Re: Housing Association Bill/Contract

As a member of a homeowners' association, you are subject to the provisions and by-laws enacted by the members of the association. Courts rarely interfere with the right of an association to govern itself unless it is not following its own rules.

If you can convince enough members to reallocate the financial responsibilities of the townhome owners so that you aren't assessed for street lights, offer a resolution at the next meeting. On the other hand, you may be outnumbered by the single family homeowners, so this won't work. They would argue that if you use the roads on which the lights are located to access your property, you are benefitting from them, even if they aren't located near your property.

Re: Housing Association Bill/Contract

Your rights in the Homeowner's association are governed by the covenants and restrictions for the subdivision. Your responsibility for payment of the fees for the street lamps should be set out in the governing documents. The courts will generally not interfere with the workings of the homeowner's association unless it can be shown that the action of the board of directors is being arbitrarily and capriciously exercised.

Ultimately, your strongest defense is to build support among the townhouse owners and attempt to amend the governing document to either remove your responsibility or make the repsonsibility for payment proportionate to the service rendered. The percentage of owners required to amend the covenants and restrictions should be set forth in the documents.