lisitngs with REO's

I would like to get some feed back from fellow realtors about their listings with banks. Not only am I a realtor I happen to be a board member for the subdivision that I live in. Unfortunatley we have had a couple of short sales in the neighborhood.  While dealing with the short sales the borad has chosen not to get to agressive about going after these home owners because quite frankly they don't give a dam, and I know you can't get blood out of a turnip. However we now have a REO property listed with a big company here in town.  I've called the agnet to ask about the banks resposibility to keep up with the guidelines of the CC&R's. You know them...... watering the lawn, cutting the lawn, uprooting the weeds, etc. His responce was that he has brought it to there attention (bank) and they pretty much just laughed at him. My reply was how does the bank think they are going to sell a house when the curb appeal is slowly swirling down the toilet? Doesn't the bank have to abide by the same guidelines as the rest of us? I guess my question is can or does a home owners assocaition have the same legal authority to make them adhere to the rules like the rest of us?