&gt; It gets even more specific than that, while home owner&#x27;s associations don&#x27;t generate laws that lead to criminal penalties when broken, the rules HOA&#x27;s create are legally binding and have probably a significant impact on many people&#x27;s quality of life and every day freedom.<p>HOA rules aren&#x27;t laws of any kind; they are legally binding only because you have entered into a contract to obey them.<p>&gt; People living with HOA&#x27;s have opted for trading in freedoms for slightly higher property values.<p>Or, they have opted to live in modern homes: HOAs are usually established by developers, and virtually all new development (ISTR seeing figures of 80% in CA) is subject to HOAs.