HOA HELL

Can My California HOA Use Reserve Funds for Anything It Wants?

Is your HOA spending reserve money on things it’s not supposed to? In this episode, attorney Michael Kushner, California’s #1 homeowner-side HOA attorney, breaks down whi

HOA Free Speech Rights in California: What Can I Say About My HOA?

In part 2 of KNX News reporter Steve Gregory’s 5-part series “Behind the Gate” series on California HOAs, California’s most prominent homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael

Can My California HOA Charge an Emergency Special Assessment Without a Vote?

Bad HOAs all over California are using the emergency exception to push through massive special assessments without an otherwise required homeowner vote, and sometimes eve

KNX 1070: Why Do So Many Californians Hate Their HOAs?

KNX News reporter Steve Gregory goes behind the gate in this five-part series on California HOAs, and he brings in homeowner-side HOA attorney Michael Kushner, California

Can My California HOA Appoint a New Board Member When One Sells Their Home?

In this HOA Q&A, California’s most respected homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains what happens when a California HOA director sells their home and the b

Can My California HOA Ban Christmas Lights, Religious Decorations, or Trick-or-Treating?

Every year before Halloween and Christmas, California homeowners ask whether their HOAs can restrict their holiday decorations, the religious items on their front doors,

Can My California HOA Track My License Plate With Flock Cameras?

In this HOA Q&A, California’s foremost homeowner-side HOA attorney and expert, Michael Kushner, explains what happens when a California HOA installs Flock license plate c

California HOA Special Assessment Red Flags to Check Before You Buy

A Torrance HOA hit its owners with a $49,000 special assessment, and a San Clemente HOA hit its members with one for $26,000, stories that both ABC7’s Leanne Suter and KF

Fannie Mae’s New Condo Loan Rules: Can My California HOA Make My Unit Unsellable?

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac spent 2026 quietly rewriting the rules that decide whether anyone can get a loan to buy a condo in your community, and one more change hits in

Can My California HOA Refuse to Give Me the SB 326 Balcony Inspection Report?

In this HOA Q&A, California’s leading homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains the amendment to Civil Code § 5200, which took effect on January 1, 2026.   

Can My California HOA Make Me Pay for the Previous Owner’s Violations?

Weeks after you close on your new home, a letter shows up demanding you pay a fine, cover an unpaid assessment, or fix something the previous owner did. In this episode,

Can My California HOA Stop Me From Criticizing or Organizing Against It?

Your HOA says you can’t trash the board online, and it wants a deposit and an insurance policy before you can even meet in the clubhouse to talk about a recall. Both dema

What Qualifies as a Health and Safety Violation Under California’s $100 HOA Fine Cap?

In this HOA Q&A, California’s #1 homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains what qualifies as a health and safety violation under California’s $100 HOA fine c

Does my Condo Insurance Cover my California HOA’s Special Assessment?

In this HOA Q&A, California’s most respected homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains loss assessment coverage and how it pays a condo owner’s share of a Ca

Can My California HOA Spray Pesticides Near My Home?

A rare childhood cancer cluster in Ladera Ranch has parents pointing at the pesticides their HOA sprays across the common areas. In this episode, HOA attorney Michael Kus

Who Do I Report My California HOA To? (Nobody. Here’s Why.)

Many homeowners think that there’s a state agency that they can report their HOAs to when their HOAs break the law. There isn’t. In this episode, HOA attorney Michael Kus

Is There a State Agency That Regulates HOAs in California?

In this HOA Q&A, California’s leading homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains whether any state agency regulates California HOAs and where homeowners can t

Can My California HOA Ban E-Bikes and E-Scooters?

In this HOA Q&A, California’s pioneering homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains how far California HOAs can go when they move to regulate e-bikes and e-sc

Can My California HOA Track My License Plate With Flock Cameras?

Your HOA installed Flock cameras (or some  other form of ALPR camera) in your HOA that photograph every car going in and out, log the plate, the date, and the time, and f

How Much Can My California HOA Charge Me for Transfer Disclosure Documents?

In this HOA Q&A, California’s top homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, breaks down the fees California HOAs are permitted to charge sellers for HOA-related resal