Dear readers:

USA National Association of  Realtors and Forbes Magazine report that In the USA,  80 million people or 30% of USA population lives in Community associations (CAs) (such as condominium buildings, town homes, and private developments).   (Often, CAs are informally called  "HOAs" (homeowners' associations), although the official meaning of "HOA" refers to a type of CA.)

There are close to 1 million community associations (CAs) and 85% of new homes are in CAs,  NRA and Forbes report that CAs-related business is $80 billion profit and rising, as 85% of all new homes are built within a CA.

According to market research from IBISWorld and others, homeowners in the U.S. paid an estimated $37.8 billion in total market size for homeowners' associations (HOA) in 2024. The total includes regular monthly dues and special assessments.

Every owner in a CA pays monthly dues that go into the common CA fund.  A CA can ask owners at any time to pay extra, for fines or for CA-issued special assessments  If an owner cannot pay their dues, fines and/or special assessments, their CA is entitled to take their property in a non-judicial foreclosure (meaning: there is no judge or lawsuit, the CA just hires a lawyer and seizes the property).

If an owner is in good standing, a CA may choose to start a frivolous lawsuit for false claims and take the property in a judicial foreclosure, with the help of a corrupt legal and judicial system. Lawyers and judges have been exposed as having private companies related to real estate or stocks related to real estate. 

Each CA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, a few elected homeowners, who have the sole authority to make decisions about the CA and the common CA funds. Larger CAs operate in millions of dollars.

Many CAs are managed by property management companies, some very large and influential. For example, John Joseph Carona was a Texas State Senator when he founded Associations, Inc., aka "Associa" property management company. "Carona is director, CEO, and president of Associations, Inc. aka "Associa". Associa is a holding company for one of the largest collections of HOA management companies and related businesses in the United States. Carona has come under scrutiny for his business practices and his legislative activity including authoring, voting on, and modifying legislation that benefited his Associa organization" (from Wikipedia). 

 "There were 1,826 condo associations representing 173,036 units in Hawaii in 2021, according to the most recent data from the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.  Industry experts have estimated that condo and community associations govern some 360,000 people – or about 1 in 4 Hawaii residents." per Civil Beat.  Therefore, Associa Hawaii has an estimated monthly budget of  $500 million - there are about 2000 Condo Associations in Hawaii, each pays at least $1200 per month for management, and Associa HI and Hawaiiana have most clients. Estimating that Associa manages 400 condo buildings, it is easy to see that its monthly income is on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.

It is not surprising that these large budgets and huge number of people living in CAs leads to many developers, attorneys, real estate professionals, and property management companies making a living out of it, and unfortunately, use CAs and CA owners as cash cows. 

Condo associations are often likened to private governments. Elected board members have the power to impose fees, establish rules, fine owners for violations and even take owners’ properties through foreclosure. 

The CAs stereotype is  "Karens terrorizing residents about lawns and parking". But the reality is much more bleak and terrifying, undermining the basic foundations of the USA democracy and Constitutional Rights. 

According to polls, about 47 million CAs' residents expressed dissatisfaction with their CA and belief that their CA engages in financial crime. 

The terrifying truth is that many CAs operate in violation of laws and are ridden with financial crimes and civil rights violations.  Whistleblowers are persecuted by CAs.  

Even more terrifying is that no government agency protects homeowners. Since CAs are governed by elected volunteers, they are organizations in their own right but the volunteers are not subject to as much scrutiny. Developers and large property management companies have the resources and access to legislators and attorneys, and CAs use common funds to persecute individual owners.

Condo associations are often likened to private governments. Elected Board members have the power to impose fees, establish rules, fine owners for violations, spend common funds, and even take owners’ properties through foreclosure. 

This means that 80 million or 30% of people in the USA live in a type of "miniature government" that is separate from the U.S. and State governments, and improperly treated as immune to the mandatory U.S. and State laws, rules and regulations. 

Numerous cases nationally testify that homeowners live under dictatorship conditions, extortion and threats by their CA and its property management company and attorneys. Watch the interview with a Florida attorney general.

CA financial crimes lead to increased monthly payments (such as 300% increases and $1,000 monthly dues), foreclosures, increased rent and housing shortage, more poverty, and overall loss of civil rights.  

The CA extortion problems will keep getting worse as 80% of new homes in the USA are in a CA. 

Not stopping this financial crime is a threat to the U.S.A. democracy, prosperity and civil rights. 

One formidable opponent of homeowners is Community Association Institute (CAI)  http://caionline.org . CAI has 22,000 paying members, internationally,  $20 million per year budget, almost all spent on lobbying, currently producing about 2000 legislations per year.  CAI members are  mostly developers, construction companies, property management companies, realtors, and attorneys. CAI lobbying is in their interest and against homeowners.

Homeowners are left standing alone under this siege. We demand to change that. 

PETITION:

WE DEMAND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, MEDIA AND PUBLIC TO EXPOSE THE THESE ISSUES,

TO PROVIDE ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS,

TO PROVIDE LAWS THAT PROTECT HOMEOWNERS,

TO PROVIDE GOVERNMENT ENTITIES THAT PROTECT HOMEOWNERS, 

AND TO STOP EXTORTION AND DENIAL OF CIVIL RIGHTS TO HOMEOWNERS.