This page was created to raise awareness about the abuse of power and injustice many homeowners face at the hands of HOAs. Our goal is to inform, empower, and support homeowners who have experienced unfair treatment by HOA boards and property managers.
In many suburban neighborhoods across the United States, homeowners’ associations (HOAs) are seen as organizations meant to maintain community standards and preserve property values. However, beneath their intended purpose lies a growing body of evidence suggesting that HOAs, when left unchecked, can become powerful private governing bodies that contribute to systemic social inequality. My project explores how HOAs can perpetuate injustice, particularly racial and socioeconomic discrimination, through targeted enforcement practices, financial penalties, and exclusionary policies. Although HOAs are often viewed as neutral entities, their lack of public oversight allows them to operate with significant authority and minimal accountability. This can lead to practices that disproportionately harm minority and marginalized homeowners, reinforcing broader patterns of inequality in housing and community life.
I was drawn to this topic through personal experience. Over the span of seven years, my family faced what we believe to be repeated and unjust targeting by our HOA, including ongoing fines, restricted access to community amenities, and ultimately, a lien placed on our home. This experience left us feeling isolated, powerless, and unfairly judged. As I began sharing my story and researching similar cases, I discovered that our situation was far from unique. Many families across the country report similar patterns of HOA-related harassment and exclusion, particularly among communities of color. Through this project, I aim to critically examine these patterns from a sociological perspective, investigating how HOA governance intersects with race, class, and power in residential life. In doing so, I hope to shed light on this often-overlooked yet impactful source of social inequality.
Article Collected
HOA Injustice Within Residential Communities
This video is about our experience in the neighborhood we live in, in which our HOA (Homeowners Association) is the typical pattern of a larger structural injustice. Power (HOA) is controlled by few people who take advantage of their authority and use it to intimidate others. Even though we won the case, the delate verdict shows how insensitive institutions can be when it comes to defending families who are disadvantaged. Our case serves as an example of how racism affects both people and the system that was created to serve justice. Unfortunately, the dynamics of local government can be used as a weapon against those who don’t fit the dominant norm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef550F5Ul_E
African American woman in disagreement with HOA
This case highlights how HOA governance, when lacking accountability and transparency, can be used as a tool for arbitrary law enforcement and abuse of power. Much like traditional government institutions, HOAs can mirror broader patterns of systemic racism, but with even less oversight. The selective enforcement of rules, especially when directed toward minority homeowners, reflects not only personal bias but a structural problem embedded in private governance systems. It also illustrates how racial inequality can thrive in seemingly neutral institutions, reinforcing the need for more scrutiny, legal safeguards, and equitable practices in HOA operations.
HOA Called Cops on Her Son — Then He Quietly Changed Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWFXi70z5Rs
This short movie shows how the routine HOA can escalate into oppressive oversight control when police force is used to support private restrictions. While the family's calm, calculated approach reframes the disagreement around rights, documentation, and process, it also demonstrates prejudiced and arbitrary enforcement, and “suspicious” behavior is determined by those in authority. This case is interesting, because we see how the son transforms a personal conflict into institutional leverage (by employing evidence, policy expertise, and official channels), and that is because he had the power to it so, not everybody has the advantage. that imposes accountability by quietly changing. In the end, we can appreciate how the story reveals the power structures of local government and demonstrates how targeted citizens can regain their agency without imitating acts of aggression.
This is piece of newspaper article
‘My HOA Is Trying to Steal My Home’: Charlotte Homeowner Joins the Fight for Pivotal HOA Reform in North Carolina.” Real Estate News & Insights (realtor.com), June 26–29. (Syndicated on Yahoo/SFGate.) URL.
To demonstrate how HOA penalty structures and liens may get out of control against homeowners with limited legal options, this article chronicles Jeffrey Baldwin’s journey from a small parking fine to possible foreclosure. By emphasizing North Carolina’s SB 378 proposed reform that would cap fines, mandate due process hearings, and restrict foreclosure based solely on fines. Once again, this article demonstrates how private governments can exercise quasi-public power and along with specific statutes can balance that power by combining a specific legislative solution with a real case.
Reflection
Homeowners’ Associations were originally designed to protect property values and maintain community standards, but in many cases, they have evolved into unaccountable bodies that abuse their power. I've witnessed and experienced how rules are enforced selectively, often targeting families of color, renters, or those who don’t "fit in." What should be a system of support can quickly become a source of stress, financial hardship, and even displacement. The injustice lies in how HOAs operate with minimal oversight, able to fine, lien, and even foreclose on people’s homes over minor infractions. These experiences have opened my eyes to the urgent need for reform, transparency, and stronger protections for homeowners.
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