A lot of people complain about HOAs, but if you want something to change, you have to step up to change it. Instead of complaining about how awful an HOA is, the smart thing some homeowners do is to run for the HOA board or even the HOA president in order to change things from the inside.

In this story, one condo owner decides to run for the HOA board. He is in the construction business, so he knows what updates would be helpful to the community, and he also knows how much it would cost. He wanted to make positive changes.

Sometimes, the best intentions don’t work out the way we expect. That was what happened to him.

Keep reading to find out who ended up beating him out for the spot on the HOA board and what the homeowner ended up doing as a result.

I ran for my HOA board and lost.

I bought a condo built in 1972.

The exterior of the building is original. Wood Decks, railings, steps, finishes, all original.

The HOA essentially has 0 reserves. The entire building is worth about $20,000,000. It’s insured for $6,000,000.

I ran for the board.

He wanted to make some updates.

My campaign?

We needed to spend about $750,000 (I’m in the construction business) to replace the exterior original items. And everyone could get a 2nd parking spot by making some changes to the parking lot. Update our insurance.

Basically all the things a prudent HOA would do.

But it didn’t work out.

I lost to a homeowner that bought in 1972, and Airbnb his unit.

He can’t hear, and doesn’t wear hearing aids. His wife also attends the meeting and yells what people say into his ear. He frequently rambles for 10+ minutes during meetings.

Basically everything that’s wrong with the place is his decision to do nothing.

I sold my unit. Cleared 10%.

Why would anyone vote for the guy who doesn’t update anything? Selling sounds like a smart decision.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an apartment tenant who is being called petty for blocking her parking space with trash cans.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This person thinks it’s a good thing he moved.

Another person explains why he lost.

It really probably is good that he moved.

Another person explains why it’s important to do necessary repairs.

If the HOA fees would go up as a result of OP getting on the board, I really do understand why he lost. Most people would vote against paying more money to an HOA.

However, sometimes repairs are necessary and should be required before any real damage happens. A building collapsing would be 1000 times worse than paying slightly more each month to the HOA.

In the end, who knows what will happen with this HOA, but if you can’t win, sometimes it’s better to walk away. Hopefully, the condo owner found a better place to live, maybe one that doesn’t have an HOA at all.

Dealing with an HOA can be a nightmare.