HOA = Pain in the Patootie

[Melora]

OK..... just need alittle venting time.

We live in a gated community that has a very strict Home Owners Association.We knew it when we moved in, but at the time we were looking at houses, inventory was SO low we felt lucky to find anything that met our needs so we overlooked this "inconvenience". (Dues, adhereing to sometimes ridiculous policies etc)

We are basically compliant and quiet people and after getting 2 "reminders" that we can't leave our car parked on the street overnight we have not done anything "wrong". (They say after 3 "reminders" ~parking ticket looking thingys they leave on your car~ they suspend your parking privledges.... I have yet to figure out where you are suspended from.. your own house? At least we didnt have to find out.)

So fast forward to today. In the mail we get an offical looking notice that says that a member of the board (probably the guy who lives a few doors down from us) has noticed we did not put our trash cans away in a timely manner the last trash day. They would appreciate that we comply with the rules (insert official jargon and paragraph and item number here).

After looking completely flabbergasted, Jeff reminded me that last thursday (trash pick up day) he had brought the cans in from the street after pick up and left them overnight (until Friday afternoon) in front of the garage. We were having trouble with a drip system on that side of the house and he left them out until he fixed the probem.

OH I was just boiling..... It wouldnt be such a big deal I guess if this dang HOA didnt selectively chose who can break the rules and who can't.

The neighbors a few months back were moving out and somehow got a permit to leave this HUGE GIGANTIC moving truck on the street for 3 days!!!! We tried to get a permit for something similiar (except a much smaller truck)and were told NO WAY.

Then we tried to get a permit to have my mothers help park on the street overnight for one night because there was no other place for her to keep her car and we were told it would be difficult to do and would take a few weeks to approve... only to find another nieghbor said they get overnight parking permits just by asking at the guard gate... GRRRRRRRRR

Myabe when we are here longer we will get privledges too but right now it just irritates me.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I feel your pain Melora,

I too live in a subdivision with a lovely HOA I swear sometimes I feel like they are the Gestappo and I am living in Nazi Germany.

 

[sorcerormickey]

OY! The sub we are building in has a HOA. I've looked over the HOA info packet, and thankfully it doesn't seem as harsh as yours Melora.

But, just out of curiosity - what do they do if you do not follow their rules about something?

 

[cynsaun]

I'm sorry to hear that your HOA is so out of control (or maybe they want too much control!) The basic idea behind HOAs is a good one (we have one in our neighborhood), but they need to enforce the glaring issues, not the nit-picky ones!

For example we live in a neighborhood with homes of approx. 1 acres homesites. We have no curbs, so one of our "newest" neighbors has taken to parking ON THE GRASS!!! In this instance I can see the point of a HOA, but not because you don't put your garbage cans away pronto!

 

[Microcell]

My sister has to run house colors by the HOA (which might actually be a good thing in her case) but as far as I can tell her choices are three variations of Beige!

 

[Melora]

Originally posted by sorcerormickey
OY! The sub we are building in has a HOA. I've looked over the HOA info packet, and thankfully it doesn't seem as harsh as yours Melora.

But, just out of curiosity - what do they do if you do not follow their rules about something?

You know, I asked Jeff that.. I said what if I don't FEEL like taking in my garbage cans in a timely manner?? What are they going to do make me move?

And Jeff said that yes in some cases if you violate the rules enough (I guess *enough* is a relative term) they can sue you for not following the contract that we signed.

Its not that I would ever do anything on purpose to violate the rules, its just that when something like this happens you feel like a little kid and all ashamed of yourself

Jeff who normally HATES anyone telling him what do, just shrugged his shoulders and said, Well I guess I better not leave them out next time. **SIGH**

Jeff says be thankful they havent said anything about Emilys room painted orange with the blue curtains you can see from the street....

 

[Pin Wizard]

That's ridiculous! You pay the same fees everyone else does as well as your rent/mortgage. And ask for a parking pass at the gate.

The pres of the association visited me last week. Ha! I had my garbage can outside...where it belongs in my book! I was told I can't keep it outside. It has to be in the sunroom or in the closet in the sunroom. I told him I grew up with garbage cans outside...and that's where they belong! He said he knows, but I had to move it in. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. He said just don't put anything too stinky in there.

 

[Disney Doll]

Never liked those little planned communities with HOAs. A little too "Stepford Wives" for my taste!

We got new neighbors a few years ago whjo moved in after living in a condo complex for liek 25 years. Theyw ree also the Presdient/VP of the HOA. Well,when they moved onto our "regular" street (no planned community, no development...just aplain town street), they decided they were going to continue to act like the HOA Pres/VP, and start telling the more established neighbors what to do, how they should care for their property, they didn't like visiting cars parked on the street etc.

Needless to say, the first time they called me, I told them where to go real fast!

 

[ckmommy]

I think all of the neighborhoods where we live have some sort of HOA. I truely think that sometimes it is just someone who thinks they have tons of power trying to rule the neighborhood.
Back a few years ago, an elderly lady was placed in a hospital. She had no family or close friends in the area. Due to an unkept lawn etc. her HOA forclosed (took over) her house, put it up for auction and sold it!! I know there was some sort of legal battle, and she got her home back, but case and point--some HOA's are crazy!!!

 

[ChristmasElf]

Welcome to the same kind of life we have here in Florida! God forbid if you have your trash cans at the curb 30 seconds early, and then not be standing there when the trash comes so you can run back to put them away.
Our neighbor across the street once had the "inspector" drive by, get out of her car, and measure her fence because it was thought to be 1 and a half INCHES too high! They also had to repaint their house later in the year as it was determined the trim was 2 shades darker than thought.
Needless to say, we have moved out of Hunters Creek and into another area of Orlando where we also have a HOA. except they are not so nuerotic.

 

[mudnuri]

WOW! Im glad to be in vermont! No HOA's around here!

Were' in a development, 1/2 acre plots, ranches, or raised ranches here..all the same, just different colors.

We park on our lawn, driveway or street out front...in the winter, I snowblow a road around the back of my house for fire wood, my K5 blazer is parked on the side lawn and my car is parked right in front of my door on my front lawn..DHs truck is in the driveway..(2 car driveway, but need room to get the tractor around in the snow etc..)

I can see me NEVER moving to an HOA!

Brandy

 

[HollyJoy]

Unbelievable!! We do have a HOA, but our neighborhood is 30 plus years old, and really, nothing is enforced. Thank Goodness! That would drive me nuts about the trashcans! Jeez.

 

[ZachnElli]

You are scaring me! We are moving and I just asked my dh about our covenants and it's a phone book! Yikes! LOL!

 

[missypie]

As a real estate lawyer who drafts and enforces HOA documents, here are some comments:

1. HOAs in Houston ARE crazy because Houston has no zoning, so you have a bunch of volunteers doing the work that city officials should be doing.

2. The little old lady in Houston got LOTS of certified letters, which she ignored. IF YOU EVER GET A CERTIFIED LETTER, SIGN FOR IT AND DON'T IGNORE IT. If delivery is attempted, you are charged with notice of the contents of the letter, even if you decline delivery or don't open the letter. Because of the old lady, however, Texas law was changed to make it difficult for HOAs to foreclose.

3. NEVER ignore fines or tickets from the HOA. If they take you to court and win, you will be liable for their attorneys' fees. I've read about cases where the issue was something like the color of trim paint on the house and the HOA won after years of litigation and the homeowner was presented with the HOA's attorney's bill for $50,000.

4. If the idea of someone telling you what color you can paint your trim, or when to replace dead bushes, or when or where to put your trash cans really irritates you, don't buy property in an HOA.

5. If your HOA is unfair and/or out of control, get yourself and a few of your rational friends elected to the board. Most people would hate to serve on the board, so you get the super controlling/rule Nazis dominating HOA boards.

6. As painful as it may be, read the HOA documents BEFORE you buy the house, or hire a lawyer to do it for you. A man once called me who had bought his house specifically because it had a huge back yard, which he was going to pave and use as a parking lot for his motor home. The HOA told him he couldn't do it; the documents were crystal clear that he couldn't do it. If had read the documents in advance, he would have never bought that home.

 

[Melora]

Youre very right missypie... which is why we grin and bear it.. (well I wasnt grinning yesterday but you know what I mean!)

I do like that the neighborhood is clean and I dont have to worry about things getting out of hand (like someone painting a house all black like they did in my friends old nieghborhood.. EWWwwww it was terrible!!!!)

But to be honest one day I want a house that no one can tell me what to do!

It does remind me sometimes of that XFiles episode where Sculley and Mulder go to live in a planned development and there is this monster that comes out and kills you if you dont follow the rules...

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Melora..I totally feel your pain. We have had an unending battle with the HOA in our community because of our trashcans. The city says you can place them in a certain place but the HOA says they want them out of view of the community (even though there's nothing in the CC&Rs that states they HAVE to be out of view). We could build a fence around the cans but that's too much work. So we've been placing them where the city says we can place them. I could paper DS's bedroom with all the notices we've gotten about our cans. DH even went so far as to copy the city ordinance that says where you can or cannot place your cans and highlighted the relevant portions, which he then mailed to the HOA. He's called the HOA repeatedly, only to be told it would no longer be a problem, we'd not get any more letters, etc. But we STILL get letters!

TOV

 

[missypie]

Melora, just so you don't feel too disciminated against: One of the biggest, most expensive HOA battles was a few years back when John Travolta wanted to add an air strip/runway to his property. Last I heard he was losing that one...I'm sure he thought he could do whatever he wanted to do!

 

[Pin Wizard]

I had a lovely visit this morning from the secretary of the HOA. Seems she's had a few complaints about the puppy piles not being picked up "immediately." Hmmm...I guess when I take them out at 2 a.m. I should immediately pick it up and walk along the golf course to dispose of it outside so I don't stink up my garbage can and sun room since I cannot have a garbage can outside...while leaving my child alone at that hour so I can do this.

 

[Az Pirates]

I agree HOA's can be a good thing - but some people are just out of control.

A good friend bought very expensive honeycomb shades and hung them in her upstairs bedroom - within a day the HOA pres. was at her door telling her that she could not hang sheets in the window.

She was pretty upset. Sent the guy a copy of the bill showing exactly how much her 'sheets' cost! I sure hope he felt stupid! He did not ever apologize however.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by missypie
As a real estate lawyer who drafts and enforces HOA documents, here are some comments:

IF YOU EVER GET A CERTIFIED LETTER, SIGN FOR IT AND DON'T IGNORE IT. If delivery is attempted, you are charged with notice of the contents of the letter, even if you decline delivery or don't open the letter.

That is insane!