Post your HOA horror stories here

[greenjp]

I'm not sure barking dogs are really an HOA issue. Of course people can complain to the HOA about anything they want but that doesn't mean the HOA can or will do anything about it. Our documents do not cover noise issues (those are governed by local law) or disputes between neighbors.

A barking dog is a noise nuisance no different from loud music, lawn equipment, etc. No one wants to hear your dog barking at all hours of the day, anymore than they want to be woken up by you mowing the lawn at 6 AM. If the local laws have anything to say about it then that's who you have to deal with.

jeff

 

[aquariuscsm]

what I do not understand is that you pay them diligently, you doing your best, and yet they are harassing you; such a BS idea by having a HOA!

I too have never understood the whole busybody Gladys Kravitz HOA concept. Paying some nosy busybody to tell you how to live. Around here city codes take care of all nuisances.

My friend Sara and her husband went and looked at a home the other week. By HOA rules you're only allowed to own 2 cars. Seriously????????

 

[miden851]

I too have never understood the whole busybody Gladys Kravitz HOA concept. Paying some nosy busybody to tell you how to live. Around here city codes take care of all nuisances.

My friend Sara and her husband went and looked at a home the other week. By HOA rules you're only allowed to own 2 cars. Seriously????????

i understand the concept of the conformity but they go in the extreme ways, way too often

often they overlook something way big, in my neighborhood lets say renting signs start to pop up; yet, they persist on fine details, like we took a bench to the front, no no it cannot sit upfront it has to be to the back of your house; Nuts!

 

[AZjeff]

I'm not sure barking dogs are really an HOA issue.

A barking dog is a noise nuisance no different from loud music, lawn equipment, etc. No one wants to hear your dog barking at all hours of the day, anymore than they want to be woken up by you mowing the lawn at 6 AM. If the local laws have anything to say about it then that's who you have to deal with.

jeff

Depends on the HOA rules. Ours has rules about noise and mentions dogs and trying to talk to the owners first. Dealing with clear violations of their own rules is one of the things I pay them for. They get the town animal enforcement people involved and they sometimes claim they have to witness the barking to do anything.

Sadly HOAs wouldn't be needed if people would just be considerate of others.

 

[Chris142]

My solution to your situation is living in a rural area where my nearest neighbor is a 1/4-mile away, not a 1/4-acre.

I'm rural but each lot is 5 acres. Still far enough as long as the houses are positioned correctly on the lots

 

[chainblu]

Several years ago, I worked for a satellite TV company. Sometimes, I'd find myself doing a job in a HOA and had no choice but to put the dish visible from the road, but well within the customer's exclusive-use area. Even after showing them the OTARD documentation, (which gives them legal authority to have it there) EVERY time they would back down. They just didn't want that bullseye on their back.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a house within an HOA.

 

[bdcardinal]

So my side of my street is not in an HOA. The houses behind us and the houses across from us are in their own respective HOAs. When my grandpa had the roof redone on the house, he had a tile roof put on. The HOA president came knocking to inform him that it unfairly raised home values and we had to have it redone, they were told where to put their instructions. I will be working on a car in front of the house or driveway and have someone tell me that they are going to tell the HOA and my landlord what I am doing. I just say "ok sounds great, I will enjoy hearing from you."

 

[nickaluch]

I remember when my mom was sick called the fire department for a ambulance they ended up blocking the road. As there evaluating my mom the phone rings I pick it up it the HOA president telling me to have them move the emergency vehicles there blocking the road I handed the phone to the chief he shredded her. For one year I took care of my Mom every night after work this HOA lady drove me bunkers. I would park in the visitor parking lot for the overnight and would give me a $10 ticket knock on the door ring the phone telling me to move my car. She was a real character I would just kill her with kindness and do what I needed to do never paid the fines

 

[10WSmuckers]

Never ever going to live in a HOA. On my property I do whatever the F I want with no regards for silly laws or rules. I can cut my own grass and fix my own home.

 

[Freischneider]

I would never ever live in an HOA neighborhood.

 

[Pablo]

One HOA biddy took some stuff from curbside (waiting for pick-up) and dragged it up on our porch. WTAF?

One time my cool neighbor came to the HOA meeting and nearly came to fisticuffs over appropriate roofing.

A clouty real estate broker on our road replaced her roof with a definitely non-approved (cheaper) shingle style. The biddies said exactly nothing. When others wanted that choice, biddies went nuts.

Guy down the street cut down a big tree. Biddies turned him into the county. Trees were old growth, and need special permit (King County) to cut. I guess I get that sorta, but on his property. County would not have known.

Get an email if you get home late and trash cans aren't in!

Oh yeah one of them pulled up my November political signs and threw them behind my shop. They got in trouble for that one! Violation (actual!) of FREE SPEECH. Not a pretend internet one. Luckily I didn't have to hire a lawyer, I know the precinct chair, and the party has lawyers and such.

Oh they hated my ass. Eventually two of them moved and the 3rd one was kinda tamed by then - and her sister had some sort of head trauma accident, and moved in with her. People change. We got along ok after that. Her husband was a raging alcoholic, added some interest to the 'hood.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Never have had that problem I refuse to live where there is a HOA neighborhood or condo.

 

[Pew]

There's a HOA rule where you're not allowed to grill in the front/driveway of the townhouses. A lady that lives next to me complained about our neighbor grilling on the driveway instead of the back patio - despite them always moving the grill to the back when they were done. Everybody knew it was her though because the HOA sent the picture she took, from her own place, with the letter.

They have their uses here though, with lawncare and snow removal which is great for somebody who lives alone like me and doesn't need a house or the work involved with a house. If I was to get a house though it wouldn't be in a HOA.

 

[brianl703]

They have their uses here though, with lawncare and snow removal

I lived in a townhouse with an HOA. The snow removal was usually late, often 24 hours after the snow stopped falling. And they'd make exactly one pass down the center of the road/parking lot so I'd have to shovel my driveway AND 4 or 5 feet out into the road.

I once saw the snow removal contract the HOA had with the landscaping company. They would charge the HOA $25 an hour per person to HAND SHOVEL the sidewalks. I'd expect them to use a snowblower...

 

[Pew]

I lived in a townhouse with an HOA. The snow removal was usually late, often 24 hours after the snow stopped falling. And they'd make exactly one pass down the center of the road/parking lot so I'd have to shovel my driveway AND 4 or 5 feet out into the road.

I once saw the snow removal contract the HOA had with the landscaping company. They would charge the HOA $25 an hour per person to HAND SHOVEL the sidewalks. I'd expect them to use a snowblower...

Mine will only come if more than 3 inches has fallen and the townhouse blocks the sun for my driveway so no natural melting occurs. However I actually like shoveling and my driveway can barely fit 2 cars so it takes no time at all so occasionally I'll shovel my neighbor's too and a path down to the mailboxes. The lanscaping company does a pretty good job though, using one of those mini bulldozer machines, snow blowers, and normal shovels. Plus my cul-de-sac is the first one so ours is always done first.

 

[brianl703]

Mine will only come if more than 3 inches has fallen and the townhouse blocks the sun for my driveway so no natural melting occurs. However I actually like shoveling and my driveway can barely fit 2 cars so it takes no time at all so occasionally I'll shovel my neighbor's too and a path down to the mailboxes. The lanscaping company does a pretty good job though, using one of those mini bulldozer machines, snow blowers, and normal shovels. Plus my cul-de-sac is the first one so ours is always done first.

Never had to shovel my driveway where I live now. Even when we've gotten 6 inches of snow, driveway is level so no problem. And the state plows right to the edge of the road and doesn't leave a big pile at the end of my driveway.

Another nice touch is that my mailbox is only 90 feet from my front door unlike the 500 feet it was when I lived in the townhouse. Apparently they realized at the last minute that the post office wanted cluster boxes and the only place to put them was near the retaining pond in the middle of the street.

 

[aquariuscsm]

There's a HOA rule where you're not allowed to grill in the front/driveway of the townhouses. A lady that lives next to me complained about our neighbor grilling on the driveway instead of the back patio - despite them always moving the grill to the back when they were done. Everybody knew it was her though because the HOA sent the picture she took, from her own place, with the letter.

They have their uses here though, with lawncare and snow removal which is great for somebody who lives alone like me and doesn't need a house or the work involved with a house. If I was to get a house though it wouldn't be in a HOA.

I will agree that it looks very tacky to see individuals grilling in the front yard.

 

[Pablo]

I will agree that it looks very tacky to see individuals grilling in the front yard.

Sure. But.......pass a law? 'chute em? move? I know, call the HOA?




Hope you see what I'm getting at.

Now if you are on some kind of communal property and there are agreed rules, that is a different tune. YMMV.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

No. Just NO.

15+ years of that ****.

We could not not handle it and never again. So glad to move!!

Lots of stories. DST now gonna eat breakfast in peace,

Unfortunately, my experience with an HOA has been more like this than pleasurable.

They tend to act up in "waves".. and probably will be again, soon, when Memorial Day soon approaches, or, really, whenever the individuals that represent the HOA drive around, in our case in those Chevy Equinox little vehicles, up and down every street, various times of day, looking for anything they can, if you so happen to have a garage door open then it is Game On for them to look inside, will your house or unit be targeted. Are you feeding birds. Have you not parked in your driveway, rather in front of your house. Some units have two vehicles. I think some have three. That won't stop them from ticketing one, not the other. Neighbors talk. Some are on the board. Some know the guy on the board, this can affect who is fined..

I think the most accurate assessment is: Not all HOAs are the same, but some are actual, micromanaged ? profit mills that will fleece the residents thereof, that will do everything as to complain and say why why why, except to move, because the lawns get mowed. No connection as to how they actually pay for that service, too.

If you have an HOA and it goes well for you, that's great.

I am more in a never again camp.

It's usually fine, until the guy comes around driving up and down every street looking for problems.. then all of a sudden, things are.

 

[alarmguy]

I wouldnt live in a community without an HOA.
Let me restate that, we moved from HOA free Long Island NY to South Carolina 15 years ago, buying a new home in an HOA community was a must have and first on the list. This made us reasonably sure the community would be well maintained for a long time.