Whoever subjects themselves to living with an HOA needs their heads examined.
HOA forecloses on Navy veteran due to US flag
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Overall, we have a pretty good neighborhood here. The next door folks on the "other side" are the absolute BEST neighbors we've ever had. Every now and then, they'll have a birthday party or some other shindig next door. They have my open permission to park overflow in my driveway or on the "greenbelt" between our two driveways. The elderly vet still comes over to make sure its all OK, but I know that who ever owns the car will move it if I need to get out - I think that's only happened once.
Said neighbor "just happens to be black" - and we've had QUITE the education about what he refers to as "black folk food". I don't know what half of it is, but it sure is good! We went to his son's wedding, and I'll tell ya, the eats were fantastic and the ceremony itself was the most touching I've ever seen - and I've seen lots of them in my time. We have each other over for dinner fairly frequently. He knows I love me some southern fried catfish!
Said neighbor "just happens to be black" - and we've had QUITE the education about what he refers to as "black folk food". I don't know what half of it is, but it sure is good! We went to his son's wedding, and I'll tell ya, the eats were fantastic and the ceremony itself was the most touching I've ever seen - and I've seen lots of them in my time. We have each other over for dinner fairly frequently. He knows I love me some southern fried catfish!
SaharaBound
TJ Enthusiast
The first week I moved into my apartment my upstairs neighbor was making a hella a lot of noise so I gave two bangs on the ceiling. Three days later I get a letter from HOA warning me of my aggressive behavior. I went up stairs knocked on their door and small little guy answers the door. I asked him what is the only reason why someone would bang on the ceiling? He through his wife right under the bus and said he didn’t know anything about it. They stopped making noise,avoided me, and just moved out. 
Planing on buying a house this winter, definitely going to find one without an HOA
Planing on buying a house this winter, definitely going to find one without an HOA
I would have completely "gone off" on somebody if I got something like that. You wanna see aggressive behavior? I'll give you aggressive behavior! That is all too close to the situation I had with the HOA I lived in where the idiot property manager told me to "not escalate" the bad situation. I informed her - among other things - that "escalation" is how I get things done.
I don't suffer fools well...
Not signing up to read the article.
From what I gather they're trying to stick him with legal fees. For what? All that happened was letters back and forth. If they paid some lawyer $6k to read them how is that his problem?
Anyway, reason #5467 why I'll never live in a HOA. The board is ALWAYS run by a bunch of Karens.
From what I gather they're trying to stick him with legal fees. For what? All that happened was letters back and forth. If they paid some lawyer $6k to read them how is that his problem?
Anyway, reason #5467 why I'll never live in a HOA. The board is ALWAYS run by a bunch of Karens.
Yeah most are big pussies that can’t have an adult conversation.
I had to get elected president of mine to make things settle down.
Never again!
OP
FYI on reading articles usually an incognito or on iPhone a private webpage lets you read the articles.
Which is why it is important to go to the board meetings. Ive gone to every one. The last time a quorum was reached I am told was in 2004. Our community went from somewhere around $50k in debt from unpaid HOA dues, fines and a shitty president/board to now less than $1k with a new president and a great board who is willing to work with everyone. We're strict, but our community looks damn nice and we have money to throw several community events each year.
Funny thing about my HOA is when they elect a new president, they ramp up the patrols, new regime, blah blah.. then it all dies down until the next election.
Biggest beef I had with mine was they kept sending me letters (3 total) threatening legal action unless I remove my "non-moving vehicle" from my driveway. It was a perfectly running 63 Ford F100 that looked like shit. Probably 5 different colors not including the bondo and primer all over it. I would drive it to the store in the evenings but otherwise just sat in my driveway. Guess if it's not moving when the nazis come around, it's a non-moving vehicle. Anyway I come home one evening and saw chalk marks on the tires. I called the HOA along with a hockey buddy (attorney) and asked them about tresspassing and defacing my property... I basically got left alone since. But still hate them.
Biggest beef I had with mine was they kept sending me letters (3 total) threatening legal action unless I remove my "non-moving vehicle" from my driveway. It was a perfectly running 63 Ford F100 that looked like shit. Probably 5 different colors not including the bondo and primer all over it. I would drive it to the store in the evenings but otherwise just sat in my driveway. Guess if it's not moving when the nazis come around, it's a non-moving vehicle. Anyway I come home one evening and saw chalk marks on the tires. I called the HOA along with a hockey buddy (attorney) and asked them about tresspassing and defacing my property... I basically got left alone since. But still hate them.
So true... I'm on my board. 8 or 9 years ago, a handful of us decided to run for the board in order to step in and stop the nonsense that was going on under the leadership at the time. The management company was incompetent; they didn't hold anyone to the CCR's and when they did, they couldn't get it right. The board itself was also a disaster, with no critical thinking skills nor acumen for financial management; they wouldn't spend money on standard preventative maintenance items, didn't manage funds well and took us down an ugly financial path. We, too have done a complete 180 and are now financially strong and on a good path with a beautiful, well-kept community.
Having a properly-functioning group of people on the board is critical, as is a competent management company. In many cases, CCRs (the governing documents) were written long ago in a different environment (+25 years ago in our case) and many are poorly written at that. Boards need to be able to navigate knowing what to enforce and to what degree in order to find a balance that preserves the property's value and appeal while also not doing stupid stuff like what sounds like happened in the article. There are actually laws in AZ that dictate what an HOA can and can't pursue homeowners for. If this scenario were in AZ, the HOA couldn't legally foreclose on someone for fines (not that a well-run board would want to let it get to that point in the first place). Doesn't mean poorly run HOAs don't still try go down that road, but eventually, they hit the legal barriers - and typically get some really ugly press like this along the way.
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My neighborhood is sort of in between. We have a civic association and some covenants, but dues are voluntary and it's pretty low key. The main things they enforce are trash cans and trailers/boats/RVs have to be behind a 6' fence. Also no livestock, which makes some people mad because they want a chicken coop.
There's another covenant about not parking work trucks in the neighborhood, which they don't enforce at all. Sometimes I don't care (we have contractors that park their pickups/vans with company logos in their driveways, which is fine), but other times it sucks (like the junk hauler guy with his giant trailer of trash that he keeps in front of his house or in another spot in the neighborhood, or the guy that parks his semi truck on the street by his house and blocks a good chunk of road).
Fortunately my neighbors are cool and don't complain when I have my Jeep or other vehicles on jackstands in the driveway for a while.
There's another covenant about not parking work trucks in the neighborhood, which they don't enforce at all. Sometimes I don't care (we have contractors that park their pickups/vans with company logos in their driveways, which is fine), but other times it sucks (like the junk hauler guy with his giant trailer of trash that he keeps in front of his house or in another spot in the neighborhood, or the guy that parks his semi truck on the street by his house and blocks a good chunk of road).
Fortunately my neighbors are cool and don't complain when I have my Jeep or other vehicles on jackstands in the driveway for a while.
Funny how some people believe nice neighborhoods cant/dont exist without HOAs in place.
If they haven’t lived in anything but a HOA, they have no frame of reference.
But I always view them like the government. It’s the perception of having the rules and enforcement to back the rules that gives people a sense of security.
In the end, you pay fees (taxes) and get a elected board (government) that has the power to financially screw you over if you don’t follow the rules (IRS).
I’m only half joking but that is how I view the HOA’s.
Which is why I don't want anything to do with an HOA - governments are inherently evil. A completely necessary evil, but evil nontheless. Why would I subject myself to yet another "government", esp. one that is actually completely un-necessary?