what legal powers does an hoa have 
individual hoas have different levels of legal powers depending on how they were designed however hoas generally have the legal authority to create and enforce community policies such as whether to allow smoking pets or rentals in the building hoas also decide on budgets for the building and have the authority to charge monthly or one time fees to their members if a member refuses to pay these fees or to comply with the community policies hoas can impose a range of penalties in many cases these penalties can include monetary fines the restriction of community privileges and even litigation the bottom lineowning a home comes with many rights and responsibilities but if you own a townhome or condo or are part of a specific community you may be part of a homeowners association hoa being part of these communities can be beneficial because they often take care of some of the nitty gritty of homeownership such as property maintenance utilities landscaping and snow removal but keep in mind that these organizations can be restrictive by setting boundaries on what you can and can t do with your property all for a fee 