Federal Agencies With Oversight Over HOAs
No single federal agency regulates homeowners associations, but several enforce the federal laws that reach an HOA's conduct — fair housing, disability rights, and debt collection. Here's who does what, and where to file a complaint.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD is responsible for enforcing the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings — and in other housing-related transactions — because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability.
- Joint Statement of HUD and the Dept. of Justice — Reasonable Accommodations under the Fair Housing Act (2004)
- Joint Statement of HUD and the Dept. of Justice — Reasonable Modifications under the Fair Housing Act (2008)
- Assessing a Person's Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act (2020)
- Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities: Testing Guidance for Practitioners (2005)
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division enforces civil rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to government programs and services.
- Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA — a guide to the ADA's service-animal provisions.
- ADA Requirements: Service Animals — clarifies and refines service-animal rules under the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design.
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces consumer-protection laws, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices when attempting to collect a debt. The FTC shares FDCPA enforcement authority with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and can bring actions against collectors — including those pursuing unpaid HOA assessments — under the FTC Act's ban on unfair or deceptive practices.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) enforces federal consumer financial laws, including the FDCPA and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Homeowners can submit a complaint about a debt collector directly through the CFPB's online complaint system.