Georgia lawmakers are moving forward with new legislation aimed at shielding homeowners from what critics say are overly aggressive HOA practices.
Several Georgia Senate bills are under consideration that seek to rein in what homeowners say are abusive or overly aggressive homeowner associations hungry to forfeit their properties.
“I mean, it’s just literal hate,” Brass said. “And if we can kind of help mediate that and help solve some of these issues with a level head of someone that’s not financially invested in their property or in their community … take it out of there, have somebody non-biased to look at it, and hopefully we can solve it. And neighbors get back to being neighbors.”
The fee would fund a new state oversight board with authority to investigate complaints, refer potential crimes to law enforcement, and mediate disputes between homeowners and HOAs. The legislation also outlines explicit homeowner rights, including access to records, meeting notifications, voting protections, and clearer standards for HOA board conduct.
“This bill doesn’t take anything away from associations, doesn’t take any power away from them,” Brass said. “It’s just saying, you know, you have to follow your bylaws, and if you don’t, there’s going to be, there’s a process to where someone can come in–– that’s not necessarily a court — and can look at it and tell you if you’re following your bylaws or not.”
Source: Black Enterprise
