Three-bedroom madness

[danbrotherston]

We're really lucky in Canada that HOAs aren't a thing!

How different is an HOA from a condo corporation? Or the Beechwood West covenants?

That being said, I hear a lot more horror stories about HOAs than about Canadian condo corporations, so maybe there is something about the governing legislation and/or local culture that makes the concept work better here.

I don't think there's a meaningful practical difference (I'm sure there are legal differences). In Canada it is rare for single family homes to be under an HOA, where as in the US especially in certain cities/states it is very common.

I don't think it's necessarily to do with the specific regulations that make it work better here, I think it's simply that a condo corporation makes more sense in a building, and a bit of sense in a townhouse complex, there is a private domain that should be managed. Where as for SFH it's less about common management of private resources, and more about privatization of public spaces.

As for why they are common for SFHs in some US states/cities, I'm sure there are legal differences, and probably some cultural ones, but I'm unclear on the specifics.