HOA HELL

Michael Kushner

HOA Hell with Michael Kushner is your inside guide to surviving—and winning—against California’s most abusive and overreaching HOAs. Leveraging almost 30 years of experience fighting for HOA members, Michael Kushner gives California homeowners real tools to fight back against abusive boards, outrageous rules, and everyday HOA nonsense. If your HOA is making your life a living Hell, then this podcast is for you. 

  1. -19 H

    Can a California HOA Hold Secret "Planning Meetings" Without Notice or Minutes?

    In this HOA Q&A, HOA attorney Michael Kushner, widely regarded as California’s most experienced homeowner-side HOA lawyer, explains why an HOA board cannot avoid the Open Meeting Act by relabeling meetings as “planning sessions.”  🎯 What You’ll Learn in This HOA Q&A: ✅ When discussions regarding HOA business qualifies as a board meeting under Civil Code § 4090(a). ✅ What the Open Meeting Act requires in terms of notices, agendas, and minutes under Civil Code §§ 4900–4955. ✅ Why backdated minutes raise serious credibility issues and can undermine the board’s actions.  If a quorum of directors meets to discuss HOA business, then they must comply with the Open Meeting Act, and HOA board members who ignore that, or any other part, of the Davis-Stirling Act expose themselves and the HOA to significant liability.  🎧 📞 If you enjoyed this Q&A, please like and subscribe to HOA HELL. Listen on YouTube at @hoahellpodcastofficial or wherever you get your podcasts. To schedule a consultation, visit https://mbkchapman.com/ and mention the HOA HELL discount.  Disclaimer: This content constitutes attorney advertising. The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast. This communication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.   About: Michael Kushner created and taught the systems now used by the biggest law firms in the state focused on HOA litigation. Managing partner of MBK Chapman, and author of the best-selling book, HOA HELL, Kushner teaches homeowners how to fight their bad HOAs and win. 💥 Amazon [https://tinyurl.com/tx47hmvn] | Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/hoa%20hell]  #HOALaw #CaliforniaHOA #BadHOA #HOAhell #DavisStirlingAct #OpenMeetingAct #HOABoardMeetings #HOALawyer #HOAattorney 🔥 HOA Hell California’s #1 HOA attorney shares real legal tools to help homeowners fight back—and win. 👉 Got an HOA nightmare? Submit your question at HOAHELLpodcast@mbkchapman.com. more about your rights as a homeowner: https://MBKChapman.com 📲 Follow us:  Instagram: @mbkchapmanpc YouTube: HOA Hell (https://www.youtube.com/@HOAHELLpodcastofficial)

    2 min
  2. -2 J

    Can a California HOA Stop You from Speaking at a Board Meeting Because Your Topic Isn’t on the Agenda?

    In this HOA Q&A, pioneering homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains why a board cannot cut off a homeowner during open forum simply because the topic is not listed on the meeting agenda.  🎯 What You’ll Learn in This HOA Q&A: ✅ That Civil Code § 4925 guarantees members the right to speak at board meetings. ✅ That Civil Code § 4930 allows homeowners to address any matter within the HOA’s jurisdiction during open forum and how the agenda requirements of the Open Meeting Act do not apply to members. ✅ Why boards cannot silence a member early, or direct management to do so, based on disagreement with the topic.  Homeowners have the right to speak during open forum on matters within the HOA’s jurisdiction, and that right cannot be limited by the agenda or cut short based on the board’s subjective preferences.  🎧 📞 If you enjoyed this Q&A, please like and subscribe to HOA HELL. Listen on YouTube at @hoahellpodcastofficial or wherever you get your podcasts. To schedule a consultation, visit https://mbkchapman.com/ and mention the HOA HELL discount.  Disclaimer: This content constitutes attorney advertising. The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast. This communication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.   About: Michael Kushner created and taught the systems now used by the biggest law firms in the state focused on HOA litigation. Managing partner of MBK Chapman, and author of the best-selling book, HOA HELL, Kushner teaches homeowners how to fight their bad HOAs and win. 💥 Amazon [https://tinyurl.com/tx47hmvn] | Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/hoa%20hell]  #HOALaw #CaliforniaHOA #BadHOA #HOAhell #DavisStirlingAct #HOAOpenMeetings #HOABoardMeetings #HOARights #HOAattorney #HOAlawyer #HOAOpenMeetingAct  🔥 HOA Hell California’s #1 HOA attorney shares real legal tools to help homeowners fight back—and win. 👉 Got an HOA nightmare? Submit your question at HOAHELLpodcast@mbkchapman.com. more about your rights as a homeowner: https://MBKChapman.com 📲 Follow us:  Instagram: @mbkchapmanpc YouTube: HOA Hell (https://www.youtube.com/@HOAHELLpodcastofficial)

    2 min
  3. -4 J

    California FAIR Plan 2026 & Altadena / Palisades Fires: Why Many HOA Owners Are Underinsured

    As the devastating fires that swept through Altadena, the Palisades, and Malibu in early 2025 showed us, California’s FAIR Plan is the only fire insurance coverage option available to many homeowners who live in high fire risk areas. And after those fires, more and more of those homeowners and their HOAs are learning that coverage under the FAIR Plan may not be enough to rebuild.   In this episode, California’s foremost homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains how the FAIR Plan works, why traditional insurers stopped offering coverage in high fire risk areas, what many homeowners are now facing after a total loss.  🎯 What You’ll Learn in today’s episode of HOA HELL: ✅ Why more California homeowners are being pushed onto the FAIR Plan. ✅ How coverage limits compare to real rebuild costs in today’s market. ✅ Why condo and townhome owners face added financial exposure through HOA insurance.  This episode connects what is happening in the insurance market to what homeowners are now experiencing on the ground.  Helpful Links:   “Altadena & Palisades Fires: Why California FAIR Plan Insurance Isn’t Enough to Rebuild” [https://mbkchapman.com/california-fair-plan-rebuild-cost-altadena-palisades-fact-sheet/]  “Can My HOA Force Me to Pay a Special Assessment After the Altadena and Palisades Fires?” [https://mbkchapman.com/altadena-palisades-hoa-fire-special-assessment-fact-sheet/]  “Can My California HOA Block Me from Rebuilding After the Palisades Fire or Other Disasters?” [https://mbkchapman.com/can-my-california-hoa-block-rebuilding-after-palisades-fire-diaster-fact-sheet/]  To schedule a consultation, visit https://mbkchapman.com/ and mention the HOA HELL discount.  DISCLAIMER:  This content constitutes attorney advertising. The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast.  This communication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.  ABOUT:  Michael Kushner created and taught the systems now used by the biggest law firms in the state focused on HOA litigation. Managing partner of MBK Chapman, and author of the best-selling book, HOA HELL, Kushner teaches homeowners how to fight their bad HOAs and win. 💥 Amazon [https://tinyurl.com/tx47hmvn] | Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/hoa%20hell]  #CaliforniaFAIRPlan #HOAinsurance #WildfireInsurance #HOAlawyer #HOAattorney #DavisStirlingAct #CaliforniaHOA #badHOA #HOAHell  🔥 HOA Hell California’s #1 HOA attorney shares real legal tools to help homeowners fight back—and win. 👉 Got an HOA nightmare? Submit your question at HOAHELLpodcast@mbkchapman.com. more about your rights as a homeowner: https://MBKChapman.com 📲 Follow us:  Instagram: @mbkchapmanpc YouTube: HOA Hell (https://www.youtube.com/@HOAHELLpodcastofficial)

    48 min
  4. 1 AVR.

    KFI’s Bill Handel Endorses HOA Attorney Michael Kushner

    Is your HOA targeting you, imposing illegal fines, or abusing its power? Nationally syndicated radio host Bill Handel (KFI AM 640, “Handel on the Law”) has a direct message for California homeowners: YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT ALONE.  In this unpaid personal endorsement, Radio Hall of Fame inductee Bill Handel endorses Michael Kushner, the pioneering homeowners-side HOA attorney he has trusted personally and professionally for over 20 years. As the author of the Amazon bestseller HOA HELL and host of the hit podcast of the same name, Kushner is widely regarded as California’s premier advocate for homeowners in disputes with their bad HOAs.  Why Bill Handel trusts Michael Kushner:  ✅ Kushner is the Definitive Authority. As the pioneer in homeowner-side HOA law in California and as the author of the Amazon bestseller HOA HELL, Kushner literally wrote the book on beating bad HOAs in California. ✅ Unwavering Advocacy. Kushner’s HOA’s practice is dedicated exclusively to representing homeowners living in HOA HELL.  ✅ A Trusted Endorsement. Handel doesn’t just put his name behind anyone. He trusts Kushner to handle the toughest HOA cases and to hold bad HOAs accountable.  ✅ Decades of Collaboration. Handel has relied on Kushner for over 20 years, not only as his personal attorney, but also as his on-air go-to HOA expert.   If your HOA is targeting you, imposing unlawful fines, or abusing its power, contact Michael Kushner’s law firm, MBK Chapman, at (949) 666-3036 or visit https://HOAHELL.com.   🔔 Subscribe for more powerful legal tools to hold your bad HOA accountable.  🎧 Listen to Kushner’s full-length HOA HELL podcasts on YouTube @hoahellpodcastofficial, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.  🌐 📞Want to talk to Michael Kushner or the attorneys at his law firm, MBK Chapman? Contact us at https://mbkchapman.com or go to https://HOAHELL.com. Mention the HOA HELL podcast for a discounted consultation.  Disclaimer:   The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast.    About:   Michael Kushner is the attorney who pioneered this niche area of the law—representing homeowners in disputes with their HOAs—in California. He created and taught the systems now used by the biggest law firms in the state focused on HOA litigation. Through his firm, MBK Chapman, and now through HOA HELL, Kushner continues to give homeowners practical legal tools to fight back.  #HOAhell #billhandel #handelonthelaw #kfi #am640 #HOAnews #HOAlawyer #HOAattorney  🔥 HOA Hell California’s #1 HOA attorney shares real legal tools to help homeowners fight back—and win. 👉 Got an HOA nightmare? Submit your question at HOAHELLpodcast@mbkchapman.com. more about your rights as a homeowner: https://MBKChapman.com 📲 Follow us:  Instagram: @mbkchapmanpc YouTube: HOA Hell (https://www.youtube.com/@HOAHELLpodcastofficial)

    1 min
  5. 30 MARS

    AB 130 & California HOA Fines: What’s Happened Since the $100 Fine Law Took Effect

    California capped HOA fines at $100 under AB 130. But what’s actually happening now that the law has been in effect for nine months?  In this episode, California’s leading homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains what he predicted would happen after AB 130 took effect and how those predictions are now playing out in real HOA disputes, real consultations, and real enforcement cases throughout California HOAs.  🎯 What You’ll Learn: ✅ Why homeowners are asking if they can ignore HOA rules and just pay the fine. ✅ How some HOAs are responding when fines no longer have real deterrent value. ✅ How certain bad HOAs are pushing the limits of the law in ways you need to understand.  Links to episodes, articles, and Fact Sheets referenced in the episode:  • AB 130 and the $100 Fine Cap: How California Just Made HOA Problems Worse • California AB 130 Update: Predictions Come True as HOA Chaos Unfolds • AB 130 Capped HOA Fines at $100—But Don’t Celebrate Just Yet • California HOA Fines After AB 130: $100 Limit, Repeat Violations, and Predictions Coming True (this will link you to multiple other articles and Fact Sheets)  🎧 📞 If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe to HOA HELL. Listen on YouTube at @hoahellpodcastofficial or wherever you get your podcasts. To schedule a consultation, visit https://mbkchapman.com/ and mention the HOA HELL discount.  DISCLAIMER: This content constitutes attorney advertising. The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast. This communication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.  ABOUT: Michael Kushner created and taught the systems now used by the biggest law firms in the state focused on HOA litigation. Managing partner of MBK Chapman, and author of the best-selling book, HOA HELL, Kushner teaches homeowners how to fight their bad HOAs and win. 💥 Amazon [https://tinyurl.com/tx47hmvn] | Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/hoa%20hell]  #AB130 #CaliforniaHOA #HOAfines #HOAviolations #HOAlawyer #HOAattorney #DavisStirlingAct #badHOA #HOAHell  🔥 HOA Hell California’s #1 HOA attorney shares real legal tools to help homeowners fight back—and win. 👉 Got an HOA nightmare? Submit your question at HOAHELLpodcast@mbkchapman.com. more about your rights as a homeowner: https://MBKChapman.com 📲 Follow us:  Instagram: @mbkchapmanpc YouTube: HOA Hell (https://www.youtube.com/@HOAHELLpodcastofficial)

    52 min
  6. 25 MARS

    Can an HOA Avoid Liability After Rerouting Plumbing Pipes Through Your Ceiling?

    In this HOA Q&A, HOA attorney Michael Kushner, the pioneer in homeowner-side HOA law in California, addresses a situation where an HOA installs new repipe plumbing that now runs through a homeowner’s ceiling and then claims it will not be responsible for any future water damage.  🎯 What You’ll Learn in This HOA Q&A: ✅ Why an HOA cannot simply declare in advance that it will not be responsible for damage caused by plumbing installed during a community-wide repipe project. ✅ The key legal questions that determine responsibility, including pipe ownership under the CC&Rs, maintenance responsibility, and whether the pipe serves multiple units. ✅ Why redirecting plumbing into areas where pipes did not previously run can create foreseeable risk that the HOA may ultimately be responsible for if those pipes later fail.  When an HOA reroutes plumbing through areas where pipes never previously existed and that decision creates a foreseeable risk of water damage, the association may ultimately bear responsibility if those pipes later fail.  🎧 📞 If you enjoyed this Q&A, please like and subscribe to HOA HELL. Listen on YouTube at @hoahellpodcastofficial or wherever you get your podcasts. To schedule a consultation, visit https://mbkchapman.com/ and mention the HOA HELL discount.  Disclaimer:   This content constitutes attorney advertising. The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast.   This communication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.   About:   Michael Kushner created and taught the systems now used by the biggest law firms in the state focused on HOA litigation. Managing partner of MBK Chapman, and author of the best-selling book, HOA HELL, Kushner teaches homeowners how to fight their bad HOAs and win. 💥 Amazon [https://tinyurl.com/tx47hmvn] | Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/hoa%20hell]  #HOALaw #CaliforniaHOA #BadHOA #HOAhell #DavisStirlingAct #HOARepairs #HOAPropertyDamage #HOAPlumbing #CommonAreaPipes #HOAMaintenanceResponsibility  🔥 HOA Hell California’s #1 HOA attorney shares real legal tools to help homeowners fight back—and win. 👉 Got an HOA nightmare? Submit your question at HOAHELLpodcast@mbkchapman.com. more about your rights as a homeowner: https://MBKChapman.com 📲 Follow us:  Instagram: @mbkchapmanpc YouTube: HOA Hell (https://www.youtube.com/@HOAHELLpodcastofficial)

    2 min
  7. 23 MARS

    California HOA Special Assessments: Why Your Dues Keep Rising and a Huge Bill May Be Coming

    HOA assessments are rising across California, and for many homeowners the financial pressure is getting worse. In this episode, California’s foremost expert and homeowner-side HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, explains why regular dues are steadily increasing across California HOAs, why special assessments are hitting harder than ever, and what California homeowners need to understand this phenomenon.  What You’ll Learn in this episode: ✅ Why more California HOAs than ever before are consistently raising regular dues to the legal limit. ✅ Why more California HOAs than ever before are consistently relying on huge special assessments to fund repairs and replacements. ✅ How some boards use the word “emergency” to avoid the voting process. If you live in a California HOA, this episode gives you a practical framework for understanding what is happening right now across the state.  Links to episodes discussed during the episode:  1. “The Insurance Squeeze: How Rising Premiums Are Reshaping California HOAs” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5HM9MuQQh8&t=64s] 2. “The Consequences of California's Balcony Law” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fryCvZKH7mw&t=588s] 3. “What Every California Homeowner Needs to Know About HOA Reserve Funds (Part 1)” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnG9UAv9LbY&t=581s] 4. “What Every California Homeowner Needs to Know About HOA Reserve Funds (Part 2)” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu5QGHAsDrY&t=1296s] 5. “Emergency or Excuse? How HOAs Use “Safety” to Justify Illegal Emergency Assessments” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb_kDBFC4ZY&t=19s]  6. “California Condo Declared “Unavailable” by Fannie Mae and How HOAs Can Fix the Problem” [https://mbkchapman.com/california-condo-fannie-mae-unavailable-fact-sheet/]  To schedule a consultation, visit https://mbkchapman.com/ and mention the HOA HELL discount.  DISCLAIMER: This content constitutes attorney advertising. The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast. This communication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.  #HOASpecialAssessments #HOAAssessments #HOADues #CaliforniaHOA #HOAInsurance #ReserveStudies #BalconyLaw #EmergencyAssessment #BadHOA #HOAhell #DavisStirlingAct  🔥 HOA Hell California’s #1 HOA attorney shares real legal tools to help homeowners fight back—and win. 👉 Got an HOA nightmare? Submit your question at HOAHELLpodcast@mbkchapman.com. more about your rights as a homeowner: https://MBKChapman.com 📲 Follow us:  Instagram: @mbkchapmanpc YouTube: HOA Hell (https://www.youtube.com/@HOAHELLpodcastofficial)

    46 min
  8. 20 MARS

    Can an HOA Use Facial Recognition Cameras to Track Residents?

    In this HOA Q&A, HOA attorney, Michael Kushner, the pioneer in homeowner-side HOA law in California, explains why an HOA’s use of facial recognition technology to identify and track residents and guests in common areas raises serious privacy concerns.  🎯 What You’ll Learn in This HOA Q&A: ✅ How ordinary security cameras in common areas are generally allowed in HOA communities. ✅ How facial recognition systems that identify residents and track their movements create a fundamentally different level of surveillance. ✅ Why collecting and storing residents’ biometric data and phone location data through a third-party vendor raises major privacy risks and is almost certainly illegal without unanimous written consent.  When an HOA moves beyond basic security cameras and begins identifying residents, tracking their movements, and storing biometric data for years, that HOA has crossed into a serious dystopian invasion of people’s privacy.  Disclaimer:   🎧 📞 If you enjoyed this Q&A, please like and subscribe to HOA HELL. Listen on YouTube at @hoahellpodcastofficial or wherever you get your podcasts. To schedule a consultation, visit https://mbkchapman.com/ and mention the HOA HELL discount.  Disclaimer:   This content constitutes attorney advertising. The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast.   This communication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.   About:   Michael Kushner created and taught the systems now used by the biggest law firms in the state focused on HOA litigation. Managing partner of MBK Chapman, and author of the best-selling book, HOA HELL, Kushner teaches homeowners how to fight their bad HOAs and win. 💥 Amazon [https://tinyurl.com/tx47hmvn] | Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/hoa%20hell]  #HOALaw #CaliforniaHOA #BadHOA #HOAhell #DavisStirlingAct #HOAPrivacy #HOASurveillance #HOACameras #HOAsurveillance #HOAprivacy #HOAprivacyrights #HOAlawyer 🔥 HOA Hell California’s #1 HOA attorney shares real legal tools to help homeowners fight back—and win. 👉 Got an HOA nightmare? Submit your question at HOAHELLpodcast@mbkchapman.com. more about your rights as a homeowner: https://MBKChapman.com 📲 Follow us:  Instagram: @mbkchapmanpc YouTube: HOA Hell (https://www.youtube.com/@HOAHELLpodcastofficial)

    2 min

Notes et avis

5
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6 notes

À propos

HOA Hell with Michael Kushner is your inside guide to surviving—and winning—against California’s most abusive and overreaching HOAs. Leveraging almost 30 years of experience fighting for HOA members, Michael Kushner gives California homeowners real tools to fight back against abusive boards, outrageous rules, and everyday HOA nonsense. If your HOA is making your life a living Hell, then this podcast is for you. 

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