Since the 1987 Texas Supreme Court decision in Inwood North vs. Harris and the 1995 passage of Texas Property Code Chapter 204, Homeowners Associations (HOAs) have filed thousands of legal actions against homeowners in the Houston area, generally with threat of foreclosure, causing many to lose their homes and causing others financial hardship.

This website summarizes research of over 25,000 court filings by HOAs in the Houston area (i.e. Harris County) from 1985 through 2007. The orignal research and analysis covered 1985 through 2001. A second research campaign adds data through 2007. Results from both research efforts are presented here.

THE DATABASES LIST COURT FILINGS THAT COULD LEAD TO FORECLOSURE.   THESE DO NOT LIST ACTUAL FORECLOSURE SALES.

The databases are limited by the research techniques (see below), so the actual number of filings may be understated. For example, approximately 4,000 additional filings of type "injunction" are not included. Because of the difficulty involved in tracking certain cases, the database contains very few foreclosure cases from the Justice of the Peace courts and no nonjudicial foreclosure cases. There are indications from a fee-based database that Harris County nonjudicial cases may outnumber judicial foreclosure cases.

Data is gathered from Harris County databases available on the Internet, from Harris County District Court records, and a few cases from the Daily Court Review (a newspaper that prints legal notices and events). Approximately 780,000 records were reviewed. [See data flow diagram.]

The researchers collecting and analyzing this data are unpaid and are doing this work simply to inform the public. The researchers strive to accurately include only HOA foreclosure-related actions, however, visitors to this site are cautioned that there may be occasional mistakes. It is often difficult to determine whether an HOA filing is for non-payment of dues, for expenses related to deed restriction enforcement, or for some other action. In the end, the best sources of information are the official court papers and records.