[skissane]

> I understand why people don't like HOAs. Yes they were born out of racism. I don't think that invalidates the concept.

Other countries have similar concepts to HOAs, often without any particular history of racism behind it.

For example, here in Australia we have "strata corporations", "owners corporations", "strata title", "strata schemes" (different states call it by slightly different names, but they're all the same basic concept). Individually owned lots attached to common property, with a corporate body whose voting members are the lot owners, which controls the common property, and also has the power to charge fees to the lot owners and impose rules on the lot owners (and their tenants). They are most commonly found in apartment buildings, but are also used for housing estates of townhouses / semidetached houses, and even (albeit more rarely) detached houses. When applied to housing estates, they are rather comparable to HOAs in the US. But, as far as I am aware, there is no particular history of racism behind strata schemes in Australia.

[8note]

Did they mainly cater to white settlers?

If so, it's likely a racist institution

[strken]

They date back to 1961 as a legal device to represent ownership of flats in large blocks, and have literally nothing to do with settlers, white or otherwise.