homeowners association

[Vette73]

HOA / Homeowner association horror stories

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Originally posted by: xochi

My dues are 350 per year. They cover community pool, tennis courts, club house, landscaping common areas and entrance and various social activities which are actually quite fun.

Octoberfest/Halloween party coming up WHOOT!

my dues are 350 PER MONTH!

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Semidevil

Originally posted by: amdskip
We have a hoa and so far its been pretty good. $113 a month and that covers mowing the front yards, water, garbage, mowing the large common areas, pool, snow removal, and tennis courts.

wait, so they actually mow your yard for you??

see, in my neighborhood, we do not have a common areas(pool, park, tennis courts), so thats why I was a bit confused.

the money is not the problem. If I am paying them to actually do something for me that I can benefit from(short term and long term), then I don't mind at all. It's just that for now, they only mention about decorating the entrance area of our neighborhood, which I really do not give a hoot for.

Oh you'll mind alright once the HOA nazis don't like something you're doing or just have a bone to pick. The other guys are talking about condo/townhouse associations, totally different than a homeowners association.

Is your grass .25" too high? Nasty letter threatening to take your home
Not the right color mailbox? Nasty letter threatening to take your home
Leaves not raked up? Nasty letter threatening to take your home
House numbers not the correct font and size? Nasty letter threatening to take your home

I'm not exaggerating.

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Mine is just a bunch of housewives with nothing better to do than watch Oprah eating bon-bons then bitch, moan, complain and send out nasty letters threatening to take your house from you because your landscaping isn't symmetrical.

Thats a pretty good summary, sounds exactly like mine. Our dues are $70 per month, all we have is a common area - pool that we never use.

Oh and we have a nifty little website + forum so the holes can go online and bitch about each other.

 

[TheSlamma]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Semidevil
do they do anything that actually benifiets you directly?

HOA's dont do anything that benifiets anyone

QFT.. and why I live in Denver and not our Burbs.

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Semidevil

Originally posted by: amdskip
We have a hoa and so far its been pretty good. $113 a month and that covers mowing the front yards, water, garbage, mowing the large common areas, pool, snow removal, and tennis courts.

wait, so they actually mow your yard for you??

see, in my neighborhood, we do not have a common areas(pool, park, tennis courts), so thats why I was a bit confused.

the money is not the problem. If I am paying them to actually do something for me that I can benefit from(short term and long term), then I don't mind at all. It's just that for now, they only mention about decorating the entrance area of our neighborhood, which I really do not give a hoot for.

Oh you'll mind alright once the HOA nazis don't like something you're doing or just have a bone to pick. The other guys are talking about condo/townhouse associations, totally different than a homeowners association.

Is your grass .25" too high? Nasty letter threatening to take your home
Not the right color mailbox? Nasty letter threatening to take your home
Leaves not raked up? Nasty letter threatening to take your home
House numbers not the correct font and size? Nasty letter threatening to take your home

I'm not exaggerating.

you have a crappy HOA.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: spidey07
Mine is just a bunch of housewives with nothing better to do than watch Oprah eating bon-bons then bitch, moan, complain and send out nasty letters threatening to take your house from you because your landscaping isn't symmetrical.

Thats a pretty good summary, sounds exactly like mine. Our dues are $70 per month, all we have is a common area - pool that we never use.

Oh and we have a nifty little website + forum so the holes can go online and bitch about each other.

The president of mine is an unmarried woman in her 40s. My neighboors say she drives by my house everyday, stops for a few minutes to look around and jots something down in a notebook. She doesn't like me very much as I've told her numerous times to, Quote, "Get the fuck off my property right now."

I think it all started with the fireworks incident.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: spidey07
Mine is just a bunch of housewives with nothing better to do than watch Oprah eating bon-bons then bitch, moan, complain and send out nasty letters threatening to take your house from you because your landscaping isn't symmetrical.

Thats a pretty good summary, sounds exactly like mine. Our dues are $70 per month, all we have is a common area - pool that we never use.

Oh and we have a nifty little website + forum so the holes can go online and bitch about each other.

The president of mine is an unmarried woman in her 40s. My neighboors say she drives by my house everyday, stops for a few minutes to look around and jots something down in a notebook. She doesn't like me very much as I've told her numerous times to, Quote, "Get the fuck off my property right now."

I think it all started with the fireworks incident.

Can you start to document her "harrassment" and get a restraining order?

 

[Squisher]

We pay $500/yr. but that takes care of snow removal, street maintenance, street lighting, landscaping the commons areas, and the ongoing lawsuits against the builder/developer.

They have actually been trying to recruit me to head up the organization of the lawsuit, because I've brought up issues that people need to be aware of regarding poor/out-of-date workmanship in our houses' construction. Most in the sub seem to be people that don't know what end of a screwdriver to use.

 

[Descartes]

I pay ~$150/mo for ours. This covers:

1) All landscaping around the community. This includes a several acre wooded park with walking trails, gazebo area, etc.
2) Landscaping on our property (mowing, flowers, etc.).
3) Several gates. Our home has a private gate that's maintained.

There's more to it, but that's the bulk of it. I still think $150/mo is high, but I like not having to deal with my yard. I also like knowing that other houses in the community will always look nice as well.

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
HOA / Homeowner association horror stories

id go on a killing rampage if someone tried to take my home from me like that!

well...not really. but you get the idea

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: spidey07
Mine is just a bunch of housewives with nothing better to do than watch Oprah eating bon-bons then bitch, moan, complain and send out nasty letters threatening to take your house from you because your landscaping isn't symmetrical.

Thats a pretty good summary, sounds exactly like mine. Our dues are $70 per month, all we have is a common area - pool that we never use.

Oh and we have a nifty little website + forum so the holes can go online and bitch about each other.

The president of mine is an unmarried woman in her 40s. My neighboors say she drives by my house everyday, stops for a few minutes to look around and jots something down in a notebook. She doesn't like me very much as I've told her numerous times to, Quote, "Get the fuck off my property right now."

I think it all started with the fireworks incident.

You sound like my Dad and the battle he had with the HOA president at the townhouse we lived in when I was in high school. I do believe he told the guy to "Get the fuck off my porch" at one point.

 

[BillGates]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: BillGates
There is one in our neighborhood but I don't think we have to pay to be in it - I never pay attention to the mailings. Supposedly there is a rule in our neighborhood that fences aren't allowed - what would happen if I decided I wanted to build one? We never signed any form about this type of thing when we closed on the house last year... What would happen?

they would bitch and complain

you would tell them to go fuck themselfs and build your fence

They then sue him in court and most liekly win. He then has a lein put on house for fines, court cost, lawyers fees, HOA fees, etc... and then they, HOA, sell house fro what is owed to a "private party" and he has nothing to show.


Most states give HOAs powers that even most goveremnts don;t have.

If you value you life fight tooth and nail to keep HOAs out of your area.

if he isnt in the HOA and never agreed to it they cant do shit

If the HOA was setup before he bought his house then it would still be covered. Trust me I have read about a lot of cases like that of people buying but not getting proper notice(this may also depend on if the state has a law that cobvers this issue). He could go after the people that sold him the house and did not tell but I am sure they don't have the funds to cover what the HOA would do to him or would not be liable since he now knows of a HOA and did not file against them.

Here is soemthing I found real quick...

MUST BUYER BE INFORMED ABOUT HOMEOWNER'S ASSOCIATION?

DEAR BOB: If I was not informed when I bought my house that a homeowner's association existed for that subdivision, do I have to follow their rules and regulations? --Gary G.

DEAR GARY: Presuming the homeowner association (HOA) documentation was properly recorded when the subdivision was developed, all subsequent homeowners are subject to the CC&Rs (covenants, conditions, and restrictions) of the HOA.

Even if you were not told about the HOA, or the CC&Rs were not mentioned in your deed, if they were properly recorded they are binding on future owners. For full details, please consult a local real estate attorney.

Sorry to say he probable in a HOA and does not even know it. If he goes to court not only will he probable lose the case. He will also have to pay late fees, lawyers fees, HOA fees, etc... Like I said before, a lot of HOAs have more power then most local goverments.

Interesting info - thanks. I was not really planning on putting a fence up but always wondered about it. We're in a subdivision, not a townhouse, so I'm not sure what they do. Nobody pays fees, there are no common public places (pool, clubhouse, etc), no parties. If not for the once-a-year mailing that comes saying "add your name to our list of available babysitters, landscapers, etc" I would have no idea they even existed. And the fence rule was something I heard about from a friend in the neighborhood - never saw anything officially prohibiting it. Not a big deal overall - sounds like it's best to just remain anonymous.

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: spidey07
Mine is just a bunch of housewives with nothing better to do than watch Oprah eating bon-bons then bitch, moan, complain and send out nasty letters threatening to take your house from you because your landscaping isn't symmetrical.

Thats a pretty good summary, sounds exactly like mine. Our dues are $70 per month, all we have is a common area - pool that we never use.

Oh and we have a nifty little website + forum so the holes can go online and bitch about each other.

The president of mine is an unmarried woman in her 40s. My neighboors say she drives by my house everyday, stops for a few minutes to look around and jots something down in a notebook. She doesn't like me very much as I've told her numerous times to, Quote, "Get the fuck off my property right now."

I think it all started with the fireworks incident.

Shit, I had to check to make sure you weren't my neighbor. Ours is exactly the same. She drives around in her Yukon every day making notes about everyones property.

We also have this other rule about newspapers. You cannot have more than 2 papers in your driveway at a time or you will get fined. Problem is, in our community you get 2 papers per day for free, even if you dont want them.. I tried to cancel the papers, and they told me their delivery people cannot single out houses, they just deliever to everyone.

WTF ?

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: BillGates
There is one in our neighborhood but I don't think we have to pay to be in it - I never pay attention to the mailings. Supposedly there is a rule in our neighborhood that fences aren't allowed - what would happen if I decided I wanted to build one? We never signed any form about this type of thing when we closed on the house last year... What would happen?

they would bitch and complain

you would tell them to go fuck themselfs and build your fence

They then sue him in court and most liekly win. He then has a lein put on house for fines, court cost, lawyers fees, HOA fees, etc... and then they, HOA, sell house fro what is owed to a "private party" and he has nothing to show.


Most states give HOAs powers that even most goveremnts don;t have.

If you value you life fight tooth and nail to keep HOAs out of your area.

if he isnt in the HOA and never agreed to it they cant do shit

Bingo.. he never signed anything saying he was in the HOA. Just because they are in the neighborhood does not mean that you have to sign up and participate. You own the house, you do not belong to the HOA, so any "benefits" they provide should not be received by you and their influence should have no bearing on what you want to do either.

wrong. this happened to my parents. two years after they bought their house a HOA was voted in my parents didn't know at thing about it until he got a letter to move his little 4X8 utility trailer from the driveway and to fork over 120 bucks for the year.

dad researched it and in Texas it is totally legal for a community to vote in by a majority for a HOA and they were SOL.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Kaelyn
Just bought a new home and HOA dues are $150.00 month.

This covers:

Master insurance
Snow removal
Refuse removal
Landscaping
Parking lot maintenance
Occasional upgrades like Storm doors, to be voted upon by association members.

lol! A committee to replace storm doors.

 

[slsmnaz]

Originally posted by: Yreka

We also have this other rule about newspapers. You cannot have more than 2 papers in your driveway at a time or you will get fined. Problem is, in our community you get 2 papers per day for free, even if you dont want them.. I tried to cancel the papers, and they told me their delivery people cannot single out houses, they just deliever to everyone.

WTF ?

I would collect them for a few weeks and drop them on the HOA presidents driveway.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz

Originally posted by: Yreka

We also have this other rule about newspapers. You cannot have more than 2 papers in your driveway at a time or you will get fined. Problem is, in our community you get 2 papers per day for free, even if you dont want them.. I tried to cancel the papers, and they told me their delivery people cannot single out houses, they just deliever to everyone.

WTF ?

I would collect them for a few weeks and drop them on the HOA presidents driveway.

How is this different from Littering?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: BillGates
There is one in our neighborhood but I don't think we have to pay to be in it - I never pay attention to the mailings. Supposedly there is a rule in our neighborhood that fences aren't allowed - what would happen if I decided I wanted to build one? We never signed any form about this type of thing when we closed on the house last year... What would happen?

they would bitch and complain

you would tell them to go fuck themselfs and build your fence

They then sue him in court and most liekly win. He then has a lein put on house for fines, court cost, lawyers fees, HOA fees, etc... and then they, HOA, sell house fro what is owed to a "private party" and he has nothing to show.


Most states give HOAs powers that even most goveremnts don;t have.

If you value you life fight tooth and nail to keep HOAs out of your area.

if he isnt in the HOA and never agreed to it they cant do shit

Bingo.. he never signed anything saying he was in the HOA. Just because they are in the neighborhood does not mean that you have to sign up and participate. You own the house, you do not belong to the HOA, so any "benefits" they provide should not be received by you and their influence should have no bearing on what you want to do either.

wrong. this happened to my parents. two years after they bought their house a HOA was voted in my parents didn't know at thing about it until he got a letter to move his little 4X8 utility trailer from the driveway and to fork over 120 bucks for the year.

dad researched it and in Texas it is totally legal for a community to vote in by a majority for a HOA and they were SOL.

Yep people don;t know how much power HOAs have until it is to late. Most people that have problems are good people that were probable pro-HOA until the HOA came after them.


Me and my wife sold our HOA house in NC. Rule 1 when looking at house here in N.VA was it had to NOT have a HOA. We looked at some houses but as soon as we found out it was a HOA we cut it from our list.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: BillGates
There is one in our neighborhood but I don't think we have to pay to be in it - I never pay attention to the mailings. Supposedly there is a rule in our neighborhood that fences aren't allowed - what would happen if I decided I wanted to build one? We never signed any form about this type of thing when we closed on the house last year... What would happen?

they would bitch and complain

you would tell them to go fuck themselfs and build your fence

They then sue him in court and most liekly win. He then has a lein put on house for fines, court cost, lawyers fees, HOA fees, etc... and then they, HOA, sell house fro what is owed to a "private party" and he has nothing to show.


Most states give HOAs powers that even most goveremnts don;t have.

If you value you life fight tooth and nail to keep HOAs out of your area.

if he isnt in the HOA and never agreed to it they cant do shit

Bingo.. he never signed anything saying he was in the HOA. Just because they are in the neighborhood does not mean that you have to sign up and participate. You own the house, you do not belong to the HOA, so any "benefits" they provide should not be received by you and their influence should have no bearing on what you want to do either.

wrong. this happened to my parents. two years after they bought their house a HOA was voted in my parents didn't know at thing about it until he got a letter to move his little 4X8 utility trailer from the driveway and to fork over 120 bucks for the year.

dad researched it and in Texas it is totally legal for a community to vote in by a majority for a HOA and they were SOL.

Yep people don;t know how much power HOAs have until it is to late. Most people that have problems are good people that were probable pro-HOA until the HOA came after them.


Me and my wife sold our HOA house in NC. Rule 1 when looking at house here in N.VA was it had to NOT have a HOA. We looked at some houses but as soon as we found out it was a HOA we cut it from our list.

It's brilliant. They formed to make the neighborhood look more martha-stewart and keep property prices up, but the majority of the people I know would never live in a HOA neighborhood.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
HOA / Homeowner association horror stories

nm

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: BillGates
There is one in our neighborhood but I don't think we have to pay to be in it - I never pay attention to the mailings. Supposedly there is a rule in our neighborhood that fences aren't allowed - what would happen if I decided I wanted to build one? We never signed any form about this type of thing when we closed on the house last year... What would happen?

they would bitch and complain

you would tell them to go fuck themselfs and build your fence

They then sue him in court and most liekly win. He then has a lein put on house for fines, court cost, lawyers fees, HOA fees, etc... and then they, HOA, sell house fro what is owed to a "private party" and he has nothing to show.


Most states give HOAs powers that even most goveremnts don;t have.

If you value you life fight tooth and nail to keep HOAs out of your area.

if he isnt in the HOA and never agreed to it they cant do shit

Bingo.. he never signed anything saying he was in the HOA. Just because they are in the neighborhood does not mean that you have to sign up and participate. You own the house, you do not belong to the HOA, so any "benefits" they provide should not be received by you and their influence should have no bearing on what you want to do either.

wrong. this happened to my parents. two years after they bought their house a HOA was voted in my parents didn't know at thing about it until he got a letter to move his little 4X8 utility trailer from the driveway and to fork over 120 bucks for the year.

dad researched it and in Texas it is totally legal for a community to vote in by a majority for a HOA and they were SOL.

Yep people don;t know how much power HOAs have until it is to late. Most people that have problems are good people that were probable pro-HOA until the HOA came after them.


Me and my wife sold our HOA house in NC. Rule 1 when looking at house here in N.VA was it had to NOT have a HOA. We looked at some houses but as soon as we found out it was a HOA we cut it from our list.

It's brilliant. They formed to make the neighborhood look more martha-stewart and keep property prices up, but the majority of the people I know would never live in a HOA neighborhood.

that there is the biggest crock of shit there is.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: BillGates
There is one in our neighborhood but I don't think we have to pay to be in it - I never pay attention to the mailings. Supposedly there is a rule in our neighborhood that fences aren't allowed - what would happen if I decided I wanted to build one? We never signed any form about this type of thing when we closed on the house last year... What would happen?

they would bitch and complain

you would tell them to go fuck themselfs and build your fence

They then sue him in court and most liekly win. He then has a lein put on house for fines, court cost, lawyers fees, HOA fees, etc... and then they, HOA, sell house fro what is owed to a "private party" and he has nothing to show.


Most states give HOAs powers that even most goveremnts don;t have.

If you value you life fight tooth and nail to keep HOAs out of your area.

if he isnt in the HOA and never agreed to it they cant do shit

Bingo.. he never signed anything saying he was in the HOA. Just because they are in the neighborhood does not mean that you have to sign up and participate. You own the house, you do not belong to the HOA, so any "benefits" they provide should not be received by you and their influence should have no bearing on what you want to do either.

wrong. this happened to my parents. two years after they bought their house a HOA was voted in my parents didn't know at thing about it until he got a letter to move his little 4X8 utility trailer from the driveway and to fork over 120 bucks for the year.

dad researched it and in Texas it is totally legal for a community to vote in by a majority for a HOA and they were SOL.

I stand corrected. Just another reason I would never ever voluntarily live in an HOA. I have 2 lawnmowers on the side of my house, a jetski trailer, a truck, jetski and my wife's explorer parked in the driveway, my two trash cans in front of the garage (cant put them in the garage because they smell too bad and besides, the garage is for my projects), 4 more lawnmowers out back, a lawn tractor, a hot tub on its side on my porch because I'm repairing a small crack to it, kids toys strewn all in the back yard, etc.

And in my neighborhood, my house is normal looking.

 

[fatkorean]

I think it all depends on the HOA, you will get good ones and bad ones. You usually only hear about the bad ones though...

Speaking of bad ones.. here is one that was on the news

linky here

-fk

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: fatkorean
I think it all depends on the HOA, you will get good ones and bad ones. You usually only hear about the bad ones though...

Speaking of bad ones.. here is one that was on the news

linky here

-fk

Problem is it only takes 1 person on a HOA to turn it into bad. So yea its good now but a person with more time then sence moves in and/or gets on the board and now your grass is to dry, trash can was out to long, newspaper was on driveway for more then 24hrs, etc...