Does your HOA have a "no soliciting" policy?

[DanceswithDisney]

Our city requires door to door solicitors to get a permit to sell in our city. However, our community has a strict no soliciting policy. The chief of police for our city lives in our hood and has posted on our Facebook page to call 911 and say it is a non-emergency to report any solicitors in the neighborhood.

It does not matter if they have a city permit or not as our hood rules supercede the city policy. Most solicitors do not bother or know about the city rules anyway.

However, there are a couple of neighbors who take a strong view on any soliciting and has called the police on the Ice Cream van as well as girl scouts on his street and school fundraising kids as well. Technically she is right, but I think a little extreme. Her argument is that soliciting is soliciting and should apply to everyone.

The cops do come out and tell people to leave and will fine repeat offenders. I have wanted to call on the religious solicitors because they are selling something too, but have been told they as well as politicians are exempt for some reason.

What goes in your hood with your HOA? Is there a no soliciting rule in your hood?

 

[pryncess527]

No, but this is now the top reason I can think of to live in a place with an HOA. I'm generally very resistant to the idea, and in reality can not fathom buying a house subject to HOA regulations, but a no soliciting rule is the kind of thing that would start to sway me!

I can appreciate the neighbors desire that the rule be applied equally. They are right that it's "not fair" to allow Girl Scout cookies but not allow gutter salesman. But I also can't imagine reporting a Girl Scout . . .

 

[RitaE]

Call 911?

Isn't there a non-Emergency police number available?

 

[cabanafrau]

I don't live in the hood.

 

[DanceswithDisney]

Call 911?

Isn't there a non-Emergency police number available?

we use 911 for everything here. There is not a separate non emergency line into the dispatcher for the county where all calls are answered.

 

[tvguy]

we use 911 for everything here. There is not a separate non emergency line into the dispatcher for the county where all calls are answered.

Yeah, that would be 9-1-1 abuse here, but there IS a non-emergency number. However, police would never respond to a violation of an HOA rule, that's considered a civil matter, not criminal.

 

[DanceswithDisney]

Remember you have to have a permit to solicit in this city so they can be called.

 

[littleblackegg]

Last time I wore the green it was perfectly ok to just say, "No thank you." I can't remember anyone hiding behind the curtains calling the police. "She's got Samoas in that red wagon, Joe! Cover me and call for back up!"

 

[Colleen27]

I don't live in a HOA personally, but a lot of the ones around me draw the line at "commercial" soliciting... They still allow Girl Scout cookies and Cub Scout popcorn, but no businesses trying to sell door to door. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Not having the door-to-door Jesus salesmen pestering me has always been one of the few attractions I can see in living in a HOA community so if they're still allowed on the grounds that they're not commercial enterprises I kind of wonder what the point of the rule is.

At least they don't get the creepy meat people, I guess.

 

[CdnCarrie]

No such thing as an HOA in our city. Actually I don't think there are many in Canada. More of an American thing.

Kind of extreme to be calling the cops on children. I wouldn't want to live somewhere that did that.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I don't live in a HOA personally, but a lot of the ones around me draw the line at "commercial" soliciting... They still allow Girl Scout cookies and Cub Scout popcorn, but no businesses trying to sell door to door. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Not having the door-to-door Jesus salesmen pestering me has always been one of the few attractions I can see in living in a HOA community so if they're still allowed on the grounds that they're not commercial enterprises I kind of wonder what the point of the rule is.

At least they don't get the creepy meat people, I guess.

Religious door knockers are exempt by supreme court decision.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

No such thing as an HOA in our city. Actually I don't think there are many in Canada. More of an American thing.

Kind of extreme to be calling the cops on children. I wouldn't want to live somewhere that did that.

Welcome to the Good ole US of A. GIT OFF MY LAWN YOU MEDDLING KIDS!!!!

 

[jrmasm]

There is a sign at the entrance to our neighborhood that says "No Soliciting". Apparently Verizon representatives can't read.

 

[RitaE]

some

I don't live in a HOA personally, but a lot of the ones around me draw the line at "commercial" soliciting... They still allow Girl Scout cookies and Cub Scout popcorn, but no businesses trying to sell door to door. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Not having the door-to-door Jesus salesmen pestering me has always been one of the few attractions I can see in living in a HOA community so if they're still allowed on the grounds that they're not commercial enterprises I kind of wonder what the point of the rule is.

At least they don't get the creepy meat people, I guess.

OMG what is up with the meat selling people?

I had three different meat sellers last month. Why do unwashed strangers with those big round things in their ears think I would want to buy meat of unknown origins off the back of a truck?

 

[nkereina]

I live in an HOA and unfortunately, a no soliciting rule does not exist. And even if it did, I doubt it would be enforced. Our HOA bylaws state that we have to park on alternate sides of the street and no overnight parking, no parking boats or RVs in the driveway, etc. Everyone disobeys these rules and no one says anything about it.

 

[nkereina]

duplicate post. sorry!

 

[deedeetoo]

No HOA's around here (I live in MA). In fact when those house hunting shows started being shown we had to look up what HOA was because we had never heard of it before.

I personally wouldn't want to live somewhere that had so many rules.

 

[piccolopat]

I'm really surprised that the city police would respond to a call to enforce HOA rules. If soliciting is not illegal, why wouldn't the HOA have their own security take care of enforcing their rules? The person is not breaking any laws.

 

[DanceswithDisney]

Soliciting without a permit is illegal in our small town and most do not have a permit. Calling the cops gets them to leave. A group of "bible" sellers were casing houses to rob recently in our hood.

 

[barkley]

it wasn't an hoa rule but all soliciting w/o a permit was illegal where we used to live-and that included scouts and school groups (so neither the troups or the schools sold door to door w/in the city limits-the local walmart let them set up outside). we were told that if someone came to door to ask to see their permit and if they said they didn't have one to decline purchasing, close the door and call the local non emergency number for the pd to report and give a description of the person. the pd would send someone out to the neighborhood and when they saw the solicitor would handle matters.

some might feel it was extreme but there was an issue in the area with these weird traveling youth crews who would drop off kids selling magazines and whatnot-the police wanted to be aware because of concerns of under aged kids being abused and exploited.