I don't live in the US, but you guys post HOA horror stories frequently enough. How many times have we heard "I go the HOA that way, so they stuck it to me here, and here, and here". Maybe that's a bear not worth poking.
Not sure why people complain about HOAs when they bought the house knowing full well what they were in for. I had to agree to the HOA rules well before I bought the house.
Ah, the old fallacy of choice, usually heard as “you can choose to work somewhere else”. If most homes are under a HOA and they all have similar policies, complaining is well justified.
Myself I don't like any of the HOA rulesets so I avoid them It's never been a hindrance to me. It's largely not a fallacy of choice here.
Ah, selective enforcement. We know why that's a bad idea when the cops do it, but when the HOA does it it's all good.
Not sure why people complain about HOAs when they bought the house knowing full well what they were in for.
HOA's are like Wikipedia admins, perhaps well-meaning, definitely with an agenda, and 100 % unaware of best practice. Back then, we had civil servants upholding city code. Nowadays we have HOA's where they won't hesitate to fine you for the wrong shade of paint and will do jack shit about the neighbour who breeds mosquitoes in his flowerpot dishes. (For those who don't know, standing water rich in organic materials is mosquito paradise.)
Maybe to some people, but when we were last buying a property, one of the places we put an offer on had a rule that you weren't allowed to hang clothes to dry on your balcony.
We did make an offer, but that rule made me a lot less interested in putting in a generous offer.
Only the law fines me (EU), not some randos making up their rules. As this part of hoa's is part of the horror stories, what happens if you do indeed tell them to shove it, and dont pay?
It's the same kind of "fine" that video rental stores used to have if you didn't return the movie on time.
In the UK I’m sure the local concils have their own rules and function similar to an HOA. There is a historic district in my city that is “controlled” by the historic society and city.
I live in an upper middle class neighborhood in the suburbs of a major US Midwestern city. The community is diverse and split evenly between families with young kids and retirees. We pay $500 / year in fees, which goes toward holiday decorations and minor block party events, and a management company that mainly enforces code such as keeping lawns weed and pest free.
My neighbors on both sides each had major weed control issues that were spreading to my lawn and garden, resulting in about twice the weeding effort on my part, but eventually the HOA kicked in and they both developed a sudden interest in lawn care and hired local companies to do the basics. We also started sharing with our neighbors extra bulbs that our garden produces anyway, now that our neighbors and their gardens became receptive.
We have had a couple notices from the HOA about code items ourselves, and it was stuff that we were going to fix anyway that the HOA noticed. They were cordial about it and thanked us for letting them know we were in front of it. There were no threats or fines, except what is implicit in the bylaws.
The main bylaws are cosmetic, things like keeping paint, mailboxes, and trim in shape. We have made several requests, just a one page letter, for accommodations to the HOA and they have approved each one.
The board of the HOA are just other neighbors down the street, and I am very grateful to them donating their time and effort unpaid to keep order in the neighborhood. Property sells very quickly and several of our friends have complimented us on our neighborhood when they visit.
This was our first HOA experience, and I was skittish about entering into it but cannot think of any complaint. I find it very effective.
There have been houses in the neighborhood that have been neglected to the point of becoming unlivable and it is great to have a framework to recover them and fill them with happy families that we can befriend, up to and including seizing the property if it ever came to that, but to my knowledge it never has and hopefully never will.
This varies HOA to HOA. Mine has one-page bylaws mostly dealing with outdoor parking rules and not putting explosives in places.
Right now, the other owners have lockboxes attached to an area on the gate and they give out the code to the short term rentals.
The board of the HOA refuses to switch the lock. Reasons have been all over the map, but one of the dumbest ones was that they were afraid the codes would get leaked out and that the other full time persons stalker would get into the building.
As an engineer, the simple logic baffles. I kindly pointed out that a code on the gate is no different than a code on the lockbox attached to the gate. Never mind that the building isn't secure at all... it is super easy to just climb the fence to get onto the property. Or her stalker could just wait till she opens the gate.
I've now had two deliveries stolen because they were left at the front gate for 10 minutes. They still refuse.
The 'horror' stories aren't really horror. It is just having to deal with people who you would never have to deal with under normal circumstances. I'd say this goes with owning any property in a city... you don't pick your neighbors.
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