Homeowners association
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A homeowners association is an organization comprised of all owners of units in the development. The vast majority of them are incorporated and are therefore governed by a board, which is a private government.
Homeowners associations collect fees from homeowners, maintain the common areas of the development, and enforce the association's governing documents. These may include detailed rules regarding construction and maintenance of individual homes.
Some of the responsibilities that the covenants delegate to homeowners association boards would otherwise be performed by local governments.
Nevertheless, only owners -- who need not be residents -- are allowed to vote in elections to choose the board. Residents of the community who are not owners (e.g., renters) are disenfranchised.
Homeowners associations are increasingly common in the United States, exercising control over 19% of American homes, 20 million homes.
References
Evan McKenzie, Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Governments, Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-06638-4
External links
- New York Times article, "Homeowner Boards Blur Line of Who Rules Roost" by Motoko Rich July 27, 2003 (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/27/national/27HOME.html?ex=1060295374&ei=1&en=8f82e7d3efd5956b)
First published at http://www.internet-encyclopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Homeowners_associationnl:Vereniging van Eigenaren