Homeowners associations (HOAs) are supposed to protect the interests of homeowners. But as we've seen in recently in the news headlines about Green Valley Ranch, sometimes HOAs can lose sight of their mission and actually become oppressive to the families they were meant to serve.

Homeowners statewide are experiencing foreclosures due to HOA fees that exploded after predatory attorneys were hired to doggedly collect from people who were already struggling during the pandemic. HOAs are sometimes assessing fees against Colorado home owners without the home owner's knowledge.

New legislation up for debate in the Colorado House will increase protections for homeowners by requiring that HOAs verify homeowners receive notice of assessments via certified mail AND two additional contact points such as email or text message. The bill places a limit on the fees homeowners can be assessed over a period of 90 days. The goal is to allow homeowners to address an HOA's concerns without worrying ballooning fines that quickly become unmanageable.

Finally, under the terms of the Homeowners' Association Board Accountability And Transparency bill, HOAs can't sell a home for less than 80 percent of its market value, ensuring homeowners don't lose all their equity in the event their home is sold due to unpaid HOA fees.

House Bill 22-1137, Homeowners' Association Board Accountability And Transparency, will be heard in the House Local Government and Transportation Committee on Wednesday, April 13. Take a moment right now to contact members of this committee and urge them to put in place sensible protections for homeowners from overzealous and predatory HOAs.