Homeowner's Associations

Unfortunately every time a new Board is installed, there's new items that they choose to focus on. Each time the board turned over, I would get a letter about my satellite dish installation. They didn't like where one of the wires was located. I had it fixed, then I asked for a letter to be put in my file stating that the matter was closed and that no further action from the mangement company, or any future Board of Directors, would take place.

 

If you were moving into a condo/townhome governed by a Homeowner's Association your realtor is an asshat if he/she didn't encourage you to review the rules and bylaws before you put in a bid. Prior to moving into one of those associations you should make sure you can live by the rules.
Your closing agent (lawyer) is also an asshat if he/she didn't make sure you recevied a copy of the bylaws and governing documents at the closing.

 

Unfortunately, that last bit isn't always true. You can't trust these people to have fairness or the common good at heart. You have to be ready for board members who are only out for themselves. I've dealt with two such dirtbags for four years. As I mentioned, that ended up with my wife and I having to get a lawyer.

 

So OOP, you retained a lawyer to sue yourself?

The lawyer thing always gives me a chuckle, because homeowners who pursue legal action often don't realize that they're actually suing themselves!

And I've yet to see anyone win.

 

It'll be a cold day in hell that I ever live somewhere that the neighbors can tell me what I can and can't do with MY property.

I'd like to tell town zoning boards where to stick it, too, but that's just not practical.

 

I lived in a townhome with an HOA, and my folks now live in a similar situation.

There's only one thing to do if the head is a douchenozzle:

Do some retail politickin', find the nicest old lady in the complex, run her against the dude the next time elections come around, then relax all your bylaws while she's in charge.

That's what my old man is doing. He thought it would be enough to just serve on the board and install a new president after clashing with the old guy. But now he's going to just rewrite the bylaws. It came to that after he put a sign outside for an old buddy of his who is running (unopposed and in a non-partisan election, I might add) for city council. The poor puppet HOA president he had installed got four phone calls the first day it was up from lifeless old coots complaining that the bylaws didn't allow lawn signs.

I had to physically stop him from duct taping the thing to the garage door.

 

actually, rewriting the bylaws is incredibly difficult, and expensive...I know because my HOA is almost through the process. This has to be done by a lawyer because there are local/county/state laws that have to be abided by, not to mention federal discrimination laws that can't be violated. Then, after months of rewriting and discussing, it all has to be voted on by the association members. Then the actual documents have be written up without all the edit marks.

 

Look, in theory, you should WANT to live in a place with a homeowner's association. There's nothing worse than working your ass off to keep your lawn maintained, your trim painted, etc ... to keep your property values up ... and then to have a bunch of rednecks in the neighborhood allow their property to go to shit.

I've lived in places like that, and it's embarrassing. I would be embarrassed to invite people over. "When you get to house, weed-covered pick-up truck on blocks on the front lawn, take a left."

What you want is a good HOA with a little bit of teeth to enforce some moderate rules. That's a good thing.

What you don't want is some HOA run by a neo-Nazi who wants to legislate every little nitpicky thing ("Your trim isn't white. It's off-white. Tsk Tsk").

Like every good thing in life, it goes to shit when people take it too far.

 

I live in an HOA. It's $36 a month, and it's the best $36 a month I spend.

Before this home, I owned a small home in which my neighbor had a truck on cinderblocks with a family of raccoons and rats running in and out of truck...in the front yard.
Of course their there are advantages and disadvantages or every association.

 

Yeah, but that's some good eatin' you gave up there!