To: The Texas State House, The Texas State Senate, and Governor Greg Abbott
In Texas, homeowners are cash cows for.. (read on to see who is cashing in)
Homeowner's rights have been hijacked by the for-profit "governance industry".
In addition to reforming HOA's etc., specific action is needed to curtail limited/special districts with taxing power, operating outside the purvue of any true accountability, like banana republics. Texas touts itself as big on property rights - in truth, homeowners have been sold out, sold into indenture to punitive contrivances for profit.
A non-industry aligned, government agency is urgently needed to reform all political subdivisons (HOA, POA, Limited District, etc) abuse and injustice. It is long past time for the Texas legislature to correct its error in empowering these entity boards, the law firms and property management, developers, CAI, etc. - the lobbying blocs - , and failing to provide protection for homeowners. The legislature of the state of Indiana has given the Attorney General this authority. It is time for the Texas legislature to correct its error by providing an oversight agency to receive complaints, enforce laws, empower homeowners in the homes they paid for to exercise reasonable use and quiet enjoyment.
The legislature has allowed the "industry" - boards, law firms, property management, ancillary services, with financial interest in perpetuating these entities to write the codes and laws affecting homeowners. These entities are the polar opposite of the "local democracy" it was sold as - they exist to generate revenue for those who have inserted themselves, advantaging through legislation, using covenants and restrictions as their power to bully, control homeowners. Studies show home values are not positively affected, and the negatives are substantially greater.
'When times change, so must we, that fidelity to our country's founding principles requires new responses to new challenges, that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action" - homeowners must act together to demand change, or nothing will change.
Read this link to understand the power structure of the Texas House: http://info.tpj.org/Lobby_Watch/pdf/HOABobPerry.june2011.pdf
In addition to reforming HOA's etc., specific action is needed to curtail limited/special districts with taxing power, operating outside the purvue of any true accountability, like banana republics. Texas touts itself as big on property rights - in truth, homeowners have been sold out, sold into indenture to punitive contrivances for profit.
A non-industry aligned, government agency is urgently needed to reform all political subdivisons (HOA, POA, Limited District, etc) abuse and injustice. It is long past time for the Texas legislature to correct its error in empowering these entity boards, the law firms and property management, developers, CAI, etc. - the lobbying blocs - , and failing to provide protection for homeowners. The legislature of the state of Indiana has given the Attorney General this authority. It is time for the Texas legislature to correct its error by providing an oversight agency to receive complaints, enforce laws, empower homeowners in the homes they paid for to exercise reasonable use and quiet enjoyment.
The legislature has allowed the "industry" - boards, law firms, property management, ancillary services, with financial interest in perpetuating these entities to write the codes and laws affecting homeowners. These entities are the polar opposite of the "local democracy" it was sold as - they exist to generate revenue for those who have inserted themselves, advantaging through legislation, using covenants and restrictions as their power to bully, control homeowners. Studies show home values are not positively affected, and the negatives are substantially greater.
'When times change, so must we, that fidelity to our country's founding principles requires new responses to new challenges, that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action" - homeowners must act together to demand change, or nothing will change.
Read this link to understand the power structure of the Texas House: http://info.tpj.org/Lobby_Watch/pdf/HOABobPerry.june2011.pdf
Why is this important?
There are countless horror stories. Mine is that I unknowingly purchased a home in a "Limited District" (most people have no idea what it is - I didn't, nor do most officials I've raised the issue with, yet they are spreading). I did not receive the statutorily required Notice To Purchaser, or the restrictions, in the contract (is the contract valid, is a buyer bound to participate?) - I would not have bought it. I now pay extra (double) taxes to fund duplicated services already paid for through City taxes, under the premise of "maintinaing pool and parks". I clearly stated upfront I did not want to live where any small group sought to exert power with fear, and homeowners paying for the abuse. I had naively lived in an HOA, saw the entrenchment, misues inflicted, fear mongering propaganda, and moved to get away from it with no intention of ever living in any such contrivance again.
It was a extremely traumatic when I was sued, after 3 months of work reinvesting in conservation projects on my new home and participating in the City Landscape Conversion program, for not "getting permission" for a landscape fence 3.5 feet past front of the house due to the existing sidewalk - it is beautiful, and homeowners like it. This, in contrast to years of ignoring pervasive violations is suspect, and discrimination with no good intent. Aging neighborhoods need redevelopment not obstruction and oppression.
Instead of granting a variance for improvement, the regressive board via property management via the law firm was allowed to run up fees and walked away with 30k+ of homeowners money, zero value to homeowners - Who won?
It was a extremely traumatic when I was sued, after 3 months of work reinvesting in conservation projects on my new home and participating in the City Landscape Conversion program, for not "getting permission" for a landscape fence 3.5 feet past front of the house due to the existing sidewalk - it is beautiful, and homeowners like it. This, in contrast to years of ignoring pervasive violations is suspect, and discrimination with no good intent. Aging neighborhoods need redevelopment not obstruction and oppression.
Instead of granting a variance for improvement, the regressive board via property management via the law firm was allowed to run up fees and walked away with 30k+ of homeowners money, zero value to homeowners - Who won?