Times Change: Why HOA Amendments Matter

HOA amendments are essential for adapting to changing times and accommodating new developments, such as the rise of electric vehicles. Amendments involve changes or additions to legal documents governing HOA communities, including recorded plats, covenants, bylaws, and rules. These documents may become problematic due to lagging behind technology, being obsolete, conflicting with laws, being ambiguous, containing errors, or hindering board performance. Amending HOA documents presents challenges like resistance, lack of votes, unlawfulness, and cost. A helpful process for amending HOA documents includes identifying community needs, using software for management and voting, making it a team effort, tapping legal expertise, keeping timelines, obtaining board approval, and notifying the community. Understanding the nature of amendments, the reasons for them, challenges involved, and the process can facilitate seamless changes to HOA legal documents.