners means we know which decisions get challenged, which is useful when making one.
Guides for homeowners
- Challenging an HOA Violation Notice — Your association cannot fine you without written notice and a hearing, cannot enforce a restriction it has ignored for years against you alone, and cannot enforce a rule California law overrides — which now includes solar panels, EV charging, accessory dwelling units, and most rental restrictions.
- Challenging Your HOA Board — California gives homeowners real enforcement rights against a board that will not follow the rules.
- Challenging an HOA Assessment or Lien — Your association cannot raise regular assessments more than 20 percent in a year, or levy special assessments exceeding 5 percent of its budgeted expenses, without a member vote — whatever the CC&Rs say.
- Resolving HOA Disputes in California — California requires two steps before most HOA disputes reach a court, and skipping either can cost the party who skipped it more than the dispute is worth.