Do Americans have security at the gates kwanza? not unless they are billionaires. Their taxes should take care of those common areas like parks roads and the street lights
About 11% of Americans live in gated communities and pay for services within the gated community.
Let's take a look at the full picture of an HOA in the US
What Is a Homeowners Association?
A homeowners association is a membership organization run by a board of directors–usually neighborhood volunteers–that regulates and manages a building, set of attached homes or a single-family neighborhood.
The HOA will set regulations governing a variety of issues, and assess HOA fees–to be paid annually, quarterly or monthly, and sometimes through special assessment–that go toward the upkeep of a neighborhood.
In many cases, an HOA is started by a real estate developer, and the company might hire a community association manager to assist the board in its duties.
HOA fees often range from $200 to $400 per month. The more upscale the building and the more amenities it has, the higher the homeowners' association fees are likely to be. In addition to monthly fees, if a major expense such as a new roof or a new elevator comes up and there aren't enough funds in the HOA's reserves to pay for it, the association may charge an extra assessment that can run into thousands of dollars.
Because multiple parties live in the same building or complex, all residents of condominiums and townhomes must be equally responsible for maintaining the common areas such as landscaping, elevators, swimming pools, clubhouses, parking garages, fitness rooms, sidewalks, security gates, roofing and building exteriors. Many of these types of common areas, such as pools and tennis courts, also exist in subdivisions of single family homes. Regardless of whether the HOA governs a building, such as a condo or townhome structure, or a neighborhood of individual houses, HOA fees help maintain the quality of life for the community's residents and protect property values for all owners.
In addition to maintaining common areas, HOAs also set out certain rules that all residents must follow called covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs). In a common building, rules may include what color front door you may have, whether you are allowed to line dry your laundry outside, whether you can have a satellite dish, the size and type of pets permitted, and so on. In many ways, these rules are similar to the kinds of rules apartment dwellers must follow.
In a subdivision with individual homes, regulations may include what color you can paint your home, the exterior landscaping you can do, the types of vehicles you can park on the street or in your driveway (no RVs, for example), permissible type and height of fences, and restrictions on window coverings for windows facing the street. If you want to do anything that differs from these rules, you will have to convince the HOA to grant you a variance, which is probably unlikely.
No matter where you live, you are likely to be subject to city ordinances and restrictions related to the use of your property. HOAs add yet another layer of restrictions, and because their members are more likely to know what you're up to, the HOA is more likely to enforce the rules. Below, we'll take a look at some of the rules and regulations you need to know about before you decide to join one of these communities.