[edwhitesell]

I sat on the board in my previous neighborhood and served two terms as president, this was definitely true for that community too. And, many other HOAs of individual homes (structures) too.

We were lucky to have a decent management company that provided a lot of guidelines and information about what we should be doing. As well as the things we were obligated to do (either because of bylaws or laws, in Texas). Still, any time there was a storm resulting in additional costs for landscaping/cleanup, or work on a damaged/degrading stone wall, or the pool area, etc. We heard about it from some neighbors who didn't want to spend any money, because it didn't directly affect them.

It's definitely an area that more regulations would help everyone involved. We were not experts, but could make some decisions if we had the right information (or knew what questions we should ask).