Tip one:
As a member of the community, you own part of the homeowner's association. What you need to do is to acknowledge your ownership and take control of your property. Although there may be restrictions in place that you don't agree with or there might be restrictions in place that make no sense whatsoever, but you still have to follow them unless you can get them changed. The only way that you can get the things changed that you do not like is to actively participate in the process.

Tip two:
Find out about the election process for your board. In most cases, it is a yearly election, but the covenants will tell you how many board members are needed and how long they are allowed to serve for. In most cases board members are limited to 2 or 3 successive terms with half or a third of the board changing each year. In other cases, the board can be elected with no changes as often as they want; no limits are placed on the board. In these types of communities is where you will see the problems occurring.

Tip three:
Join various committees in your homeowner's association because committees are another way to get your voice heard. This solution is a good alternative because many times being elected to the board is a difficult process, you might find it more like running for mayor or something similar. However, the board always needs committee members and leaders to help with all of the tasks that need to get done, such as cleaning up the playgrounds, maintaining the pool, etc. Volunteering for these jobs is a great way to get your foot in the door to the board and get your voice heard.

Tip four:
If your homeowner's association is using a management company, make sure that it is a good one. You as a homeowner can do some research on the management company and bring your concerns to the board. The problem with some management companies is the inexperienced ones can lead the problems to getting out of control fast. The reason for this is that do not have the contractors to support them and the contractors that they do have are never available when they are needed.

Tip five:
Many times people are forced into foreclosure because of unpaid homeowner's association fees. These dues are supposed to be paid each month, but sometimes families cannot make the payment because of financial reasons. In fact, some cases have shown that families have lost their homes because they owed $600 in homeowner's association fees. The other problem with this is that in addition to the fees that are owed when the homeowner's association goes to court they tack on additional money to cover legal expenses, which means the families have no hope of getting their home back. The people who push for litigation to recover the fees and force people into foreclosure need to be avoided. The reason for this is that by forcing people into foreclosure they are lowering your property value. You want people who will work with families who are struggling to help them get caught up, which can mean keeping their homes.