A homeowners association (HOA) can be incorporated or unincorporated. It is formed for the purpose of managing a residential development. HOAs are generally associated with developments consisting of single family homes (SFH) on individual lots. The homes can either be detached, stand alone structures or they can be townhomes. In the Davis-Stirling Act, it falls under the category of Planned Unit Developments.

Although the term "HOA" is associated with single family homes, it is sometimes used generically to refer to all forms of residential associations. There are many variations in the spelling of the term. It is sometimes used in the singular "homeowner association." Some practitioners will break it into three words, i.e., home owners association. Some will make it singular possessive "homeowner's" while other use the plural possessive "homeowners' association." The most common usage seems to be the non-possessive plural "homeowners" association.

There is a distinction between homeowners associations (HOAs) and property owners associations (POAs).